# 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:** 3
**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, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/41 "2003-11-18T18:26:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jsc1953 \* > \*\*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. \*\* Holy crap, you’re right. I was just thinking yesterday that a full cavalry charge with THX and everything would be awesome and wondering why no one’s ever done it before. I got goosebumps reading your post. ---
**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/42 "2003-11-18T18:44:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*Holy crap, you’re right. I was just thinking yesterday that a full cavalry charge with THX and everything would be awesome and wondering why no one’s ever done it before. I got goosebumps reading your post. \*\* I second that… literally… i got goosebumps thinking of how awesome it’ll be. Can’t wait 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/43 "2003-11-18T19:01:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Babbington \* > \*\*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. \*\* Talk away…I just watched it again Sunday. Love a movie with PIATs. Can’t get enough PIATs. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/44 "2003-11-18T19:37:44Z")
I’ve only ever caught parts of _A Bridge Too Far_, and I’ve checked out the local video shop - which has just about every crappy movie ever made, including _They Live_ and _Attack of the Killer Tomatos_ as well as a large military film section due to proximity to an Army post, and they don’t have it. Dammit, I really want to see that film. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/45 "2003-11-18T19:48:27Z")
Saving Private Ryan blew me away the first time I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/46 "2003-11-18T20:09:01Z")
The Seven Samurai ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/47 "2003-11-18T20:22:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MaddyStrut \* > \*\*I don’t know if maybe I’m the only one who has ever seen this movie, but the charge in _The Lighthorsemen_ had me sitting up, gripping the edge of my chair. Really wonderfully shot and very powerful. I wasn’t even into horses at the time–and that charge took my breath away. \*\* I feel the same way. I first saw the movie on A&E and the cavalry charge made my jaw drop. This one has become a regular at our He-Man Movie Fest for Manly Men. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/48 "2003-11-18T20:28:55Z")
I’ll second the person that said the ending fight in Unforgiven. The last fight in Rob Roy was very well done too. Tim Roth is such an excellent prick in movies. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/49 "2003-11-18T21:58:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MaddyStrut \* > \*\*I don’t know if maybe I’m the only one who has ever seen this movie, but the charge in _The Lighthorsemen_ had me sitting up, gripping the edge of my chair. Really wonderfully shot and very powerful. I wasn’t even into horses at the time–and that charge took my breath away. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![greck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ab992/32.png) [@greck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greck)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/50 "2003-11-18T22:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WhiteyFoo \* > \*\*The opening brawl in Gangs of New York was quite well done. \*\* Quite agreed. Maybe “satisfying” isn’t the word, but definitely a powerful scene. Also the many times aforementioned **saving private ryan** but for me the most effective scene is where adam goldberg’s character and the german fight it out over the knife and the german wins, killing Adam goldberg while he begs for his life. then the german passes the skinny american translator (the guy from “spanking the monkey”) on the way out gut wrenching every time. The “normandy” battle was damned good too. Also, the scene in **Zulu** ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/51 "2003-11-18T22:43:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flight \* > \*\*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. \*\* Realistic? You’re kidding, right? It’s one of the most gloriously _unrealistic_ fights I’ve ever seen. There are _way_ too many pro-wrestling moves, for one thing, and at one point one of the guys takes, like, seven knees directly to the nuts and _keeps fighting for another seven minutes_. It was great fun, but realistic is the _last_ word I’d use to describe it. I _also_ think that I use _way_ too many _italics_ when _I_ post, but that’s my _problem_. I think _Once Were Warriors_ had the most realistic bar brawl type fights in any movie I’ve seen. Incredibly brutal, so fast you’ll miss it if you blink, and the loser has to be carried out on a stretcher. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/52 "2003-11-19T06:31:36Z")
Not quite your traditional battle, but the final soccer game in _Shaolin Soccer_ is a sight to behold. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/53 "2003-11-19T14:57:52Z")
not most, but also star trek: first contact - for translating what a MOO battle will look like on the big screen. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/54 "2003-11-19T16:11:34Z")
“I don’t take coupons from giant chickens anymore. Not after last time.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/55 "2003-11-19T16:23:35Z")
Thanks for mentioning the Family Guy “Chicken Fight”. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/56 "2003-11-19T16:55:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SenorBeef \* > \*\*“I don’t take coupons from giant chickens anymore. Not after last time.” \*\* Oh god, I can’t believe I forgot that one. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/57 "2003-11-19T17:24:10Z")
I like nothing better than big-ass explosions. So the part of _A Bridge Too Far_ in which XXX Corps begins its drive into the Netherlands has to be one of the most satisfying I’ve ever seen. It begins with one of the scariest artillery barrages ever filmed and ends with aircraft bombing the snot out of a forest. They look like real high-explosive blasts, too, not those chincy Hollywood gasoline fires. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/58 "2003-11-19T20:14:00Z")
The end battle of **The Real Glory** w/Gary Cooper, though a cheesey movie… is a real nail-biter. The ship to ship fights in Errol Flynn’s **The Sea Hawk** which used some of the battle footage from his earlier film: **Captain Blood** , but was made more exciting by Korngold’s music. Hey, I put **Zulu** in my top-10 but let’s not overlook **Zulu Dawn**. I loved the final ninja vs. spectre-goon fight in **You Only Live Twice**. The storming of the castle from 1952’s **Ivanhoe**. ---
**Author:** ![confessorknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@confessorknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/confessorknight)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/59 "2003-11-19T21:16:43Z")
If we are counting **Zulu** style sieges I have to vote for the vast majority of **Dog Soldiers** (for one-on-one Pvt. Wetherspoon vs a seven foot werewolf _bare-handed_) ---
**Author:** ![No\_Disguise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9f8e36/32.png) [@No\_Disguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Disguise)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574/60 "2003-11-19T23:54:02Z")
Great. Twenty movies have to go rent now. Thanks a lot, guys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-satisfying-battles-on-film/213574.md?page=4)