Sorry if this has been done, I did a quick search which didn't turn up anything specific.

Seeing the recent Bourne thread got me thinking about great fight scenes. I've been involved in martial arts since the mid-late 80's and well done fight scenes hold a lot of interest for me. I loved the scenes in the Bourne trilogy. A couple (mostly spy-vs-spy) were overdone but most are very realistic for a well trained martial artist. I like the simple, efficient stuff.

A few others for me:
-Most of the fights in "The Perfect Weapon" with Jeff Speakman. Same as the Bourne stuff - simple, efficient, not overblown.

-as a Tae Kwon Do black belt who fought in tournaments for a few years I love the big fight finale in "Best of the Best". The Rhee brothers are simply amazing.

-I'm a Jackie Chan fan but don't have a favorite scene that stands out. They're way over-choreographed and contrived but eminently entertaining.

-I'm not a fan of wires so a lot of Jet Li stuff turns me off but when he stays on the ground he's great to watch.

-I liked the capoeira scenes in "Only the Strong" with Mark Dacascos except the big climax scene. That one was a little much but the rest of the footage was way cool.

-as goofy as the movie was, I liked watching Ernie Reyes Jr. in "Surf Ninjas". He (and his dad) are fantastic. I've seen them doing demos and fantastic is actually a weak word.

-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I know, sounds goofy but I actually went to school with one of them. Ho Sung Pak played Rafael and he and his brother went to U of IL while I was there. He used to practice in the Armory. Incredible. He was also the model for Liu Kang in the original Mortal Combat game. They put a sensor suit on him and tracked his movements. He was at a tournament I competed in down in Ky in the early 90's signing pictures of him in his turtle costume (about 70lbs of it) and his Liu Kang drawers. Back to the turtles...the moves they pull off are great as is, but to do it with that monstrous suit on still boggles me.

-Classic - Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris in "Return of the Dragon".

In non-MA action I also like the boxing in Gladiator (not the Crowe one) and of course Rocky I&II must be mentioned.

And in hockey action there's always the big fight that Rob Lowe has in Youngblood (that's a joke in case you haven't seen it).

I know there are tons I've forgotten to mention too. How about you?

Ray

I agree the fight scene in "Ultimatum" is one of the best realistic fight scenes.

The up comming movie "War" with Jet Li and Jason Statham ought to have some excellent fights scenes. Both of those guys have made movies with excellent fights.

The old Steven Seagal films who is a 7th dan in Aikido has some pretty good fights that aren't typical of hard styles are fun to watch.

Oh and the recent Die Hard movie where Bruce Willis gets his ass kicked by that Chinese hotty is pretty good too!

Ok, I'm showing my age, but this one of the best fights in the history of movies:

John Wayne - The Quiet Man

video of 8 minutes of the fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh5nH6UTgj8

Cheers, Snade

John Wayne - The Quiet Man


Like I said, many I forgot! Age schmage, that's a classic!

Ray

The old Steven Seagal films who is a 7th dan in Aikido has some pretty good fights that aren't typical of hard styles are fun to watch.

I kind of liked "Above the Law" but after that I didn't really get into Seagal's movies. It always seemed like the fights were just designed for him to show how cool he was and many times had nothing to do with the plotline. Then again maybe I'm just trying to get too much out of an action flick.

Ray

Well, John Wayne and Steve McQueen are cool - but - if you are willing to accept any of the fighting wire work, try to track down a copy of the original Drunken Master film with Jackie Chan - big fun, playful fights - there is a scene where they nearly tear down a local drinking house ... another sequence of fighting around a huge fire - iron works I think - lots of fun.
Or some of the scenes in House of Flying Daggers, or Hero - its got the warriors sequence with a rain of arrows.

Ok, I'm showing my age, but this one of the best fights in the history of movies:

John Wayne - The Quiet Man

video of 8 minutes of the fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh5nH6UTgj8

Cheers, Snade


Yep, and it had Maureen O' Whatshername in it kicking all their asses, too. Hotttttt.

Different kind of fight, but the boxing matches in Snatch were pretty fun. The music certainly didn't hurt!

