Top 10 best fight scenes of all time
This topic is perhaps something very difficult to write about. What does constitute an awesome fight? Is it the setting? The actors? The stunts? Perhaps the choreography? But what about the direction or the technical aspects surrounding the fight? Is it ground-breaking or banal? Is it the tone (e.g., overly serious, slapstick) or the supporting elements like the score/soundtrack and the cinematography that make it truly memorable? Maybe all the above can be factored in as pivotal elements to create an authentic experience that plays out like a dance but instead of steps you have punches, kicks, elbows, weapons, throws and locks. Someone might consider all the above as essential elements to decider but another one not. After all, our perception of what can be it overly choreographed or visceral is different from person to person. Nevertheless, after copious amounts of thinking, this is the quintessential list that contains some of the best fight sequences of all time. Enjoy.
10. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Director: Lana and Lilly Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Lambert Wilson
Genre: Science fiction action
Country: USA
As it has been extensively stated before, “The Matrix Reloaded” took a concept of good vs evil throughout a cyberpunk lens only for its makers to incorporate in the ambitious and over-bloated sequels extra theological and philosophical concepts and several promising subplots that did not have meaning in the long run. Yet, if someone can bypass their hyped expectations, “The Matrix Reloaded” delivered on the fight front. Neo engaging with 100 Smiths got the biggest media coverage due to its technical logistics but it is the chateau brawl with the Merovingian’s goons that is the creme-de-la-cream of action cinema. Starting beautifully by subverting expectations (“Ok you got some skill“), it unleashes in wide frames flawless wirework and master Yuen Woo-ping’s never been better choreography. Keanu Reeves looks equally graceful in fighting god mode with a rather restrictive wardrobe. The use of medieval weapons and the catchy instrumental by Rob Dougan (“Furious Angels“) make this a particular highlight and reminding us the reason why we all fell in love with “The Matrix“ (1999) in the first place. While the visceral thrill is missing since Neo cannot be killed, this is an elegant ballet of gymnastics and a crown piece in kung fu cinema. Period.
Direction:
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Choreography:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: Neo stops a sword with his hand; a few droplets of blood appear. Merovingian’s goons look puzzled and he quotes mockingly: “See, he is just a man”. Brilliant.
9. Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Michael Parks
Genre: Neo-western martial arts
Country: USA
A fight that needs no introduction which won rightfully the best fight in the MTV movie awards, is perhaps the most vicious cinematic showdown between two women. Quentin Tarantino wisely has been building up the disdain between these two (assassins) in Volume 1 and his long awaited sequel (or second half if you will of the whole bloody affair) delivered a down and dirty brawl inside a white-trashy trailer where everything goes. More of a “screw-you-and-take-this” clash than a choreographed martial art display, both women use power moves and any object they can get their hands on to cause maximum damage testing simultaneously the audience’s limits; shin hits, vaginal blows, jaw kicks, neck locks, guitars, tv antennas and more are some of the chaotic showcase of brutality that will make you squirm and laugh at the same time. Lacking a score or fancy soundtrack, Tarantino utilizes to maximum effect the fantastic editing of Sally Menke and top notch sound design to create a superb and remarkable one-on-one fight. It is even sweeter that upon replaying this sequence, you will notice some nifty visual storytelling about the skills and characters of Elle and Bride that feels wholly appropriate and fair for its climatic end.
Direction:
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Choreography:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: Elle Driver attempting a power kick only for the Bride to grab her mid air and throw her through a wall. Hilarious and effective.
8. Mortal Kombat (1995)
Director: Paul WS Anderson
Starring: Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras Christopher Lambert
Genre: Fantasy martial arts action
Country: USA
“Mortal Kombat” came out swinging in 1995 after the critical and semi commercial failures of “Double Dragon” (1993), “Super Mario Bros” (1993) and “Street Fighter” (1994). With its distinct and hypersaturated visual style, it embraced the absurdity of its source material and focused on delivering as best as it could Hong Kong inspired fights courtesy of veteran martial artist Robin Shou (e.g., “Tiger Cage II” (1990)). And funny thing, the additional fights that were included and choreographed by him were among the film’s best after test audiences complained that there is not enough action. Liu Kang finds himself on the defensive after an unexpected attack from fan favorite Reptile. To be honest, the thunderous and instrumental rendition of Tracy Lords’ (yes, she made actually a pretty solid album!) “Control” elevates the fight with a fast paced momentum while the spacious and neon lit set provides plenty of opportunities for cool wirework, a novel thing for Hollywood back then. The use of high octane editing, and micro-cameras provide a more visceral feeling as Liu Kang can hardly keep up with the speed (and impact) of Reptile’s blows. In a blink and you will miss moment, Shou broke three ribs when he was tossed into a column. It is an excellent fight with a colourful cinematography by John R. Leonetti that sets rightfully the tone for the upcoming climax with Shang Tsung.
