My Top 10 Favorite Action Movie Brawls

  Action sequences can come in quiet the variety, and for me, my favorite layout has always been an action brawl. Not a large-scale war, or a one-on-one duel, or a car chase, or a shoot-out comprised of only rapid gun fire ... I mean a brawl with a reasonable amount of people ducking it out in either a tight space or small area, utilizing either weapons, bare fists, martial arts or maybe even superpowers. This is when action can get the most wild, exciting, creative and just plain fun to view. There’s lots I could select from, so, without trying to make some kind of official list, I’m just going to keep it simple by counting down my own personal top 10 favorite action movie brawls.

#10 The Warehouse Attack from “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” 

While this is personally my least favorite of Batman’s theatrical movies, it’s still not without some real highlights, including this thrilling action scene. When Superman’s mother is kidnapped, and held in a Warehouse, the Man of Steel has to trust his new ally Batman to rescue her. What follows is nothing short of awesome. Putting aside the ethics of the character, this has got to be one of Batman’s greatest stand out action set pieces of the whole franchise. It’s relentlessly fast paced, with brutal hand to hand combat, and Batman pulling off incredible stunts. We also see every side of Batman ranging from stealthy to brutally direct. My only problem once again is that it’s sandwiched in-between all the other action mayhem of the third act, and I wish it could have stood apart during all the talky scenes of earlier. Still, it’s a memorable fight scene in of itself, and will hold a special place among superhero fans.

#9 Rey and Ren Versus the Pretorian Guards from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” 

During this installment of the "Star Wars" saga, the vileness Kylo Ren has taken our lead heroine Rey captive, and presents her before his vile master Snoke. Much to my surprise and delight, Kylo Ren refuses to follow the orders of his master and slays him, which leads into a battle with his remaining Pretorian Guards. Considering that “The Last Jedi” is only the middle chapter in a set trilogy, I didn’t think the main villain would reform this early, but it sure was satisfying just for a moment to see both our main protagonist and lead antagonist team-up for an all-out brawl against heavily armed guards. Now we’ve seen Jedi slice through brainless droids before, but these guards actually put up more of a fight, and had the means to combat someone wielding a lightsaber. The setting, the fight choreography, the relentless energy, the long, unedited shots … it’s all one big feast for the eyes. However, beyond being a riveting spectacle, it’s the novelty of just seeing a hero and villain team up for once that makes this feel so unique.   

#8 Bikers battle Vampires in “From Dusk Till Dawn” 

When two criminals take a family hostage in an effort to sneak out of the country, they venture into Mexico, and subtle for the night at a biker bar. Much to their surprise and misfortune, the bar is actually a nest for vampires, and their hungry. So now criminals, strangers, hostages and rough bikers must learn to work together to survive, and slay the vampires. What follows is one of the most wildly entertaining battles I’ve ever seen in a horror movie. It’s cools just seeing how many creative and over the top ways we can see vampires die, or explode, or melt or transform into giant rat monsters. It’s completely out of control and if you’re a monster movie buff, you have to check this film out. It’s also cool to see the variety of weapons used against the vampires, including water balloons filed with holly water, a goofy belt gun, and leading the charge is jackhammer stake wilding George Clooney, who in my opinion has never been more awesome then right here. 

#7 Gas Station Rumble from “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” 

I’m generally the kind of guy who loves comedy just as much as he loves action, so I just had to include one funny fight sequence, and this is my personal favorite. In this classic 1970’s comedy, a group of random people are on the race for riches, as literally each person in the film is trying to get to buried treasure before the other. One of the more lovable treasure seekers is named Lennie, and he hits quiet the bump in the road when he finds himself trapped at a gas station with two attendants, both of whom are preventing him from leaving. What follows is arguably one of the funniest and most destructive fight scenes ever put to film. The gas station itself is more fragile than an elementary school’s theater set, and seeing Lennie tear it apart is an absolute delight. As the fight wages he continues to do more and more damage to this station in his effort to escape. By the time the fight ends, the entire station is completely leveled to the ground. It’s so funny and over the top that I find myself laughing all the way through to the next scene.

#6 Iron Suits to the rescue from “Iron Man 3” 

When the President is held captive by a band of terrorists, Tony Stark has little choice but to go in for the rescue without the aid of his armored suit. Fortunately for our hero, just as he’s surrounded by enhanced fire powered villains, his small army of robotic suits fly in to even the playing field, and what follows is personally one of my favorite action scenes to ever be featured in a superhero movie. While this fight comes dangerously close into a full-on battle, I feel it stays just contained enough on the abandoned oil rig to still count for my list. What makes it work is the creativity on display, and seeing the various ways the suits due-in the bad guys. It’s also great to see the Iron suits there for Tony, and it’s all the more exciting to just see him jumping in and out of them. Another highlight is how the music builds, just before the suits attack, and Tony’s line “It’s Christmas ... take them to Church”, might just be my favorite line of his. There’s riveting energy, high stakes and no shortage of spectacular imagination on display.  

#5 The Factory Battle from “Dragons Forever” 

When it comes to Martial Arts Cinema, Jacki Chan easily stands out from the crowd, and is prominent in some of the greatest martial arts battles ever put to film. If I had to pick one for my own list, it would be the final factory showdown from “Dragons Forever”. In this late 80’s Kung Fu flick, Jacki and his comrades venture into a drug factory searching for their captive older brother, only to discover that the bad guys are refining narcotics. Thus, in an effort to shut them down, an all-out brawl breaks out in the factory, and it’s quiet the spectacle to behold. While the current generation of action movie gores can get distracted by the more flashy, special effects driven battles, this demonstrates the art of practical, breathless, physical action that’s all-in camera. It’s absolutely stunning to look at, with the factory setting being a perfect layout for a fight of this sort. It’s also very brutal, with heavy blows, and incredible stunt work. There’s a spectacular moment when one of the guys leaps through a broken window with razor edging. Bodies are flying all over, people smash through windows, the slow-motion camera angles are all great, and it leaves me feeling soar every time I watch it.