I've always liked the Jackie Chan stuff, myself. And I'll plug the scenes in Hero and House of Flying Daggers, too. Kung Fu Hustle was just plain fun.

Ray, I thought those Bourne fights had a kind of quiet intensity that made them... well, real intense!

How about some of the fight scenes between the Duke and Lee Marvin,,,,The commancheros,,,Donovans reef

The old Commando Cody serials. Every episode had at least one knock down drag out fight with a million puches thrown. Of course, not a drop of blood is seen, but it sure is action packed! :tongue::yes::bash:

The first Matrix.

Just because of the cinematography, nobody had done anything like that before.

-as a Tae Kwon Do black belt who fought in tournaments for a few years I love the big fight finale in "Best of the Best". The Rhee brothers are simply amazing.

+1

Did you see BOTB 2? Simon Rhee didn't have much of a role, but his kicking ability, sheesh!

My favorite fight scene ever was between Alan Ladd and Van Heflin in Shane.

-I'm not a fan of wires so a lot of Jet Li stuff turns me off but when he stays on the ground he's great to watch.Jet caught my attention in Lethal Weapon 4. I had no idea who he was until then. I probably watched a half dozen of his movies right after watching LW4. Since then I've watched another 20. :D The wire stuff is overdone but I don't necessarily pin that on Jet, just a sign of the times he's in.

How about the fight scene in Kill Bill between Uma and Lucy Liu? Chick fight!

There was a damn good fight scene in the Burt Reynolds flick, "Hooper" where he plays a stunt man. "Any Which Way You Can" had a good one between Clint Eastwood & that William Smith dude.

As a student of martial arts, It's easy for us to see things that are too "Staged".

Steven Segal is the real deal as far as really knowing martial arts. His scene in Out For Justice, in the bar was on target.

Bruce Lee of coarse is studied to this day, His hand speed and power is legend. His scene in Enter The Dragon, In the underground bunker, Has been broken down frame by frame in every dojo I've been involved with since I started. He was a master with every hand held weapon of his day.

Jeff Speakman is the real deal also, And spared with Segal in Japan.

I see Jackie Chan as a gymnast, And comic. Thats it.

Chuck Norris, A great American Champ. Not in the same league as the above mentioned. A Norris/Lee match-up, In there prime, In an ally, Would be a very short exercise.

For me, most any 1980's Hong Kong Kung Fu movie fight is quite entertaining.
Tom

Brando and Lee J. Cobb in On the Waterfront.

Butch Cassidy and Harvey Logan. One of the best fights ever.

Fight Rules (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y87EaadjqM)




..

Clint and whatever his name is in Every which way but loose.

Indianna Jones got a few ass whippens too.

Yikes...I watched the IFL (International Fight League) last night. They were kicking each other's asses for real.

Kramer vs. Kramer.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/kramervskramer_1979.jpg

I always enjoy watching Mrs. Emma Peel [Diana Rigg] literally kick bad guys' asses on the Avengers.

And in hockey action there's always the big fight that Rob Lowe has in Youngblood (that's a joke in case you haven't seen it).

I know there are tons I've forgotten to mention too. How about you?

Ray

The Youngblood fight scene was definitely a classic. I played competitive hockey for about 15 years and have watched a lot of hockey in the last twenty years since I stopped playing, and I have never seen a hockey fight that had two players using their sticks like they were some kind of weapons. I don't know who came up with that scene.

Mike O

Emma in action.

The scene in Crouching Tiger where Michelle Yeoh fights the girl with the Green Destiny in the yard with all the weapons is awesome. It's intense and draws me in every time.

Freddy vs Jason
Neo vs Agent Smith
King Arthur vs The Black Knight

Steven Seagal, Movie, "Out for Justice" scene where he goes into the tavern and takes a pool ball and puts it in a dish rag.

Another Bruce Lee fight scene that I felt was a classic, and in some ways better than the Lee-Norris Fight, was Bruce Lee, and Danny Inosanto in Bruce's incompleted film, The Game of Death. Mark

Neo vs Agent SmithWhich fight? :D

Eddie and Nolte--48HRS.

