No one can deny that the best fight scenes in movies accomplish what they set out to do — to bring more fun to the viewers. The audience gets the chance to see fictional characters fight each other while sitting comfortably in their seats. The fight scenes in movies force us to sit on the edges of our seats, waiting for the victor to emerge. But what makes a good fighting scene great? What separates blockbuster movie fight scenes from cheap ones?
A brilliant fight scene mixes and matches tension, creativity, and pacing till the perfect balance is found. Some of the best movie fight scenes from the ‘60s and ‘70s have a combination of the three. They keep the audience intrigued by showing off some cool martial arts moves. Of course, we can’t write off the best fight scenes from movies that came out in the past few decades. John Wick and The Bourne series can keep the fights creative, tension-filled, and paced for the modern audience.
If you aren’t one to get into physical confrontations yourself, movies can provide the needed amusement through the best fight scenes ever put on screen. Below, we compiled some of the most amusing fighting scenes ever. Leave an upvote on the ones that you feel have the best balance of the three. On the other hand, if you have your own favorite fighting scene, share it in the comments below.
#1 The Princess Bride (Inigo Montoya vs. Westley)
1987 | 1h 38m | Directed by Rob Reiner
Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin and Robin Wright
Even a good romance movie can include a little fighting, especially when it is for the hand of a princess. In the movie, Westley, a simple farmhand, and Inigo Montoya, the greatest swordsman to have ever touched the world, fight each other in a well-choreographed sequence of smooth moves and snappy dialogue.
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18points
#2 The Matrix (Neo vs. Morpheus)
1999 | 2h 16m | Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss
Thanks to the work of Yuen Woo Ping, The Matrix is now known for its iconic fights. The training scene between Morpheus and Neo sets the stage for the memorable bouts that come afterward and is reminiscent of the six-month regimen that Woo-ping made the actors undergo before shooting.
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16points
#3 The Legend Of The Drunken Master (Wong Fei-Hung vs. John)
1994 | 1h 42m | Directed by Chia-Liang Liu and Jackie Chan
Starring Jackie Chan, Ho-Sung Pak and Lung Ti
Jackie Chan's masterwork is the pinnacle of his recognizable style of action-comedy, with actual punchlines, hilarious prop work, and one of his most blistering stunts. The pivotal battle, directed and choreographed by Jackie Chan, contrasts his free and fluid drunken boxing style with Ken Lo's stiff Taekwondo.
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15points
#4 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (John Wick vs. Assassins)
2019 | 2h 10m | Directed by Chad Stahelski
Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry and Ian McShane
When it comes to modern action movies, the John Wick franchise has some of the greatest fights in cinema. With Keanu Reeves in the lead role, a man who takes the time to learn martial arts moves and to wield multiple weapons, the third part of the movie sees John Wick fighting assassins and using swords and guns.
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14points
#5 The Karate Kid (Daniel vs. Johnny)
1984 | 2h 06m | Directed by John G. Avildsen
Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue
When it comes to karate movies, this movie might take the cake. We get to see young talent grow and win. The most memorable fight of the movie might be the last one — between the hero, Daniel, and his bully, Johnny. Wounded, Daniel and Johnny share a last stand-off, which ends with an epic crane kick.
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14points
#6 Fist Of Fury (Chen Zhen vs. Japanese Dojo Students)
1972 | 1h 47m | Directed by Wei Lo
Starring Bruce Lee, Nora Miao and James Tien
Bruce Lee's Chen Zhen knocks a whole Japanese dojo to the ground in 1972 in the world's quickest fight choreography. It was a significant occasion for Hong Kong as well as for martial arts movies. Later, Donnie Yen and Jet Li would portray Chen Zhen, but nothing can beat the original version (literally and metaphorically).
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13points
#7 Wheels On Meals (Thomas vs. Thug)
1984 | 1h 40m | Directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Starring Jackie Chan, Biao Yuen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Jackie Chan can fight, crack jokes and beat up any villain in a movie with his signature moves. In the movie, Thomas, portrayed by Jackie Chan, is forced to fight a thug, played by Benny ‘the Jet’ Urquidez. The fight scene includes little to no famous Jackie Chan humor and instead focuses on quick fighting moves.
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13points
#8 Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Indiana Jones vs. Tough Mechanic)
1981 | 1h 55m | Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and Paul Freeman
You have to be aware of your surroundings when fighting someone — and one character learned this lesson the hard way. Indiana Jones fights a nazi mechanic in fist-to-fist combat. However, the mechanic failed to notice the spinning propellers of a plane coming closer to him and thus ended the fight in a not-so-nice way.
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13points
#9 Enter The Dragon (Lee vs. Han)
1973 | 1h 42m | Directed by Robert Clouse
Starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly
Bruce Lee squares up against Han, his ultimate formidable foe, in a battle conclusion that features deceitful mirrors and lethal traps. Cleverness was the only way an adversary could expect to beat Bruce when he was at the peak of his game. After much sneaking through the mirrored hallways, Lee eventually spots Han and strikes him with a last high kick.
