12. Roadhouse
Not enough people in my generation (I'm 21) have seen Roadhouse or even a Patrick Swayze movie besides Dirty Dancing. However, those who have will never forget this scene. The greatness here doesn't just come from technical prowess but more-so from pure confidence and style. It's classic cheesy Swayze at his best. The mullets alone are reason enough to watch this movie.
11. Warrior
I reviewed Warrior just yesterday and immediately started looking for fights that could match the one shown below. That's how this list was born. No doubt one of the most satisfying elements of some of these fights is an opponent who didn't take the hero seriously getting shown up. Warrior definitely qualifies as having one of those moments.
10. Kung-Fu Hustle
Okay, so this one is admittedly pretty strange, but the eccentricities of a scene can be what make it so awesome. Kung-Fu Hustle sticks to this magical realism/exaggerated style throughout the whole movie, and that's what makes it such a pleasure to watch.
9. Casino Royale
Daniel Craig's first fight as James Bond shows why audiences have continued to love the Bond character for so many years. His inaugural confrontation feels real and intimate and so immediately connects us to this new iteration of Bond. The contrast between black and white and the color of the battle sequence makes the conflict that much more intense.
8. The Legend of Drunken Master
Jackie Chan always kicks ass. A lot of his movies could have ended up on this list. He can consistently come up with innovative, often goofy techniques to defeat his enemies. As such, leaving Jackie off this list would be a mistake. I briefly considered a Rush Hour 2 scene, but then I remembered Drunken Master and the search was over.
7. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
CTHD is one of the most critically acclaimed martial arts movies of all time. The use of wire effects to create otherwise impossible fight choreography was the best of its kind. However, besides wire-fu, Crouching Tiger had some excellent and more traditional confrontations.
6. Rocky IV
Rocky IV might be the most undeniably American fight on this list. Anti-Russian sentiment was obviously pretty high in the 1980s when this movie came rolling down the shoot. However, if you look past the nationalism, Sylvester Stalone's match against Dolf Lundgren is obviously an excellent brawl. If you dislike Ivan Drago because he's a jerk who killed Apollo Creed and not because he's Russian it's not racist, right? Either way, remember, "no pain!"
5. No Country for Old Men
Chigurh from No Country for Old Men has to be one of the creepiest villains of all time. For some reason that haircut made him seem so alien. His ruthlessness is unmatched, and I always wondered if the old man kept the coin. I won't spoil the ending of this movie for those who haven't seen it, but this fight isn't it. I would strongly recommend you watch this if only to experience Javier Bardem's award winning performance.
Jackie Chan always kicks ass. A lot of his movies could have ended up on this list. He can consistently come up with innovative, often goofy techniques to defeat his enemies. As such, leaving Jackie off this list would be a mistake. I briefly considered a Rush Hour 2 scene, but then I remembered Drunken Master and the search was over.
7. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
CTHD is one of the most critically acclaimed martial arts movies of all time. The use of wire effects to create otherwise impossible fight choreography was the best of its kind. However, besides wire-fu, Crouching Tiger had some excellent and more traditional confrontations.
6. Rocky IV
Rocky IV might be the most undeniably American fight on this list. Anti-Russian sentiment was obviously pretty high in the 1980s when this movie came rolling down the shoot. However, if you look past the nationalism, Sylvester Stalone's match against Dolf Lundgren is obviously an excellent brawl. If you dislike Ivan Drago because he's a jerk who killed Apollo Creed and not because he's Russian it's not racist, right? Either way, remember, "no pain!"
5. No Country for Old Men
Chigurh from No Country for Old Men has to be one of the creepiest villains of all time. For some reason that haircut made him seem so alien. His ruthlessness is unmatched, and I always wondered if the old man kept the coin. I won't spoil the ending of this movie for those who haven't seen it, but this fight isn't it. I would strongly recommend you watch this if only to experience Javier Bardem's award winning performance.
4. Gladiator
This is the quintessential arena fight in the best Graeco-Roman action film in the last fifteen years. Maximus rallies his troops and rewrites history when he defeats the mighty Carthaginian chariot riders. Many other films have tried to equal this by using considerable CGI and giving their protagonists godlike powers. However, they simply can't measure up to the precision involved the Gladiator arena.
3. Jet Li's Fearless
Fearless has so many good brawls it was hard to pick just one. Go read my review for more info. This brawl against a rival master so epically wrecks the restaurant it's held in, the battle just had to earn a high spot on this list.
2. Borne Ultimatum
Jason Borne was ambushed several times during his tenure as a renegade Treadstone agent. However, on this occasion he had surprise on his side. Kind of. This fight, a lot like Casino Royale's opening tussle, is close quarters and very intimate. Both Borne and Desh use nearly everything around them as a weapon, so it's no surprise that their entanglement ended with a bath towel.
1. The Matrix
Some of you may have seen this one coming. It's simply impossible to ignore the perfection of this sequence. When you watch everything leading up to it, the moment when Neo decides not to run and gives Agent Smith that stare is even better. I wonder how many people with the last name Anderson had to endure Agent Smith impressions after this hit theaters.
For those of who are disappointed that a Bruce Lee movie didn't make the cut, his films were a little too old. The Matrix almost wasn't on the list because it came out in '99. Maybe in a few weeks, I could put together a list of the best vintage fights, and Bruce Lee would most likely be on there more than once.
This is the quintessential arena fight in the best Graeco-Roman action film in the last fifteen years. Maximus rallies his troops and rewrites history when he defeats the mighty Carthaginian chariot riders. Many other films have tried to equal this by using considerable CGI and giving their protagonists godlike powers. However, they simply can't measure up to the precision involved the Gladiator arena.
3. Jet Li's Fearless
Fearless has so many good brawls it was hard to pick just one. Go read my review for more info. This brawl against a rival master so epically wrecks the restaurant it's held in, the battle just had to earn a high spot on this list.
2. Borne Ultimatum
Jason Borne was ambushed several times during his tenure as a renegade Treadstone agent. However, on this occasion he had surprise on his side. Kind of. This fight, a lot like Casino Royale's opening tussle, is close quarters and very intimate. Both Borne and Desh use nearly everything around them as a weapon, so it's no surprise that their entanglement ended with a bath towel.
1. The Matrix
Some of you may have seen this one coming. It's simply impossible to ignore the perfection of this sequence. When you watch everything leading up to it, the moment when Neo decides not to run and gives Agent Smith that stare is even better. I wonder how many people with the last name Anderson had to endure Agent Smith impressions after this hit theaters.
For those of who are disappointed that a Bruce Lee movie didn't make the cut, his films were a little too old. The Matrix almost wasn't on the list because it came out in '99. Maybe in a few weeks, I could put together a list of the best vintage fights, and Bruce Lee would most likely be on there more than once.
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