Best Fight Scenes
Submitted by sophosmoros on Sat, 11/28/2009 - 11:42
- Lee vs. Oharra: (Enter the Dragon) The first scene that comes to mind is this classic featuring Bruce Lee and Bob Wall as Oharra.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Yoda vs. Count Dooku: (Attack of the Clones) Yoda finally takes out his lightsaber and goes all Cuisinart on Count Dooku.
- Martin Q. Blank vs. Felix La PuBelle: (Grosse Pointe Blank) “It’s not me,” pleads Martin Blank to an astonished Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver) who finds him just after having stabbed a burly assasin to death in a high school hallway with a ball point pen. This scene has always stuck with me because of its sheer brutality and the suddennes with which it starts and stops.
- Jason Bourne vs. Desh: (The Bourne Ultimatum) Two people quickly moving past the point of thinking and hesitation, only driven to stop each other lest they lose their own lives in the process. They are highly trained beasts motivated by self preservation.
- Hector vs. Achilles: (Troy) The script calls for Achilles to “fight in a god-like manner.” He moves with such strange grace and economy of motion. Achilles’ fighting style is his own; it is wholly unique and it is fearsome and beautiful to behold, as befits the divinity that runs through him. Despite all of Hector’s skill and bravery, sadly, the mortal prince never really has a chance.
- Daniel Larusso vs. Johnny Lawrence: (The Karate Kid) The entire story comes down to one swift kick to the face, and good triumphs over evil, Daniel-san overcomes adversity, and Pat Morita is immortalized as the closest thing we have to Yoda this side of Dagobah.
- King Kong vs. 3 Tyrannosauri Rex: (King Kong) Epic, primal clash of the titans. Kong kicks big time dinosaur ass, and does it all for his monkey love of Naomi Watts. I just love the way this fight scene ends.
This list was inspired back in June of 2008 by a piece that Rotten Tomatoes did on the best fight scenes ever shown in the movies. For purposes of this list, here are the criteria by which I’d like to abide:
1. A “fight scene” is a film or television depiction of physical combat between two or more individuals. A fight scene may consist of one individual versus another single individual or group of individuals.
2. An “individual” is any autonomous and responsive entity, including a person, a creature, a possessed being or object, or an animated and responsive machine.
3. A battle scene is not a fight scene. A “battle scene” is a film or television depiction of physical combat between two or more groups of individuals.
4. A fight scene should not involve the use of a projectile weapon as part of the main fight sequence, unless such a weapon is used as a hand-to-hand weapon. A “projectile weapon” is an implement that propels an object or blast of energy away from the bearer of the weapon (Example: For purposes of this list, an assailant can throw a rock or a baseball at his opponent and still be engaged in a "fight scene." He can even use the butt of his gun to smack his opponent on the head. A fight involving the shooting of guns, laser blasters, or bows and arrows, however, would belong on a different list.)