Violence was a good part of my early 20s as I once shared a house with John and our friend Tran. Our place was the central hub for activity and rarely a dull moment (even Doug spent a fair bit of time there). We had our own impromptu UFC matches in the downstairs RecRoom, shot each other with bebe guns, and watched KungFu movies.
Of our favourites, Shoalin vs Llama was the most quoted and impacting movie to grace our overused VCR. We even kept an 8 foot wooden dowel in the corner that we named the Staff of Insolence. If you don’t know what that means, you need to see the movie. Now.
But I do have a point to this back story, so you can understand the excitement I had when I noticed that Cinematical pointed out an article at Double Viking listing the Top 10 Mano-a-Mano Fight Scenes of All Time
10. Fight Club: Narrator vs. Angel Face
9. Bloodsport: Frank Dux vs. Chong Li
8. Evil Dead 2: Ash vs. His Own Hand
7. Transformers: Megatron vs. Optimus Prime
6. Drunken Master 2: Wong Fei-hung vs. John
5. They Live: Nada vs. Frank
4. Return of the Dragon: Tang Lung vs. Colt
3. Rocky: Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago
2. The Matrix: Neo vs. Agent Smith
1. Troy: Achilles vs. Hector
Click here to watch the videos of the Top 10 Mano-a-Man Fight Scenes of All Time
The Cinematical article lists one of my personal favourite KungFu Classics, the Five Deadly Venoms, and as I attempted to critique this list, combat involving weapons, sword fights or lightsabers all jump to mind, but this is all about man vs man slugging it out. I have to say I couldn’t have come up with a better list. They even included Optimus and Megatron. I love that fight.
Other honourable mentions that I would include would be the scrap between Dalton and Jimmy in Roadhouse.
What fight would you add to the list?
10.Jean Claude Van Damme “Lionheart” empty pool fight
9.Jet Li “Kiss of the Dragon” fight in boat
8.”The Bourne Identity” Jason Bourne apartment fight
7.”The Matrix:Reloaded” Neo vs. Chinese guy
6.Jean Claude Van Damme “The Quest” Germany vs. United States
5.Steven Seagal “Hard to Kill” opening sequences in dojo
4. “Road House” Dalton’s throat grip
3. Chuck Norris training in “Delta Force 2”
2. Jackie Chan “Super cop” Jackie Chan fights instructor
1. Chuck Norris vs. Bruce Lee “The Return of the Dragon”
Daniel Vs Chozen – The karate kid part II
Ralphie vs Farkus!!!!!
YES!!!
Dear god YES!
Tony Ja vs everyone in Tom Yum Goon
Tony Ja vs everyone in Ong Bak
Mr. Lee vs O’Harra (spelling) Greatest ass kicking ever
The fight in “Any Which Way But Loose”
They Live
Bubba Hotep vs Elvis
Jet Li in Kiss of the Dargon vs the “Twins”
Rocky vs Clubber 2
The Punisher vs the Russian
The Spaniard vs everyone in Gladiator
Ralphie vs Farkus
Borat vs the Grundle
Jet Li vs Cyril Raffaelli in Kiss of the dragon
almost forgot about that one
Probably the best fight scene ever is between Jackie Chan & Benny The Jet Urquidez in Wheels On Meals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8NlexV138
The Luke/Vader conflict seems pretty tame when you compare it to the action in the ObiWan/Maul in Episode 1.
That being said, the Mano-a-Mano implies a slugfest instead of a weapons fight. Man vs Man, nothing else.
Luke/Vader return of the jedi anyone?
guys, there are some really kick-ass fight scenes in the korean movie “the city of violence”. 2 guys against literally hundreds of punk kids, and the last fight scene where the two main characters take on a whole clan of gangsters with two sticks! best tae-kwondo fights i’ve seen on film! oh and don’t forget the hallway-hammer fight in “old boy”!
1. Fearless: Yuanjia Vs. Qin (Awesome)
2. Fearless: Yuanjia Vs. Tanaka (Awesome)
3. Serentiy: Mal Vs. The Operative (This was the most brilliant choreography of non-martial artists I’ve ever seen in a movie)
4. Kill Bill Volume 1: Black Mamba Vs. Copperhead
5. Iron Monkey: Wong Kei Ying Vs. Iron Monkey
6. Kill Bill Volume 2: The Bride Vs. Elle
7. Manchurian Candidate: Frank Sinatra Vs. the Korean Houseboy (It was corny, but wasn;t the first Karate fight scene ever?)
8. Drunken Master 2: Jackie Chan Vs. Ken Lo
9. The Quiet Man: Sean Thornton Vs. Will Danaher
10. Ladies Man: Tim Meadows Vs. Will Farrell: The most accurate protrayal of grappling and grapplers ever in a motion picture.
Hey guys you forgot Jack Chan Vs. um… All his movies. For real all his movies.
Frankwolftown, the song from the Transformers movie soundtrack is called “The Touch” performed by Stan Bush. The Michael Bay tribute song was intentionally parodied from this song because of he is directing the new Transformers movie coming out this summer.
