One of my favourites is John Cusack vs Urquidez in Grosse Pointe Blank.
“A thousand innocent people die every day. A millionaire’s pet gets detonated, and you’re marked for life”
Somebody beat me to it on Rob Roy and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’d like to add the gladiatorial fight between Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) and the Ethiopian in, of course, Spartacus. After expert give-and-take between trident-and-net and short sword-and-buckler, the Ethiopian has Spartacus helpless, but then refuses to kill him, and instead goes for the rich Roman assholes who paid for the fight.
Speaking of gladiatorial combat, I don’t think anybody has mentioned the many fight scenes in the recent Gladiator. Maybe there’s a reason for this. Those scenes were exciting at the time, but didn’t really come together for me.
I enjoy the scene early in Pale Rider when Clint Eastwood, as the Preacher, comes to Michael Moriarty’s aid and beats the crap out of some bullies. “Nothing like a good piece of hickory.”
Baldwin, just to fill in the facts a little, the Ethiopian in Spartacus, was played by Woody Strode, a UCLA All-American who, with another black player, broke the NFL color line in 1946 when he signed with the Los Angeles Rams. He went on to appear in forty films.
As to the gladiatorial combat, Kirk Douglas and Woody Strode were actually trained as gladiators to lend historical realism to the scene. The gladiator sequence, which lasted seven minutes on the screen, took twelve days to film. There were no stunt men used in that sequence, and it was very carefully choreographed because the trident and Thracian short sword used were just as dangerous as they looked.
You might have guessed that Spartacus is still among my favorite films. I saw it the first time at a special screening for high school journalists at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, and it was absolutely awesome. It still is.
]DesertGeezer: Yes, I know that someone mentioned the swordfight scene in Great Race. Just thought it was worth a second mention.
Actually, my favorite fight scene in CtB was in Thulsa Doom’s palace, with Conan, Subotai, and Valeria sneaking in past the Singing Trolls Who Work in Doom’s Kitchen, into the Orgy Room and slice ‘n’ dice to the tune of the Basil Poledouris soundtrack. Got to get that on MP3.
Now, Conan’s little speech before the last battle is worth noting:
"Crom! I have never prayed to you before…I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men, or bad; why we fought and why we died. All that you care about is that two stood against many. If battle pleases you, Crom, then you shall have it. Just grant me one request: Revenge! And if you do not listen…then to Hell with you!"
My votes…
Rocky vs Apollo Creed in Rocky 1.
The sunglasses fight in They Live
Michelle Yeoh vs Zhang Ziyi at the training hall in Crouching Tiger
The challenge match between Jet and Funakoshi in Fist of Legend
Clint Eastwood’s bare-knuckling in Any Which Way But Loose
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon
Jackie Chan’s in Drunken Master 2, each fight sequence is a masterpiece.
Jet Li’s fight on the scaffolding and people’s heads in Legend of Fong Sai Yuk
It’s a TV fight, but I’ve always been fond of Kirk vs. Finnegan on the “Shore Leave” episode of Star Trek, probably becuase I like the idea of beating the crap out of bullies.
Damn! I thought I would be the first to mention this scene.
Part of what’s great about it is not just the action itself but the context. The romantic-comedy portion of the storyline has just reached an apparent resolution, and as an audience our guard is down. Then all of a sudden the ugly portion of Blank’s life intrudes, unexpectedly and brutally.
I’ll add in another vote for some great fights scenes by Yuen Bao and Sammo Hung but in Prodigal Son
Here’s a great review site that I’ve found useful in my searches for good martial arts films
Another one of my favorites is Takeda vs. the Makato ninjas onboard the bullet train, from The Hunted (with Christopher Lambert). Really nice eastern fencing.
The swordfight between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Mask of Zorro is amusing, albeit too PG-13ish. She should have been completely undressed.
One of my favorites was always the one at the end of Last of the Mohicans. The evil wannabe-Mohican Magua (played by Wes Studi) has been taking people apart left and right through the whole movie, tomahawks to head, slitting throats, even tearing a guys heart out while he’s still alive. Unfortunately for him, right at the end he kills Chingachgook’s son. Chingachgook (played by Russell Means) comes at him with this gigantic axe and takes him out in three quick moves. The calmness and control displayed by Means as he chops a man down just chilled me to the bone the first time I saw it.
Hey, Murdock - screw the MP3, get the CD soundtrack. It’s glorious, and has additional tracks (including the music for the infiltration into the Mountain of Power) that weren’t on the original release.
Chingachgook’s weapon is what’s known as a gunstock club. His was unusual in having that big blade attached to the crook.
Mani vs. the Brotherhood in Brotherhood of the Wolf.
Any given Blind Swordsman fight; especially in Zatoichi’s Challenge and Samaritan Zatoichi.
Ed Norton as Narrarator vs. Angel Face in Fight Club.
Here’s a great picture of a gunstock club.
What about Blood on the Sun? First use of judo in an American film that I know of. Jimmy Cagney was a legitimate judo black belt.
For foolish fun, Tom Laughlin’s fight scene in the ice cream store, and then subsequently across the park against multiple representatives of Evil Townsfolk is enjoyable to watch. Although I hate to think of the ass-whupping he would receive if he tried his high spinning crescent kick stuff in a real fight.
Practically any Jackie Chan works, as has been previously stated. I get the same feeling from his fight scenes as I did watching Fred Astaire dance with the hat rack. I know it is incredibly choreographed and practiced to death. But he makes it look so spontaneous and offhand!
And the envelope please -
Bruce Lee vs. Bob Wall in Enter the Dragon. Watching Bruce move is like rubbing silk between your fingers. Although the last fight scene, between Bruce and Dr. Klaw, was irrevocably spoiled by the Fistful of Yen sequence in Kentucky Fried Movie. I can no longer see Bruce stalking thru the hall of mirrors without thinking of the evil Dr. in KFM, who replaces his artificial hand with a blow-dryer, electric toothbrush, etc. Or the description of his henchmen -
“This is his assistant. He’s tough, and ruthless.”
“And this is his other assistant - he’s rough, and toothless.”
Regards,
Shodan
“Guards! Put this man in another cell - and get him a drink!”
I loved Fistful of Yen. I saw it years before I caught Enter the Dragon and until then, I thought Yen was a generic kung-fu parody, instead of a knock-off of a specific film.
Actually, Dragon always struck me a poorly acted piece of crap (albeit with some decent fights) and overall far less enjoyable than Yen.
The guy with the siren hat and the megaphone making those alarm sounds still cracks me up.
I meant to mention before the scene in Bad Day at Black Rock, in which Spenser Tracy, as a one-armed war veteran, beats the crap out of Ernest Borgnine (always a good idea) using quick, efficient karate techniques.
Kirk Douglas gets the crap beat out of him by a one-armed man (Bill Raisch, who later played the murderer on TV’s The Fugitive) in Lonely Are the Brave. Raisch plays a real vicious son-a-of-a-bitch in this scene, starting the fight by throwing an empty beer bottle at Douglas.
It has been mentioned but it bear repeating that The princess Bride has the best swordfight ever. Not counting the actual swordplay the lines alone are great.
Inigo Montoya: You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.
Westley: You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
later
[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]
As for gunfights “The Way of the Gun” at the end a almost free for all where they actually use tactics and they shoot through walls