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13points
#10 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader)
1980 | 2h 04m | Directed by Irvin Kershner
Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher
In one of the most iconic father and son fights in the history of motion pictures, Luke Skywalker has to fight his father, Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, to return him to the good side of the force. Complete with foreboding lighting and strong lightsaber-wielding, the fight established the film as a considerably darker and deeper installment of the story.
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13points
#11 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Jen Yu vs. Yu Shu Lien)
2000 | 2h 00m | Directed by Ang Lee
Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang
There is something so exciting about an epic sword duel. This movie sees Jen Yu, portrayed by Zhang Ziyi, who wields a legendary 400-year-old sword, and Yu Shu Lien, played by Michelle Yeoh, fight each other in an epic duel that is both tense and beautiful in its way. The well-choreographed scene is a nail-biting moment in the movie.
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12points
#12 Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Beatrix Kiddo vs. Elle Driver)
2004 | 2h 17m | Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine and Michael Madsen
This franchise doesn’t hold back on the violent side of fighting. While the first movie saw Kiddo fighting a group of Yakuza assassins and more, the sequel focuses more on one-on-one fights. The most interesting one is between two rivals — Kiddo and Driver. They fight in a cramped house, exchanging sword swings at one another.
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12points
#13 300 (Spartans vs. Xerxes' Soldiers)
2006 | 1h 57m | Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and David Wenham
When you center your story on the legendary warriors of Sparta, you know the fighting scenes will be epic. One of the first conflicts sees the 300 warriors of King Leonidas fight the soldiers of King Xerxes. We get to see the conflict happen in slow motion as the Spartans easily fight back the endless horde of Persians.
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12points
#14 Gladiator (Maximus vs. Tigris Of Gaul And Tigers)
2000 | 2h 35m | Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen
Maximus, who has already won over the audience, is matched up in the arena against Tigris of Gaul while being surrounded by chained tigers. Trying to avoid the tigers and the swings from Tigris, Maximus has to maneuver the arena while the crowd cheers the fighters on. In the end, Maximus decides to spare the life of Tigris, angering the emperor.
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12points
#15 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Captain America vs. Hydra Agents)
2014 | 2h 16m | Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson
Even an elevator fight is nothing to the icon of the American spirit — Captain America. When he gets stuck in an elevator full of Hydra agents, he only says one thing — “Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?” After that, Captain America fights off plenty of baddies and ends it all with a jump out of the elevator.
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12points
#16 Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring (Aragorn vs. Uruk Hai)
2001 | 2h 58m | Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Orlando Bloom
In a minute-long battle that swings back and forth violently before intensifying to a ferocious, limb-hacking conclusion, Aragorn exacts revenge for his fellow human Boromir on a group of Uruk Hai. As a final act of defiance, Lurtz draws Aragorn's blade into his chest; in return, Aragorn chops off his head.
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12points
#17 They Live (Nada vs. Frank Armitage)
1988 | 1h 34m | Directed by John Carpenter
Starring Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster
Roddy Piper, an ex-wrestler, is not a stranger to long fights. In the movie, Nada, portrayed by Piper, is the only one to see, through a pair of sunglasses, the world for what it is — filled with controlling aliens. He tries to show the real world to Frank, his friend, even when he has to fight it. The scene has no music, or quick cuts, only big swings and friendship.
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11points
#18 Oldboy (Oh Dae-Su vs. A Corridor Of Psychos)
2003 | 2h 00m | Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jeong
In this incredible man-versus-mob scene, the former prisoner Oh and his go-to mallet for headbutts battle a large group of lead pipe-equipped mobsters. The scene was shot without the use of any fancy computer effects and required three days and 17 taxing takes to perfect. It has blood, violence, and everything in between.
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11points
#19 Ip Man 2 (Ip Man vs. Hung Chun-Nam)
2010 | 1h 48m | Directed by Wilson Yip
Starring Donnie Yen, Xiaoming Huang and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
This movie isn’t about IP, as in internet protocol — it’s about Ip Man, a wing chun grandmaster, based on a real-life person of the same name. It follows Ip Man’s journey to Hong Kong, and one of the scenes sees him fighting a Shaolin master and using environmental threats to their advantage in an epic fight scene.
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11points
#20 Die Hard 2 (John McClane vs. Terrorists)
1990 | 2h 04m | Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Bruce Willis, William Atherton and Bonnie Bedelia
John McClane fought on top of a skyscraper and a plane. On the wing of a flying aircraft, John McClane engages two bad guys, sending one flying into the propeller before taking a life-or-death leap back to solid ground. After breaching the plane's fuel tank, McClane grabs his lighter and sets the entire thing ablaze.
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11points