# Most satisfying battles on film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574 "2003-11-16T19:28:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/21 "2003-11-18T06:17:57Z")
I like a lot of the ones mentioned already. One that sticks out in my mind is the Battle of Arnhem Bridge in **A Bridge Too Far**. The guy with the umbrella walking up to the middle of the hopelessly modern-looking suspension bridge, and the tension before the first shot is fired… One of Anthony Hopkins’ better performances, for my money. Actually, the whole movie is awesome. Too bad no one talks about it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/22 "2003-11-18T06:24:03Z")
The opening battle in _Saving Private Ryan_, I was dodging the bullets in the theater. The scene with 800 million yakuza in _Kill Bill_, especially that scene where the lights go out and we see the fight in shadow. WOW! Whatever the big coming battle is in _Return of the King_. Just the brief hints in the trailer are tantalizing. The first big battle in _Gladiator_. Beautifully shot and magnificent to watch. Ash vs. the Deadite at the end of _Army of Darkness_. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/23 "2003-11-18T08:26:05Z")
The “put on the sunglasses!” alley brawl in _They Live_ will always hold a fond place in my heart. The final gunfight (“What do you think?” “I think a plan is a list of things that don’t happen.”) in _Way of the Gun_. El Mariachi and his two sidekicks-on-contract vs. everyone, in _Desperado_. Strong secondings and motions-carryings to the Normandy invasion sequence in _Saving Private Ryan_. The sequence in _The Thin Red Line_ from the advance through the fog-choked bamboo forest culminating in the GIs taking the village. Also, just about every set-piece in _Hard Boiled._ ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/24 "2003-11-18T08:33:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > Whatever the big coming battle is in _Return of the King_. Just the brief hints in the trailer are tantalizing. That will be the battle of the Pellenor Fields. Peter Jackson says there will be around 200,000 figures on screen. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/25 "2003-11-18T09:28:05Z")
I second everything **Drastic** said. ---
**Author:** ![Phelan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Phelan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phelan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/26 "2003-11-18T10:55:03Z")
The last battle in Glory. Give 'em hell 54!! ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/27 "2003-11-18T10:55:10Z")
The spectacularly long but all of it interesting fight with Wong Fei Hung vs. Iron Vest Yim in _Once Upon a Time in China_. The final fighting scenes of _Equilibrium_. My favorite battle in _Saving Private Ryan_ was always the climactic one. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/28 "2003-11-18T12:14:48Z")
Am I the only one who thought the Clone/Droid battle in Attack of the Clones was amazing? The film was crap in so many ways, but this wasn’t one of them ---
**Author:** ![Sanscour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Sanscour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanscour)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/29 "2003-11-18T12:41:00Z")
Another hand up for the Fort Wayne battle in Glory. I watched that in High School for the first time, every girl in class was crying by the end. The final sword fight in Highlander. The major battle in the dojo between Zhang Ziyi (who had the Green Destiny) and Michelle Yeoh (who used everything she could get her hands on) in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The final showdown of Unforgiven. Just about any fight scene in Conan the Barbarian. And just one phrase says it all from The Matrix: “Morpheus is fighting Neo!!!” Sanscour ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/30 "2003-11-18T15:17:28Z")
Princess Kaurwaki beating the hell out of what appears to be King Ashoka’s entire army in _Ashoka_. Michelle Yoah vs. Zhang Ziyi in _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_. Nightcrawler vs. the White House in _X2_. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/31 "2003-11-18T15:26:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > The duel at the end of _Rob Roy_ is probably the best one-on-one swordfight I’ve ever seen. Damn, Liam Neeson is a big guy. It also illustrates a very important point: Do not play with your food. The poncy git had victory in his hand many times, but he felt the need to play with his enemy. His enemy returned the favor by taking a critical opportunity to end the fight decisively. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/32 "2003-11-18T15:33:39Z")
Many of my personal favorites have already been mentioned, but I do have one to add. While all the battle scenes in **Gettysburg** were well done, the personal scale of the engagement on Little Round Top between Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine and the 14th Alabama makes it one of the classics. ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de053/32.png) [@Umbriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/33 "2003-11-18T16:00:20Z")
I’ll put in another vote for the end of _Glory_ as one of the most downright moving. I’ll also second the vote for _The Iron Giant_ in the category of “Holy…” Shock and awe and pathos all at once. In the category of “dramatically satisfying” action, _Aliens_ has already been mentioned. But I’ll be the first to vote for the mano-a-mano (or “mano-a-xeno”) fight between Ripley in the loader and the Alien Queen. “Get away from her, you bitch!” still draws cheers in any group viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/34 "2003-11-18T16:08:32Z")
**Zulu** final fight scene. It felt like I was there. **Saving Private Ryan** ’s opening scene. I hid my face from the sheer horror of how real it felt. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/35 "2003-11-18T16:15:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > **Whatever the big coming battle is in _Return of the King_. Just the brief hints in the trailer are tantalizing.** If Peter Jackson pulls this off – and I have no reason to believe he won’t – we’re about to be treated to the biggest and best cavalry charge ever put on film. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/36 "2003-11-18T16:21:00Z")
- Gandalf vs. the Balrog - 'nuff said. - Several scenes in _The Devil’s Brigade_. - The wolfpack raid in _Das Boot_ - The game of chicken in _The Hunt for Red October_ - The climactic battle in _Spartacus_ (so what if the Roman army’s formation is 100 years out of date?) - The Battle of Stirling in _Braveheart_ - Another nomination for the duel in _Rob Roy_. That was the movie that taught my father to have some respect for the skillful use of the rapier. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/37 "2003-11-18T16:40:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Drastic \* > **The “put on the sunglasses!” alley brawl in _They Live_ will always hold a fond place in my heart.** That is the second time this was mentioned. The movie wasn’t that good, but this was the single most realistic fight scene I have ever seen. Two guys just beating the shit out of one another. No fantastic martial arts moves with perfect blocks and almost no hits getting through. Really good, never seen anything like it. ---
**Author:** ![WhiteyFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@WhiteyFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhiteyFoo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/38 "2003-11-18T16:59:08Z")
The opening brawl in Gangs of New York was quite well done. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/39 "2003-11-18T17:13:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnM \* > \*\*Many of my personal favorites have already been mentioned, but I do have one to add. While all the battle scenes in **Gettysburg** were well done, the personal scale of the engagement on Little Round Top between Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine and the 14th Alabama makes it one of the classics. \*\* Abso-f’ing-lutely. When Chamberlain realizes that the 20th is out of ammo and the 14th is setting for another charge and he gives the order… “Fix bayonets.” I get shivers just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/40 "2003-11-18T18:23:17Z")
It wasn’t satisfying, but the Young Indiana Jones episode with chemical weapons affected me. The image of horses with gas masks is burned permanently into my mind. Put me into the eagerly awaiting Pellenor fields. (for one-on-one Derhelm vs you-know-who is also eagerly anticipated) Brian [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574.md?page=3)