The Best Movie Fight Scene?

[FMAFIGHTER]

Thanks just found it.

Errol

[Tant01]

I noticed in a preview (commercial) he blinks (flinches) while shooting blanks.
Not the most convincing act for a 5% (head) shot with the target behind a hostage...

[MasterKaliSilat]

Well, here's a fight scene you can enjoy.

I thought you'd like to see this one, without the gear someone would die!
YouTube - Greg Alland Fights

[Jujujason]

And I'll add 'Taken' to my list as well. J~

[Dan_The_Man]

For me excellent fight scenes are split into two categories: Fantasy fighting and realism. I prefer these to be separate when I'm watching a film. For example: 300. I think the fighting in that is some of the best I have ever seen but this is clearly on the fantasy side of things. The sheer control over the camera (playing with the speed of the strikes and the zooms) and how they cleverly mix together lots of short sequences to create the effect of one long one makes it look truly amazing. The aesthetic feel of it also adds a great deal. The Matrix would also come under a similar category but even more on the fantasy side.

The reason why I believe these two films create such an impression is because although they are on the side of fantasy the moves still feel somewhat believable.

On the other hand we have realism. When I see a realistic fight scene I like it to be very realistic. The difficulty here is to create a believable fight scene that isn't boring. I do tend to get quite annoyed nowadays at a lot of the Hollywood style moves that are so unbelievable, even when the tone set by the film would give us the expectation of a realistic fight scene.

The things that really put me off a fight scene are:

- Neck breaks. I can't stand any kind of neck break in a fight scene, especially when standing vs. a resisting opponent.

- Backhands. Almost every time I see a backhand in a fight scene it just seems ridiculous, especially when the grown man on the receiving end falls straight to the floor.

- Not finishing off the attacker. A classic and one that is often used to add drama when the attacker springs back to life to have one last shot. Still, holding someone under water for 20 seconds until they stop moving isn’t going to kill them.

- One-punch knockouts. Also extremely hard to pull off in real life but these aren’t so bad if the film makes you believe the power of the attacker.

- Not using the most obvious and lethal means of attack. I saw Mission Impossible III the other day and there is one scene where Tom Cruise is facing a man with a knife and in the scuffle turns his back. Instead of the man stabbing him right in the back he kicks him to the floor then attempts a massive leap to stab him.

I do understand that when directors and choreographers use these types of moves and techniques they are going for drama over realism. I am very interested in fight scene choreography and try to watch any fight with as critical eye as possible.

I think there is a place in cinema for ultra realistic fight scenes. The type where the trained attackers don't make a string of stupid and unrealistic mistakes. But fight scenes that you feel a raw power and grittiness through the realism to create something spectacular.

[Max22]

Okay, thanks to everyone who posted the "they live" clips. That fight scene was awesome.
I am completely in favor of granting Roddy Piper a retro active academy award for that crazyness.

[shuyun]

how about baseball swings with a clasped hands?

neck breaks can never be shown in real angles for obvious reasons.


but i do like getting killed with a teacup in Chronicles of Riddick. Then threatening with a corned beef can opener. I was laughing as I wondered what kind of gruesome death went on in those guys minds.

Death by Teacup

[george stando]

Liked charles bronson's fights in hard times and the short burst fight scenes in fight club.