Almost every scene, but especially the final scene of (what was released in this country as) Shaolin Challenges Ninja (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080172/), with Gordon Lui (of Kill Bill and 36th Chamber fame). Then again, I think almost all of Gordons' fight scenes are excellent.

For Jackie Chan, I thought that the scene in the cave in Armour of God (with the 4 women) was one of his best - humour and action all the way.

Bruce Lee - the classic dojo scene in Fist of Fury (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068767/) (except in the US I think it was called Chinese Connection). My ankles feel sore every time I see that one. Also, the back-hand to back-hand stand up with Bob Wall is a classic - even in freeze frame it is difficult to see how he does this.

Steven Seagal in Under Siege, where the fight scenes were short, sharp and to the point - no fluff.

And, of course, the black knight scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Which fight? :D

The one in the train station and the one in the park with lots of Agent Smiths.

Arnold Schwarzenegger vs. the Predator in Predator

The opposite of the no nonsense, no fluff fights, but it's still a great fight to watch.

Someone had to represent for Ahnold.

- JP

Eddie and Nolte--48HRS.


Speaking of Walter Hill pictures there are several excellent fight scenes in his picture "Hard Times". Charles Bronson plays a laconic fella who makes a living during the Great Depression by fighting in bare knuckle matches arranged by gamblers. Bleak and adult, not kiddy stuff.

The Duke and everyone else who was in the movie McLintock!

Tony Jaa in The Protector has a really long seamless/cutless scene where he fights his way up a spiralized restaurant.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/) -- after watching the movie, watch the unedited version of the opening fight.
Kill Bill -- the Bride vs. the Crazy 88 battle, and then vs. Go-Go
The Matrix -- Neo vs. Morpheus, just sparring, then Neo vs. Agent Smith at the landing
Equilibrium -- John Preston vs. a small squadron, and then John Preston vs. pretty much everyone.
So Close (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300620/) had some really good fight sequences, too.
Pretty much everything I've seen by Jackie Chan.

I'll also ditto the Kill Bill fight scenes in both movies.

Someone had to represent for Ahnold.

- JPI'm glad someone is sticking up for my boss. :D

OP, the one in the park after Neo meets with the Oracle is cool. Lots of special effects but cool none the less. How about the last fight scene from Matrix Revolutions when it's raining and Neo and Smith are zooming around the buildings. Very cool special effects in that scene as well.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/) -- after watching the movie, watch the unedited version of the opening fight.

That's a good one I'd forgotten about. That's Mark Dacascos again (mentioned in original post in Only the Strong). Amazing kicker.

Ray

Speaking of Walter Hill pictures there are several excellent fight scenes in his picture "Hard Times". Charles Bronson plays a laconic fella who makes a living during the Great Depression by fighting in bare knuckle matches arranged by gamblers. Bleak and adult, not kiddy stuff.

I was going to post Hard Times till i read your post,one hell of a good movie & no silly animated fight scenes.

The fight scene with MR Clean was excellent.

Panhead----I liked the last fight, the one with the guy they brought in from Chicago. The guy had a code and lost to Bronson rather than break it.

I always enjoy watching Mrs. Emma Peel [Diana Rigg] literally kick bad guys' asses on the Avengers.

And Joanna Lumley in the New Avengers

Homer Simpson v. George Bush

Here's a little something we learned in CIA...

I wouldn't have thought of that one but, yeah.

They Call Me Trinity, the maybe 12 minute long fight scene where they've taught the Mormon settlers to fight and take on Farley Granger's gang plus a bunch of Mexican Badits.

Paul Newman vs Ted Cassidy in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", the one where right before he says something like "if he kills me, kill him".

Bob Barker and Happy Gilmore

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in "McClintock".

http://www.spankingblog.com/spanking-pictures/john-wayne-spanking-maureen-ohara-02.jpg

Anyone familar with "Lone Wolf & Cub", also known as "Shogun assasin"?

The baby cart he wheels his son around in is loaded with weaponry.

An amazing series of films, that was edited down to a single film for original US distribution.


http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/lonewolfson.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/SA001.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/sa4.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/shogun-430.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u46/pleasurepaul/shogun1.gif

Panhead----I liked the last fight, the one with the guy they brought in from Chicago. The guy had a code and lost to Bronson rather than break it.