Direction:
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Stunt work:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: Reptile transforms under the voice of Shao Khan, jumps and front kicks Liu Kang through a wall under Tracy Lord’s “Control”. Best intro fight ever.
7. drunken master II (1994)
Director: Lau Kar-leung
Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Ken Lo, Ti Lung, Lau Kar-leung, Ho Wing-fong
Genre: Action comedy kung fu
Country: Hong Kong
The “Drunken Master II” is one of these films that make any modern and shiny action flick look like a school project in comparison. A dazzling display of the drunken boxing technique that became the basis for Lei Wulong’s character in the “Tekken” videogame series, the sequel to Chan’s breakout role in 1978 is bigger, funnier and more elaborate. Yet, like any other Chan flick from Hong Kong, the final ten minute fight has to be seen to be believed with Chan taking seemingly impossible poses and attempting to defeat Ken Lo’s super kicks in a British-owned steel factory. Director (and actor) Kar-leung and Chan make the most of the wide framed setting capturing on the celluloid one of Chan’s most legendary stunts: his fall into burning charcoals. No matter what someone might think of Jackie and his political beliefs these days, his value as an entertainer is undeniable assisted by excellent comic timing and a dedicated team of stunt players and martial artists that craft memorable segment after memorable segment in Chan’s larger than life extensive filmography.
Direction:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: Wong Fei-hung bites the bullet and decides to tip the fighting scales by drinking lots and lots of alcohol. Expect greatness.
6. x-men 2 (2003)
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Holly Berry, James Mardsen
Genre: Superhero
Country: USA
Largely forgotten due to the prevalence of Marvel’s cookie cutter yearly output, “X-Men 2” outclassed its predecessor in every way. Bryan Singer brought the famous mutants into a rather restrictive form of blockbuster that emphasized more the story and its societal implications rather than brain dead entertainment. Its intro already demonstrates that we are in for a different and vastly superior type of beast. Nightcrawler’s President assassination attempt remains some of the best action moments of modern day cinema and characterizes the rather stoic mutant as a force to be reckoned with. Elevated by John Ottman’s take on Mozart’s “Requiem”, the decision to give Nightcrawler an acrobatic style of hitting, grabbing and teleporting remains still an awesome effect (i.e., the dust particles is a genius idea). The final result is a visually arresting sequence coupled with excellent pacing that shows several secret service and special agents tossed around like ragdolls with awesome stuntwork. The shot where Nightcrawler clears the entire oval office in one take to reach the President is outstanding.
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Characters:
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Standout moment: When Nightcrawler reaches the Oval office effortlessly and in slo mo; those pesky guards were just flies for him really.
5. wheels on meals (1984)
Director: Summo Hung
Starring: Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Benny Urquindez
Genre: Martial arts action comedy
Country: Hong Kong
The three dragons (Biao, Hung, Chan) have appeared in several films together but none is more memorable than “Wheels on Meals”. Before Chan brought his jaw dropping and more street fighting based kung fu for the masses, Hung had already an extensive record in direction that raised the bar in Hong Kong cinema with each subsequent output. And oh boy his goofy “Wheels on Meals” features a spectacular fight to end all fights between Chan and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, an awesome kickboxing champion with lighting fast moves and a death stare that means business. Listed occasionally as the first fight in Hong Kong films to have that more lean and visceral style of actual moves rather than a technical kung fu position focus that imitates Chinese Opera, the almost 7 and a half minute mano-a-mano remains an all time great as neither is retreating in this endless tale of fists and kicks. It was so good that Hung attempted to repeated his lighting in a bottle with an equally impressive as well as sequence in “Dragons Forever” (1988), which became the last film where the three dragons appeared together.
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Stand out moment: Benny’s spinning hook kick was so fast that indeed those candles were blown off by his speed. Spectacular.
4. Hero (2002)
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen, Zang Ziyi, Chen Daoming
Genre: Wuxia
Country: China
The most expensive Chinese film of all time (until 2002), Zhang Yimou’s wuxia epic features an all star cast as assassins that square off in the best cinematographic arenas that money can buy. Although Yimou was a director better known for his dramas, his handing of action does not disappoint. While there are plenty of mesmerising face offs that have more in common with Russian ballet than hardcore wuxia flicks, it is the onscreen reunion of Jet Li and Donnie Yen 10 years later since Tsui Hark’s “Once Upon a Time in China II” (1992) that really stands out. The lengthier duel in the film, Li’s Nameless (a nod to Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western trilogy) fights Long Sky in a gaming house under the soothing sounds of rain. It is an astonishing moment that plays out inside the characters’ heads in the fantastic black and white cinematography of Wong Kar-wai regular Christopher Doyle. But beneath this incredible clash of spear and sword, Yimou utilizes sharp sound and Tan Dun’s subtle music to enhance the underlying emotions and beautiful Chinese philosophy that requires more than one viewing for someone to truly appreciate. A masterpiece.
