# Name some movies with realistic fight scenes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381 "2010-04-16T18:47:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/61 "2010-04-20T13:35:47Z")
_Once Were Warriors_ had some unpleasantly realistic fights. [Like this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCHe-0w9KX8). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/62 "2010-04-20T13:47:53Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Yes! I’m still feeling like I’m missing something though. My brother got sucker punched by his drunk friend and had to have surgery to fix his broken broken face bones. Danny from the MTV Real World had a similar drunken fight injury. Surely there’s a movie that depicts the severe consequences of real life fights? When people got beat up in _Deadwood_ they _stayed_ beat up for days and weeks. Refreshing! ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/63 "2010-04-20T16:34:01Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > In _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_, the fight in the bar with Dobbs and Curtin against McCormick. No fancy moves or expertly-thrown punches, but a lot of grappling and stumbling around. Exactly what I came in to say and the one guy holding on to a leg. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/64 "2010-05-28T18:48:54Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > GF1 ?? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/65 "2010-05-28T19:10:23Z")
> [@MrSquishy](#): > > ?? Michael hauled that broken jaw to Sicily and still had signs of the damage when he got back to New York. (It’s been a while, so I had to scratch my head over what I was thinking at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/66 "2010-05-28T19:48:14Z")
I’ve always liked the [train compartment fight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DyfgdXt9dU&feature=related) in _From Russia With Love_. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/67 "2010-05-28T21:16:42Z")
While the thread has stuck mostly to hand-to-hand and melee, I’ll nominate the post-heist running-gun-battle-in-the-streets-shootout from _Heat._ Realistic gunfire sounds, weapons jams, reloading, people actually taking cover during reloading. Absolutely marvelous. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/68 "2010-05-28T22:43:27Z")
> [@LorieSmurf](#): > > The fight between Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Just a couple of regular guys that have no special moves or training, fighting it out, being stupid. It would be. But at some point during the fight, both fighters go crashing through a big screen window. Do not try that at home. ---
**Author:** ![rubicante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/edb3f5/32.png) [@rubicante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubicante)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/69 "2012-11-04T18:27:07Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > While the thread has stuck mostly to hand-to-hand and melee, I’ll nominate the post-heist running-gun-battle-in-the-streets-shootout from _Heat._ > > Realistic gunfire sounds, weapons jams, reloading, people actually taking cover during reloading. > > Absolutely marvelous. Yes, but they don’t reload nearly enough. That’s what lets it down. ---
**Author:** ![rubicante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/edb3f5/32.png) [@rubicante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubicante)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/70 "2012-11-04T18:28:32Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Not especially realistic gun fights, either. If you want to see what an unadorned gun fight looks like, see the boat quay scene from David Mamet’s underappriciated Heist. > > Stranger They’re more realistic than most others in films. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/71 "2012-11-04T19:17:03Z")
A couple of people have mentioned the fight from _They Live_. Here it is: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4-MVMbm6c0k/maxresdefault.jpg "They Live - Best Fight Scene Ever.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-MVMbm6c0k) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/72 "2012-11-05T01:45:52Z")
Second the fight between Bond and Grant in the train compartment in _From Russia with Love._ It really looked to me like the two were trying to kill each other. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/73 "2012-11-05T02:19:58Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > If I were to imagine what one might look like I would have to give props to the highschool hallway fight in **Gross Pointe Blank**. > It was John Cusak fighting the hitman who in real life is a world champion kick boxer and John’s kick boxing trainer. > Very short fight, deliberate hits, delivered with kill-or-be-killed force. That’s Benny Urquidez. If you want to see something pretty intense, check out the fight between Urquidez and Jackie Chan at the end of _Wheels on Meals_. Rumor has it that the two of them did not get along, and the fight between them has a real edge of anger and intensity. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/74 "2012-11-05T02:28:43Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Of course, that’s after he gets into a fistfight with a bunch of guys armed with swords, so perhaps not quite that realistic. But a classic scene nonetheless. > > Stranger Apparently Harrison Ford was sick during that day of filming and opted for a quick finish for the scene over the originally scripted whip vs. sword show down. ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/75 "2012-11-05T02:32:43Z")