I liked the last fight also,the bar scene preceding the last fight was awesome too.

Fighter,I can reach over & start somethin right now !

Bronson,Yeah but ya wont .

Fighter, And why wont I ?

Bronson,Cause your not getting paid.

That movie is too damn cool.

The Transporter both 1 and 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLivHNmPA14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ov0_E_tNQI

Although I am a big fan of Segal's movies below is a little known one.
Enjoy Keith David & Roddy Piper in this fight scene from 'They Live'.

The fight between Nada (Roddy Piper) and Frank (Keith David) was only supposed to last 20 seconds, but Piper and David decided to fight it out for real, only faking the hits to the face and groin. They rehearsed the fight for three weeks. Carpenter was so impressed he kept the 5 minute and 20 second scene intact.:boxing::twak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqKFadyJxwg


The line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper. According to director John Carpenter, Piper had taken the line from a list of ideas he had for his pro wrestling interviews.

I remember MST3K and the movie Santa Claus, one of the bit had Kevin Murphy as Santa about to fight itout with Pitch (satan) and used the line " I have come here to chew candy canes and kick ass, and I'm all out of candy canes"

Not a fist fight, but James Coburn with a switchblade knife against a gun fighter (in a quick draw dual) in The Magnificent Seven - that was something.

"That movie is too damn cool."

Walter Hill made lots of cool pictures----The Long Riders, The Driver, Southern Comfort, Geronimo, Last Man Standing, Crossroads, The Warriors, Wild Bill and Undisputed among others.

Even 48 Hours which I don't like but many do.

Not a fist fight, but James Coburn with a switchblade knife against a gun fighter (in a quick draw dual) in The Magnificent Seven - that was something.


Robert Wilke, one of the best heavies of the period; he was in scores of Westerns.

He also played the Roman guard captain who sold Kirk Douglas to Peter Ustinov in Spartacus. He had a good part in From Here to Eternity too.

That's a good one I'd forgotten about. That's Mark Dacascos again (mentioned in original post in Only the Strong). Amazing kicker.Yeah, I need to see every movie he's ever made. He made that movie. Simply beautiful to watch.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Ripley vs. The Alien

The Hulk vs. The US Army

Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

The movie "300"

The scene in Crouching Tiger where Michelle Yeoh fights the girl with the Green Destiny in the yard with all the weapons is awesome. It's intense and draws me in every time.

Same here....good home theater demo as well.

I see Jackie Chan as a gymnast, And comic. Thats it.

Jackie Chan was trained as an acrobat, not a martial artist.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the fight between the cavegirls, one of whom was Racquel Welch, in "One Million BC".

Riggs vs' Mr Joshua in the first Leathal Weapon

also, not a movie but

Jimmy vs' Timmy "cripple fight" in South Park

Between 1962 aand 1974, 26 films were made around the character 'Zotoichi' a blind masseur and master swordman.
"The Blind Swordsman"
A wanderer, he would always end up defending wronged people in villages full of corrupt bad types and samurais would be hired to slay him. He could go thru dozens in an episode.. all in black and white with subtitles. Great storytelling and characters. Made in Japan

Allright! A resurrected thread.

My fave is in The Godfather when Sonny kicks his brother-in-law Carlo's ass up and down the street. :D Bites his hand and then whacks him on the head with a garbage can lid. Classic.

The "beaten to a pulp in the bar" scene in "Irreversible" is pretty hard to look at; it just feels real.

C.

Yoda vs. Count Douku
Obi Wan vs. Darth Maul
Obi-Wan vs. Anakin Skywalker
The hand to hand combat scene at the end of Saving Private Ryan
Raging Bull
Cinderella Man

Lots of great fight scenes listed!
One of my favorites was Bruce Lee outside the ice house- was that Fist of Fury?

Also, I remember a fight scene in a forgotten kung fu movie where one guy takes out 20 or so with a 3 sectional nunchuk, not a staff, but a nunchuk. Anybody know the name of that one? Would love to find it on Netflix.