This was mentioned in the comments of the “Bay has the Power” Post.
Wait everybody forgot about the fight of Peter Griffith vs the Chicken!
Greatest fight scene ever!
Hey did anyone notice that when you play the Optimus Prime fight that it was same music that was paradied in the “Micheal Bay has the Power” song?
jay- yea man you’re right when jet kicks all those japenese guys asses in their friggin dojo and challenges their master and kicks HIS ass. oh and the scene where he fights that girls father blindfolded outside. oh and just about every fight scene in iron monkey was great.
oh and an old jackie chan classic “meals on wheels” not a great movie but jackie has a fight scene with a brazilian martial artist that was FANTASTIC.
does anyone remember the name of that movie with louis gossett jr fights a guy in an alley, that scene was hard. and props for putting prime vs megatron.
“one shall stand, one shall fall” bay has to put this somewhere in the movie. somewhere
peace…
Man, nobody is going to give it up for Paul Newman in Torn Curtain? When he kills that guy in the kitchen it’s the single most unpleasant fight scene in a movie…well, pretty much ever. It’s like the guy just won’t die.
As disappointing as Troy was, that fight between Pitt and Bana was amazing.
Was a little disappointed not to see the fight between Sean Connery and Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love mentioned – definetely one of the greatest fistfights of all time: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_jEubPVLPqA
Honourable mention to the nunchuck battle in Game of Death and the ending fistfight of The Streetfighter.
The one against many fight of Jet-Li’s was in Fist Of Legend.
Forgot to mention that, sorry.
I know I’ve said it before, but if you havent seen that one, then by all means, go out and buy it. Jet Li doesnt get much better than he was in that movie.
Darren,
Good call on the Abyss.
and on Raiders… how could we forget the plane propeller… sheesh
Chris,
I could list a ton in Martial arts movies like The Flying Guillotine, The One Armed Swordsman, Zatoichi, lots of the Wu-Tang (no, not the rap group) flicks and such but I dont think many would get the references. And dont even get me started on the Shaw Bros. Spectacular fights everywhere.
Also Jet Li’s fight on top of the poles (or was it ladders) in Once Upon A Time In China 2 choreographed by the master, Woo-Ping. Classic.
Iron Monkey had a similar fight.
If we were to get into one against many fights then NOTHING compares to the frist fight at the school between Jet-Li and all the rival students. Once again, staged by the master, Woo-Ping Yuen. Fucking untouchable, as far as I’m concerned.
jet li vs donny yueng- hero
donny vs sammo hung- spl
and all the one’s jay said….
peace….
How about Raging Bull — Jake LaMotta against Surgar Ray Robinson?
Blade vs. Nomak – Blade II
Alain Moreau (Jean Claude Van Damme) vs. Russian thug in bank elevator – Maximum Risk
Bud (Ed Harris) vs. Coffey (Michael Beihn) – The Abyss
Indiana Jones vs. Nazi Bareknuckle fighter in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. You know where.
Enter The Dragon- any scene; take your pick
Scott (Chuck Norris) vs. Master “Red” Ninja (Richard Norton) in The Octagon.
Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) vs. Dae Han (Simon Rhee) in Best Of The Best
and BTW>>>Burbanked…the scene you mention is from “3 Days Of The Condor”.
Someone actually agrees with me on Troy? I am flabergasted. There are so many little touches that the actors put in that just make it so intense.
The odd thing is that fight scene was shot months after main shooting wrapped because Brad Pitt had messed up his Achille’s tendon during shooting. I always wondered if the fact that the actors could come back to it fresh played into the whole thing.
rapid fire: brandon lee vs. bad fbis
bourne identity: jason bourne vs. the dude he stuck the pen into his hand
They put Troy, with two pretty boys in skirts, over the beatdown in THEY LIVE? No.
Oh,
Chili Palmer vs Bear (James Gandolfini) in Get Shorty
Clarence Wurley (Christian Slater)vs Drexle (Gary Oldman) in True Romance.
Charlie vs. Hank (Jim Carrey) in Me myself and Irene
Pretty much all fights in Sin City
But good mention of Fight Club and The Matrix i would have mentioned in Fight club, the narator vs. himself in the bosses office.
Jet Li vs Rival school’s master in Fist of Legend
Jet Li vs Jet Li in The One
Spidey vs Doc Ock in Spiderman 2
The T-800 vs the T-1000 in Terminator 2
Dutch vs the Predator in The Predator
Bruce Lee vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of death
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris in Game of Death
and yes, Yes, YES – Dalton vs Jimmy in Roadhouse
Redford vs. the postman/assassin – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBMmEbmN1g
Beatrix Kiddo vs. Elle Driver: Kill Bill Vol 2 – Just brutal.
Shu Lien vs. Yu Jen: Crouching Tiger (The first fight in the movie): Fast and graceful.
Lori vs. Melina: Total Recall – Changed the way Hollywood shot catfights.
Give the ladies some love!
over the top: lincoln hawk vs. bull hurley
first blood: john rambo vs. sheriffs