Neo-Nazi skinheads vs Vietnamese restaurant workers in [_Romper Stomper_.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bqBhiBAnL0) Yes, that is Russell Crowe. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/76 "2012-11-05T20:31:37Z")
I know it’s an old thread but here’s my contribution. Apparently the sword fights in Rob Roy were done in a very historically accurate manner. Video contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen Rob Roy, go watch the whole movie instead of this clip. It’s a good film. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27M5KWI_q50) One thing to look for in a realistic fight scene is exhaustion. I used to wrestle when I was a kid. A match had three two minute rounds for a total of six minutes. Even the guys who were in the best shape were completely gassed after going the distance. Even if you scored a first round pin you were still panting heavily at the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/77 "2012-11-06T21:27:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > In a real fight, I expect two swordsmen hacked away at each other, cutting at arms and legs, until one of them was bleeding too much to continue fighting and the winner was in only marginally better shape. Depends on the skill-level of the participants and how evenly-matched they are – and, for that matter, the style of swordplay they’re doing. At evenly-matched low skill levels, mistakes are more common and would therefore lead to a short ending. At evenly-matched high skill levels, we could expect more attacks and blocks as well as more feints and other strategy. The quips are often part of the strategy; messing with an opponent’s mind and emotions. I and another student were paired off using bokken against each other (with much protective armoring) and spent a good fifteen minutes making no progress against each other. I finally stepped back and joked a little bit, and the judges relaxed while my opponent took the opportunity to wipe away sweat. Then I suddenly launched into a flechette and jammed the tip of my weapon into my opponent’s belly. Since nobody had called time-out, the solid hit was considered fair, though rather unconventional. * * * > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I imagine in a real battle, plenty of sword fighters were looking for an opponent who was facing in another direction, who they could easily stab in the back. In a battle (teams versus teams) this would be more likely. One-on-one, outside of a duel, things could go on longer. Duelling, of course, has its own formal set of ‘fair play’ restrictions and such interruptions as were noted in the mini-analysis of the Duellist’s encounters. * * * > [@RickJay](#): > > For gunfights, a lot of gunfights in the TV series “The Wire” are highly realistic depictions of typical street gang gunplay - guys who really don’t know what they’re doing spraying bullets at each other and maybe hitting something they’re aiming at and maybe not. In Analyze This, when two hit men attack gangster Jelly and Dr. Sobol in a junkyard, Ben grabs Jelly’s gun and blindly shoots back - then he straightens up and sees two dead men… Dr. Ben Sobel: J-Jelly? Did I do that? Jelly: No, Doc. That one’s mine. You got the '72 Chevy and the Amana side-by-side refrigerator-freezer. * * * Nobody has yet mentioned it, but Tsui Hark did a movie called Time and Tide back in 2000. Although he’s done a lot of work with Jet Li, he stated that he wanted the fight choreography to look less stylized because the main character and his opponents weren’t supposed to be trained martial artists. So there’s a lot of scrambling on the floor, dashing for the door and getting tackled, reaching for silly ineffective weapons, etc. –G! Every moment of your lifetime Every minute, Every day Fight the good fight every moment Make it worth the price we pay . --Rik Emmett (Triumph) . _Fight the Good Fight_ . Allied Forces ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/78 "2012-11-06T22:15:10Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > I’ve always liked the [train compartment fight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DyfgdXt9dU&feature=related) in _From Russia With Love_. My favorite. And what does Bond first do after winning the life or death struggle? He _straightens his tie_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/79 "2012-11-06T23:28:57Z")
Okay, it’s technically not “fighting” _per se_, but the executions in _Schindler’s List_ were incredibly realistic. From time to time I forgot it was a movie and starting thinking it was documentary footage. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381/80 "2012-11-06T23:38:29Z")
> [@rubicante](#): > > Yes, but they don’t reload nearly enough. That’s what lets it down. Considering the number of movies where no one relaods at all, or where people needlessly “racks” a gun (and ejects a perfectly functional shell or bullet) for menacing emphasis, _Heat_ stands out for what they get right, which is a lot more realistic than 99% of anything else out there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-some-movies-with-realistic-fight-scenes/536381.md?page=5)