Dave

bruce lee when he walks into the "bosses" office jumps straight up and kicks out the overhead light and lands on his feet pretty as you please...i always wanted to do that ..laffs bet you could get the day off with pay...

An oldie. Spencer Tracy is the essence of cool giving a karate lesson to Ernest Borgnine in Bad Day At Black Rock. Great scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwkBYDjcUaY

Well, most have been straight hand-to-hand with the only mention of swords being those used on the Asian side of the globe. To those I'll contribute this -

The Last Samurai where Tom Cruise takes up a swords and fights to protect Ken Watanabe when the ninjas attempt to assassinate him at his home. fast, brutal, continuous -

http://www.freewebs.com/theshinsengumi/1073791266_katsumoto2.jpg

The Four Musketeers where Christopher Lee and Michael York fight it out under the basilica of a church. They both become exhausted & sloppy, like the way I believe an extended fight would be -

http://www.geocities.com/ditcininterviews/musketeers13.jpg

The final sword fight in Rob Roy where Liam Neesom ultimately owns Tim Roth. Again, brutal fighting and fatigue from it. Didn't know that Rob Roy was a real person and since there is no film rip image available, I'll use this engraving recounting that event :D -

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/51246521.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=444ED34A869CB970387B92C6EC2DD7BB284831B75F48EF45

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, yes I am serious! Most think of the scene below with the Black Knight and indeed, that is truly epic. But what about the scene immediately before it? It has backhand punches, body blows, sloppy kicks, the stuff of a real fight. It is near desperate in its choreography and not unlike the scene in Four Musketeers -

http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_pictures/grail/large/HolyGrail018.jpg

No mention of Darth Vader & Obi Wan in Star Wars. Not much more can be said that hasn't been said already, it's one of my favorites -

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/4928/KENOBI-VADER.JPG

Lastly, Gladiator with Russell Crowe - The opening battle in Germania, Maximus' escape from execution by the Praetorian Guard, the first combat where he is chained to Djimon Hounsou, solo gladiator combat, the epic battle in the Colosseum, the tiger fight w/ Sven-Ole Thorson, the final fight w/ Commodus, this film just keeps them coming.

Yes, I was entertained!

http://www.chrisgrapes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/gladiator-crowe.jpg

Indiana Jones vs the Arab Swordsman in the original 'Ark'.

Buffy vs the Master in 'Prophecy Girl' (2-part conclusion to BtVS season 1).
"Well, I see we've reached the pointless dialogue portion of our--" (catches crossbow bolt in front of heart) "--nice shot!"

Destry Rides Again (1938, i think) Marlene Dietrich vs. Una Merkel and James Stewart. :D Dial M for Murder (1954) Grace Kelly vs. Tony Dawson. no I'm not as old as you think, i'm only 22. :yes:

From Russia With Love on the train scene had a super intense fight between Connery and Shaw and no I'm not that old....

How about the sword fight between Wesley and Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride ? More comical but fun. As for more serious fight scenes, many of the battles in Gladitor are terrific.

How about the sword fight between Wesley and Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride ? More comical but fun. As for more serious fight scenes, many of the battles in Gladitor are terrific.
[fencing]
Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.
Man in Black: Thank you; I've worked hard to become so.
Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.
Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?
Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don't know.
Man in Black: And what is that?
Inigo Montoya: I... am not left-handed.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and gains an advantage]
Man in Black: You are amazing.
Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.
Man in Black: Oh, there's something I ought to tell you.
Inigo Montoya: Tell me.
Man in Black: I'm not left-handed either.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and regains his advantage]

Very well done fight scene.

DRAGONS FOREVER:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIjQ45Y3CY

No mention of Darth Vader & Obi Wan in Star Wars. Not much more can be said that hasn't been said already, it's one of my favorites -

I really liked the Darth Maul fight in Phantom Menace. Ray Park (Darth Maul) is an awesome martial artist.

A couple more that have come to mind:

Only the Strong, a movie about capoeira featuring Mark Dacascos. A lot of it is contrived but the fight scenes are pretty cool.

I haven't revisted this thread in a while. Has anybody mentioned Brotherhood of the Wolf? A French movie with English subtitles. Saw it in theater when it first came out and was amazed at the fight scenes.