Direction:
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Choreography:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: When the music stops, we see (supposedly) who is the faster between these two in a triumph of audio, edit and picture like a renaissance painting coming to life.
3. Once upon a time in china II (1992)
Director: Tsui Hark
Starring: Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Chiang, Hung Yan-yan
Genre: Martial arts
Country: Hong Kong
A rather unknown entry in the action patheon for the Western audiences, Tsui Hark’s trilogy featuring the popular folk hero Wong Fei-hung showcases unique fights and a bit of history from China’s part in a time where the West was causing quite a stir in the East. Nevertheless, the focus of the whole trilogy is to propel Jet Li’s natural charisma forward through a multitude of kung fun antics. The fight between Yen’s imperial officer Nap-ian and Li’s Wong is a significant highlight across three films (or four if you count Sammo Hung’s “Once Upon a Time in China and America” (1997)). It is a stunning display of lighting fast moves by these two action stars at their prime and athletic peak with some creative use of every day objects as weapons. It can be quite lengthy as Hark’s lens follows them from the bamboo scaffolding infested kitchen to a narrow passage but what makes it more fascinating are the emotional undertones. While not necessarily a truly villainous person, Yen’s Nap-ian believes in his Imperialist cause even if this leads to the torture of his fellow kin. Similarly to the “Wheels on Meals” entry above, their clash is legendary although its extensive kung fu coverage has now become now a thing of the past.
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Style:
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Characters:
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Stand out moment: Wong showcases how much he is holding back by breaking the bamboo without excessive use of force much to the surprise of Nap-ian.
2. Kill Bill volume 1 (2003)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, David Carradine, Michael Parks
Genre: Martial arts
Country: USA
“Kill Bill Volume 1” is one of the greatest action and martial art films of all time. Quentin Tarantino’s first jab into choreographed mayhem proved a dazzling and oozing style over substance film until the second half that is which provided much of the needed story. Yet, the 30 minute extended carnage at the House of Blue Leaves is a landmark in action filmmaking co-choreographed by Tarantino himself and master Yuen Woo-ping without the use of storyboards! Its intro is quite operatic under Ennio Morricone’s “Death Rides a Horse” that sees the Bride dispatching effortlessly O-Ren’s private squad only to engage in a more impactful duel with Gogo Yubari (“Uwasa ga hitori-aruki shiteru mitai da ne!“) but nothing can hold the yellow tornado of rage that is the Bride back. When the Crazy 88 (“Nah, there weren't really eighty-eight of them. They just called themselves "The Crazy 88."“) and their leader arrive, an extensive showdown is unavoidable under Robert Richardson’s glorious cinematography, awesome stuntwork, copious amount of anime inspired blood and an ultra groovy soundtrack. By the time we reach O-Ren, we might be exhausted but Tarantino is wise enough to dial the pace down and appreciate the poetic beauty of a snowy Japanese garden and a wicked rendition of “Don’t let me be misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda. Phenomenal.
Direction:
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Choreography:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: The Bride decides to end the fight with the Crazy 88 after she gets two swords. And they become a part of history.
1. The Raid (2011)
Director: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Donny Alamsyah, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy
Genre: Action crime
Country: Indonesia
Gareth Evans, a filmmaker with limited credits under his name (until this point) managed to craft one of the best action films of all time that changed the trajectory of how action should be shot. He also offered a fresh visual style that did not only embrace grittiness but celebrated violence as something truly horrific as opposed to the most heroic bloodsheds and operatic tones of other Asian countries. Deprived by the American machoism and seemingly boring ideals that populate the Western face offs, this showdown is visceral and raw with superb visual storytelling. Show, do not tell. The underestimated henchman takes on two larger opponents at the same time effortlessly and cinema has never been the same since. The added realism makes it even better; as the fight rages on, bodies get more sweaty, heavier and more tired while the blows lose their momentum and impact. After all, we are watching a mesmerising display of violence for almost 8 whole minutes underlined by the awesome score by Joseph Trapanese and Mike Shinoda (“Linkin Park“). This is truly the best fight of all time.
Direction:
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Choreography:
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Stunt work:
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Visceral level:
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Style:
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Characters:
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Standout moment: The near end that shows how badass and unstoppable Mad Dog is that even two people cannot take him down despite his injuries and small frame.