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.
This post may include affiliate links.
#21 Kingsman: The Secret Service (Harry Hart vs. Church Goers)

2014 | 2h 09m | Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Samuel L. Jackson
Instead of a battle, Freebird is used to soundtrack a horrible slaughter in a Baptist church. Other than the incredible brutality, what's most striking about the fight is that Colin Firth, known for his more romantic roles, is the one doing the hurting. This fight has it all — guns, fire, and quite a lot of violence involved.
Report
11points
#22 Blade Runner (Deckard vs. Batty)

1982 | 1h 57m | Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young
Every aspect of this battle is brilliant. The hand-to-hand combat between Harrison Ford’s Deckard and Rutger Hauer’s Batty is tension-filled, but the cake belongs to the 42-word monologue said by the villain. The most human thing said by a replicant, the monologue touches upon the fact that when a person passes away, a small part of the world disappears too.
Report
11points
#23 The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (Yeung Dak vs. Khitan Baddies)

1984 | 1h 38m | Directed by Chia-Liang Liu
Starring Chia-Hui Liu, Sheng Fu and Lily Li
Before becoming Pai Mei and Johnny Mo, Chia-hui Liu was already brilliant in his movies. In the movie, he stars as a rogue monk who decides to break his vows to beat the people who were involved in his sister's kidnapping. The fight between him and the Khitan baddies has everything — colors, tension, and some creative moves.
Report
10points
#24 Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore vs. Bob Barker)

1996 | 1h 32m | Directed by Dennis Dugan
Starring Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald and Julie Bowen
Who could have known that a golf game could result in a good old brawl of fists and strength? Happy Gilmore, played by Adam Sandler, fights Bob Barker himself, the host of The Price Is Right. They exchange punches and funny lines at one another. For the first time in history, golf has captured the attention of the audience.
Report
10points
#25 House Of Flying Daggers (Mei And Jin vs. Attackers)

2004 | 1h 59m | Directed by Yimou Zhang
Starring Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau
When the movie has “flying daggers” in the title, you know that the action will be fast and tension-filled. The blind Mei gets assaulted in the middle of the bamboo jungle, and even though she bravely fights off her attacker, it is obvious that she needs assistance. Fortunately, Wind, a lone warrior, is there to help her.
Report
10points
#26 Rocky (Robert "Rocky" Balboa vs. Apollo Creed)

1976 | 2h 00m | Directed by John G. Avildsen
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Rocky can take a punch and dish a few out on his own. In the movie, the most well-known underdog in cinema history gets to fight the proud heavyweight champion himself — Apollo Creed. Rocky’s stamina plays an important role in the fight. When Rocky gets knocked out by Apollo, he is still able to stand up and put up a decent fight.
Report
10points
#27 Inception (Arthur vs. Robert Fischer Subconscious)

2010 | 2h 28m | Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Elliot Page
The hardest battles we fight happen in our minds. Arthur squares off against a projection of Robert Fischer's mind in a hotel hallway which gets pushed into a condition of zero gravity. To startle his opponent and get a punch in, Arthur charges the enemy by jumping from the wall and hitting him once.
Report
10points
#28 Aliens (Ripley vs. Xenomorph Queen)

1986 | 2h 17m | Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn and Carrie Henn
Who would dare to fight an apex alien? How about Sigourney Weaver? In this unusual space fight, Ripley faces off against the Xenomorph Queen. In the end, a beefed-up forklift truck defeats the creature's snapping jaws and sharp tail. To send the Xenomorph back into space, Ripley successfully tricks the creature into a cargo lock.
Report
10points
#29 Anchorman (KVWN Channel 4 Team vs. Other News Channels)

2004 | 1h 34m | Directed by Adam McKay
Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate and Steve Carell
The news anchors can charm the audience with the information they say on the screen but can also be quite vicious when meeting their rival teams. In the movie, we see our heroes, led by the great Ron Burgundy, fighting it out with other news teams. The fight includes knives, swords, and even a trident.
Report
10points
#30 The World’s End (Gary And His Pals vs. Alien Androids)

2013 | 1h 49m | Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Martin Freeman
Bar crawls don't get much worse than the one the characters in Edgar Wright's bonkers body-snatching comedy set out on as a night out on the town turns into a struggle for survival. After Gary unintentionally decapitates an extraterrestrial Blank in the lavatory of The Cross Hands bar, its teen-bot companions return with their fists ready.
Report
9points
#31 Mission: Impossible – Fallout (August Walker And Ethan Hunt vs. Mysterious Fighter)