Ray

Hi,
I like the Brandon Lee Fight in "Rapid Fire" Awesome...

Sorry he is gone..:tears:

The Legacy lives on!

John.:music:

Two recommendations:

"Straw Dogs" & "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing"

And a comment:

The best fight scene in the original "Star Wars" happened with Obi-wan in that bar....

Kurosawa's Red Beard, the last collaboration between he and Toshiro Mifune. Mifune is a doctor in that film but they still managed to get in one kickass scene that I thought was impressive when I saw it a few years back. I've seen nearly all the Kurosawa films but that is what sticks out for me right now. Mifune was a bear of a man in that movie.

http://moviemasterworks.com/blog/wp-content/PostImages/redbeardblog.jpg



But I do love Fistful of Fury, Chinese Connection, & Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee was the man.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre-When Fred C. Dobbs (Bogart) and Bob (Tim Holt) beat the snot out of the crooked boss in the bar.

Kill Bill Vol.2-Elle (Darryl Hannah) and The Bride (Uma) have it out in Bud's trailer.
Ka-Bonnnngggg!

One of my favorite fights is the opening scene in the first Blade movie. Wesley Snipes cleans house and the heavy techno really adds to the intensity. There are a lot of good fight scenes in Blade.

-Matt

The fight scene in Gross point blank is the most real I have seen.

Or the one in Full Metal Jacket with the two guys and the knife.

All the fight scenes in Big Trouble in Little China...great tongue in cheek rabble rousing all around

bruce lee when he walks into the "bosses" office jumps straight up and kicks out the overhead light and lands on his feet pretty as you please...i always wanted to do that ..laffs bet you could get the day off with pay...

Wasn't that "Marlone", with James Garner?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the fight scene at the end of Blazing Saddles. Funny as heck!:D

Actually my vote goes to John Wayne and Victor McLaglen in The Quiet Man.:bash:

the Frank Duk movie--'Bloodsport'?--with Jean Claude Van Damme had several good fights.
Spike vs the Chinses slayer in the Boxer Rebellion in the BtVS ep 'Fool for Love'. the girl in that scene was actress/stunt person Bai Ling . best match in the series.

Wasn't that "Marlone", with James Garner?

no it was the one where bruce lee was going to see the "boss" who was squeezing his friends

I like the fight scenes in "Legend of the Drunken Master", also another fun one was "Equilibrium".

The They Live fight scene where Roddy Piper gets dude to put on the glasses.

The fight scene in Gross point blank is the most real I have seen.

Interesting that you say that. Watched it a few weeks back on TV and made the same comment to my wife.
We saw 'Taken' yesterday. Good fight scenes throughout the movie. Most of the one-on-one fights were short, to the point and brutal.

All the fight scenes in the movie Taken.
I've seen the movie 4 times now and still love the action/fighting scenes.

can't believe that nobody had mentioned this guy yet
imho one of the best fight /action movies so far!

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3264872729/

Interesting that you say that. Watched it a few weeks back on TV and made the same comment to my wife.
We saw 'Taken' yesterday. Good fight scenes throughout the movie. Most of the one-on-one fights were short, to the point and brutal.

+1 Graham

Interesting that you say that. Watched it a few weeks back on TV and made the same comment to my wife.
We saw 'Taken' yesterday. Good fight scenes throughout the movie. Most of the one-on-one fights were short, to the point and brutal.
The theatrical version trimmed out alot of the violence. I know since I have the pre-release dvd and also went to the theater and saw it.

I was going to say the Bourne films, but no surprise they were the first ones mentioned.

I always liked the fight scenes in the "Kung Fu" tv series. I guess DC didn't actually know karate, but they seemed kind of authentic in how simple they were.

The theatrical version trimmed out alot of the violence. I know since I have the pre-release dvd and also went to the theater and saw it.
I noticed the interrogation scene was different than the online clip. I can hardly wait to see the 'Director's Cut' DVD for everything they left on the cutting room floor!