#4 The Chateau Fight from “The Matrix Reloaded” 

On a mission to rescue a special Key Maker, the chosen hero Neo finds himself trapped in a mansion with heavily armed worriers. This is personally my favorite action scene from this mixed, but mostly fun sequel. Whenever I think back on “Reloaded” it’s the Chateau sword fight that always stands out, as this is the only battle to feature a great use (and variety) of handheld weapons, and the choreography on display is stunning. This scene is just a perfect example of how an artist can be very creative with an action-set-piece, and it leaves me breathless every time I watch it. This is also the only fight from the movie that’s shot almost entirely in camera with very minimal CGI added in. Generally speaking, the action here is shot with ideal grace and rhythm, giving the weapon choreography the feel of a dance or ballet. No shaky camera, no relentlessly fast editing, it’s all very fluent, and it’s always stood out to me as a perfect template for how to do action right.

#3 Wolverine and Yukio Versus the Black Ninja Clan from “The Wolverine” 

During a mission to protect the heir to the largest Japanese company, Wolverine finds himself falling in love with the young woman and is determined to keep her safe. Unfortunately, it’s not too long before she gets kidnaped, and our favorite clawed hero goes in pursuit to rescue her. The scene plays out and is even shot like a classic medieval fable, with the beautiful princess locked in a tower and the brave knight battling various obstacles, with the figurative dragon coming in the form of a young swordsman who leads a mighty band of Ninja’s. The ensuing battle with Wolverine fighting the Black Clan in the abandoned village regrettably wasn’t in the theatrical cut of the film, but the extended cut put it back in its rightful place, and it’s personally one of my favorite action scenes of the whole "X-Men" film series. We have ninjas driving motorcycles on rooftops, we also have chain whips, explosions, Yukio drives this massive snowplow and literally shreds the villains in her path ... it’s just crazy awesome! The setting is also really cool, and it’s just a refreshing departure from what you’d usually see in an "X-Men" film. Typically, in these films we only see Wolverine battle another super-powered mutant, but it’s cool to see a clan of ninja’s deliver something new, as well as provide a real challenge for our hero to concur.

#2 The Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves from “Kill Bill Vol.1” 

Following the events of a wedding massacre, one lonely bride is out for revenge against those who took everything from her. Thus, her mission takes her to Tokyo, where she aims to face a crime boss named O-Ren Ishii ... but first, the Bride has to battle her faithful bodyguard and her own personal army called the Crazy 88. This whole final battle is often regarded as one of the absolute greatest action sequences of the past decade, and for good reason. While she’s insanely outnumbered, her drive for vengeance gets her to power through every one of these armed goons. Not only is this battle insanely well-choreographed, but it’s also executed with a great sense of style and subtle hummer. It’s out of control, completely absurd, not meant to be taken seriously, but that’s what makes it so fun. The fight is also a loving tribute to 1970’s martial art cinema, and the house setting is woven into the action choreography with great craft and staging. We see them fighting as silhouettes in a colorful room, the violence is cartoonishly over the top, filters change from black & white to color, and the music arrangement makes the scene come off as part fight and part dance, which is brilliant.   

There were obviously a lot of memorable brawls to choose from, and before I reveal my favorite, here are some Honorable Mentions … 

Skeleton Fight from “Jason and the Argonauts”,

Apartment Battle from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie”, 

Bamboo fight from “House of Flying Daggers”, 

News crew brawl from “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, 

Hotel Rumble from “John Wick: Chapter 4”,

#1 The Airport Battle from “Captain America: Civil War” 

When a rift forms between the Avengers on how best to take responsible actions, a villain secretly takes advantage of this debate, and by putting select things in motion, he succeeds in turning this mighty team of heroes against one another. The culmination of this conflict is a massive brawl at an abandoned airport, in which the two divided sides of the Avengers duke it out in a spectacular melee. The beauty of this set-up is that we’re cheering for both sides of this battle, we identify with the point of view of each character, and the last thing we want is to see best friends rip each other apart. So, there’s a good deal of emotional context beneath the spectacle, but even putting the emotional context aside, this is still one of the most amazing feats of action ever put to film. In the words of video game journalist Adam Sessler (who was talking about something unrelated) “It indulges in childhood fantasies, I never thought could be realized”. 

This simply is one of the most thrilling action scenes I’ve ever experienced as a movie goer, and it takes me right back to things I dreamed of seeing as a child, but could never imagine actually coming to life. Seeing Spider-Man and all these iconic hero’s clashing in one big showdown offers a great deal of variety and fun, with multiple super-powers on display, and truly inventive ways of seeing them clash with other characters. I love seeing Ant-Man ride one of Hawkeyes arrows, and then dropping himself off in Iron Man’s suit. I loved seeing the Scarlet Witch use her powers to toss various cars and objects with her mind powers. I loved seeing Spider-Man web up a giant, along with two flying iron hero’s delivering the finishing blow. Also, the moment in which the two teams charge at each other is an absolutely riveting moment that gets me fired up every time I watch this. It’s creative, emotional, flashy and entertaining as Hell to view on just about every level. To call this my favorite action movie brawl is an understatement, because it truly is one of my all-time favorite action sequences put to film.

Thanks for reading my countdown ... and continue to enjoy the action you Love!