2018 | 2h 27m | Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill and Ving Rhames
Tom Cruise always delivers the action in the Mission: Impossible movies, but combine that with Henry Cavill, and you get quite an interesting fight. In the sixth installment in the franchise, we see Cavill’s raw strength and Cruise's light humor (and combatting skills) working together to defeat a mysterious Asian fighter in a public bathroom setting.
Report
9points
#32 The Warriors (The Warriors vs. The Baseball Furies)

1979 | 1h 33m | Directed by Walter Hill
Starring Michael Beck, James Remar and Dorsey Wright
Ajax and Swan more than make up for the lack of numbers when the sports-themed thugs pursue the anti-heroes, the Warriors, and they fight at Riverside Park. The two gangs engage in rough thumps to the head and gut punches after managing to steal a few of their opponents' bats.
Report
9points
#33 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim vs. Gideon Graves)

2010 | 1h 52m | Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kieran Culkin
With all of Ramona's prior ex-boyfriends defeated, Scott has taken on the wicked tycoon Gideon Graves. It's an epic sword duel with special effects and cool lens flare. As Scott declares his passion for Ramona at the beginning of the battle, he receives a loving power-up and can draw a blazing blade from his chest to use in battle.
Report
9points
#34 Evil Dead 2 (Ash vs. His Hand)

1987 | 1h 24m | Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry and Dan Hicks
Good thing we have two hands at our disposal. In Evil Dead 2, Ash's hardest battle involves his hand. The cunning little animal has quite a few maneuvers in its repertoire. The struggle between them is long and ends in a bloody mess. To get the picture of how bloody it is, just know that a chainsaw is involved.
Report
9points
#35 A Touch Of Zen (Gu, Yang And Abbott Hui vs. Hsu)

1971 | 3h 20m | Directed by King Hu
Starring Feng Hsu, Chun Shih and Ying Bai
When it comes to epic fighting sequences and martial arts movies, this movie might be the greatest. Set in 14th-century China, the action reaches the climax when Gu, Yang, and Abbott have to fight Hsu, an evil commander. At the end of the battle, the three “victors” are seen bleeding golden blood.
Report
8points
#36 The Bourne Ultimatum (Jason Bourne vs. Desh Bouksani)

2007 | 1h 55m | Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Matt Damon, Edgar Ramírez and Joan Allen
The finest example of mano-a-mano fighting can be seen in this movie during Jason Bourne's fight with Blackbriar sleeper agent Bouksani. The palate cleanser after an interior brawl in which punches get traded, books and candles serve as makeshift weapons, and someone ultimately gets choked with a towel in a wild pursuit through the rooftops of Tangier.
Report
8points
#37 Avengement (Cain Burgess vs. Least Hospitable Pub Patrons)

2019 | 1h 27m | Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
Starring Scott Adkins, Craig Fairbrass and Thomas Turgoose
Scott Adkins is not a stranger to fighting people, especially when he stars in Jesse V. Johnson movies. In their sixth collaboration, Adkins is again fighting rough and tough enemies in a simple pub. He ends up in an East End pub, where he reduces the place, and a few pub patrons, into splinters.
Report
8points
#38 Eastern Promises (Nikolai vs. Chechen Toughies)

2007 | 1h 40m | Directed by David Cronenberg
Starring Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen and Armin Mueller-Stahl
Viggo Mortensen is not a stranger to fighting — he fought orcs, racism (metaphorically), and mobsters. Two leather-clad goons believe an ambush at the bathhouse would catch criminal turncoat Nikolai, portrayed by Mortensen, off guard. They are mistaken, as our hero shockingly and brutally demonstrates their mistake.
Report
8points
#39 The Raid (Rookie Rama And His Brother vs. Mad Dog)

2011 | 1h 41m | Directed by Gareth Evans
Starring Iko Uwais, Ananda George and Ray Sahetapy
A brother is always there to support his sibling in a fight. In the movie, the heroes end up in the mouth of the rabid Mad Dog after a special forces raid on a tower block inhabited by criminals goes wrong. What comes next is a shockingly nasty two-on-one match that serves as a superb display for the Pencak Silat fighting art form.
Report
8points
#40 Fight Club (Angel Face vs. The Narrator)

1999 | 2h 19m | Directed by David Fincher
Starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Meat Loaf
The first rule of fight club — you do not talk about fight club. Well, here we are breaking that rule. One of the more remembered fights of the movie is between Jared Leto’s Angel Face and Edward Norton’s Narrator characters. While Face gets to throw a single punch, The Narrator still wins, throwing one hit after another.
Report
8points