I noticed the interrogation scene was different than the online clip. I can hardly wait to see the 'Director's Cut' DVD for everything they left on the cutting room floor!
If you have a blu-ray player then get the Extended Harder Cut.
This is the version I actually have.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taken-Blu-ray-Liam-Neeson/dp/B001J1O848

My son & I get a kick out of the fight scene with Eddie Murphy & Della Reese in "Harlem Nights."

Bruce Lee's fight scenes are legendary.
Always loved the 70-80s karate movies with english overdubbing.
Kill Bill I & II scenes are very well done.
James Arness as "Matt Dillon" had some pretty good ones.

Rome

I've gone throught this entire thread and I'm amazed nobody has mentioned the epic fights (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpoki4wBwtA&feature=related) between Peter Griffin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozR_MFodHk&feature=related) and the chicken (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02rlGHsqLOQ&feature=related)! I mean seriously, it's some of the best mano a pollo fighting I've seen!

Some of you may recall "Midnight Express", starring the late Brad Davis as an American locked up in a Turkish prison for attempted drug smuggling. Not a fight scene so much as an old fashioned ass whoopin'. Conclusion of this classic smack-down ends when he bites the tongue off the cellblock snitch, then spits it our like a watermelon seed. Very intense.

the Frank Duk movie--'Bloodsport'?--with Jean Claude Van Damme had several good fights.

JCVD has incredible strength, flexibility, and good form but he's got the slowest kicks I've ever seen. They're very photogenic (cinemagenic?) but as a martial artist they kind of irritate me.

Jeff Speakman had some great fights in The Ultimate Weapon.

Ray

Five Fingers of Death. From around '71... One of the first in the Kung Fu movie genre, I do believe.

Sorry if this has been done, I did a quick search which didn't turn up anything specific.

Seeing the recent Bourne thread got me thinking about great fight scenes. I've been involved in martial arts since the mid-late 80's and well done fight scenes hold a lot of interest for me. I loved the scenes in the Bourne trilogy. A couple (mostly spy-vs-spy) were overdone but most are very realistic for a well trained martial artist. I like the simple, efficient stuff.

A few others for me:
-Most of the fights in "The Perfect Weapon" with Jeff Speakman. Same as the Bourne stuff - simple, efficient, not overblown.

-as a Tae Kwon Do black belt who fought in tournaments for a few years I love the big fight finale in "Best of the Best". The Rhee brothers are simply amazing.

-I'm a Jackie Chan fan but don't have a favorite scene that stands out. They're way over-choreographed and contrived but eminently entertaining.

-I'm not a fan of wires so a lot of Jet Li stuff turns me off but when he stays on the ground he's great to watch.

-I liked the capoeira scenes in "Only the Strong" with Mark Dacascos except the big climax scene. That one was a little much but the rest of the footage was way cool.

-as goofy as the movie was, I liked watching Ernie Reyes Jr. in "Surf Ninjas". He (and his dad) are fantastic. I've seen them doing demos and fantastic is actually a weak word.

-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I know, sounds goofy but I actually went to school with one of them. Ho Sung Pak played Rafael and he and his brother went to U of IL while I was there. He used to practice in the Armory. Incredible. He was also the model for Liu Kang in the original Mortal Combat game. They put a sensor suit on him and tracked his movements. He was at a tournament I competed in down in Ky in the early 90's signing pictures of him in his turtle costume (about 70lbs of it) and his Liu Kang drawers. Back to the turtles...the moves they pull off are great as is, but to do it with that monstrous suit on still boggles me.

-Classic - Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris in "Return of the Dragon".

In non-MA action I also like the boxing in Gladiator (not the Crowe one) and of course Rocky I&II must be mentioned.

And in hockey action there's always the big fight that Rob Lowe has in Youngblood (that's a joke in case you haven't seen it).

I know there are tons I've forgotten to mention too. How about you?

Ray

Have you seen Ong-bak? Sounds like you would enjoy it...has a guy named Tony Jaa in it and has some pretty good wire-free martial arts fight scenes. I watched it not expecting much, but enjoyed it for the nice fight scenes.

The fight with Mel Gibson (Riggs) and Gary Busey (Mr. Josua) in Lethal Weapon was pretty good.