I’m a huge lover of action, in all its forms. I mean, I wrote an entire article about how to properly write fight scenes in literature, and I have an entire article series all about over-analyzing my favorite fight scenes. I also talk at length about fight scenes that I enjoy from my favorite shows, often anime. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I love action. Well, in that spirit, here’s a Top 10 list of my favorite action scenes (not just fight scenes) from the world of film!
Let’s get into it!
10) Taking Down Godzilla ~ Godzilla Minus One
I mentioned it before briefly (when I celebrated this movie in my article reviewing the past year), but I’m not the hugest fan of Godzilla who has ever lived. But I can appreciate a big monster from time-to-time, especially when the emphasis is on the brave humans trying to take him down. This final clash, involving a platoon of warships, some deadly flotation devices, and a horrifying-looking Godzilla, is the peak of the Kaiju genre. That last flight of our main hero, airplane primed to explode, still gives me chills alongside the music.
9) No Man’s Land ~ The King’s Man
This entire movie is one fantastic action set-piece after the next, but I’m going to give the nod to the No Man’s Land sequence. It’s a scene in two parts, and each is equally as exciting. First we have a music-less fight between the two sides and the brave souls who ventured forth, and it’s exceptionally brutal and engrossing. The choreography in this film shines, and this scene is no exception. And then we get the amazing run across the battlefield as our hero tries to carry his injured friend back to safety. The swell of the music, the gunfire, the explosions…it’s fantastic.
8) Duel on the Wheel ~ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
In a series known for its elaborate and ridiculous action moments, the wheel battle at the end of the second movie still stands tall as an unforgettable scene. It’s a pretty iconic visual, as even detractors of this movie would be able to recognize the image I attached below. It’s just such a fun scene, and really captures the swashbuckling spirit of this franchise. It’s funny, it’s incredibly creative, it has fantastic choreography, it’s an evolving scene that never grows stagnant, and it’s actually largely practical (which is extremely impressive). A really solid climactic fight for an already really solid movie, and a scene I could watch many times without getting bored.
7) Fighting in the Streets ~ Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
This movie loves its prolonged action moments (there’s really only four or so major action beats in the film, each one is just really long), and this one is my favorite. After escaping from the villainous trap at the nightclub, our heroes end up separated and forced to dash through the streets and confront their own threats. We’ve got Ilsa’s excellent scrap with the film’s leading antagonist, Gabriel, and then Ethan’s close-quarters brawl with terrifying henchwoman Paris. I’m especially partial to the alley fight, as it really creatively uses the space to present a tense and brutal beatdown that kept me on the edge of my seat during my first viewing of this film, and still thrills me on re-watches.
6) Escaping the Tower ~ Kung Fu Panda 2
This moment is great, and it gets a special nod from me due to being THE SCENE that first got a younger me to pay attention to movie soundtracks. I can still vividly remember sitting there as a kid, jaw agape, goosebumps from the fusion of music and action playing out before me. I specifically asked my mom to rent this movie for me multiple times just for this scene alone (anyone still remember when Netflix would mail you DVDs?). Anyway, it’s a great scene, that stuns both visually and in terms of the choreography (something this whole franchise nails). Escaping the falling tower by running up it while it tumbles, dodging a hailstorm of arrows and cannons, and then leaping to safety at the last second? As Po himself would say: Awesome.
5) The Airport Fight ~ Captain America: Civil War
If you asked an MCU fan to name their favorite clash in the franchise, I’d bet quite a few people would pick this moment out. It’s really one of the few times in the series we get to see heroes duking it out with other heroes, and it’s a visual treat that doesn’t lose sight of some amazing character moments even amongst the chaos. Sam and Bucky bickering while taking on Spider-Man, Ant-Man pretending to be Tony’s conscience while crawling inside of his suit, Wanda blasting everyone with cars from the parking lot while they’re distracted, Steve and Spider-Man finding some common ground from their New York upbringings, Ant-Man growing to massive size…there’s just so much here. The soundtrack is great too, as is the drama, like when Black Widow turns on Black Panther, or Rhodey getting shot from the sky. This scene was teased in all the trailers, and it really lived up to the hype.
4) Multi-Smith Melee ~ The Matrix Reloaded
This is another movie just jam-packed with amazing action sequences, to the point where even detractors of the film have to admit that the action is solid. And while there’s other good choices from this film I could’ve gone for (that highway scene is pretty phenomenal, I can’t deny), I’ve always just been a sucker for a good straight-up fight scene. Admittedly, this scene maybe isn’t exactly your traditional ‘straight-up fight scene‘ once Agent Smith starts bringing in a million clones of himself, but hey, it’s definitely unique and memorable! I really love how this scene ramps up in intensity as it goes on, really investing you in the action with each development in the brawl. Most impressively is that, despite the chaos, the fight never loses sight of good choreography, and doesn’t allow itself to become some big garbled mess. Seriously, friends, this movie is really good, please watch it if you haven’t yet.
3) The Bathroom Brawl ~ Mission Impossible: Fallout
For all the mind-blowing stunts that happen in this film (seriously, that helicopter duel is the stuff of legends), somehow this humble bathroom brawl early in the film is still the peak of perfection. Isn’t that funny, how a death-defying stunt can be just as arrestingly entertaining as three dudes throwing down in a bathroom? Well, regardless, this scene absolutely deserves all the praise that it gets, as it presents one of the most frenetic and brutal beatdowns in a mainstream action movie.
What I love most about this scene is how it manages to do everything right. The subtle tension leading up to the start of the fight, the fake-out unceremonious ending that lures viewers into a false sense of security, the fact that it’s surprisingly lengthy (which I love in my fight scenes) but it also doesn’t get boring, the fact that it isn’t afraid to get messy (particularly with the protagonists, as I always respect a fight scene that doesn’t hold back on dirtying the hero), and then a shocking ending to close everything off in memorable fashion. Fallout is one of my favorite movies of all time, and this scene only elevates that fantastic film higher.
2) Battle for the Royal City ~ Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive
Sometimes, when it comes to action, you just want to turn your brain off and watch awesome stuff happen. Well, this is the sequence for that! Honestly, in a lot of ways, it’s the antithesis to some of what I mentioned in the previous rankings on this list. Like, this scene goes on for a really long time, to the point where it’s maybe a little bit too long. It also becomes a bit of a visual mess at times, making it difficult to fully tell what’s going on at a few points.
But, this is an animated film, so it gets a pass on the visual front. I’ll gladly take a bit of a mess to see our hero and villain sailing through a fire-filled city blasting each other with explosions, while towering knights and massive monsters duke it out in the background. It’s crazy, it’s absurd, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And, credit where credit is due, there’s actually still quite a bit of good choreography even amidst the flying and magic powers. The cinematography is really on-point in this battle, and I can appreciate that. Sure, the soundtrack also does some heavy-lifting here too, but really this whole sequence is just one of those dumb-fun sequences where you jump from your seat and cheer when the hero lands the final blow. Very anime-coded.
1) The World’s Greatest Oner ~ Extraction 2
If you’ve never seen this film, I both feel sorry for you, and also cannot stress enough how much you don’t understand how good this scene is. Like, without seeing it, there’s simply no way to really wrap your head around it. I can talk about it, sure, but that doesn’t even begin to paint the full picture.
For example, I could tell you that it’s a TWENTY-ONE-MINUTE-ONESHOT (or a ‘oner‘, to use the terminology). A twenty-one minute scene that never once cuts the camera away from following the action (yeah, obviously, there are invisible cuts, as you literally couldn’t film this in one take, but it evokes the idea of a seamless transition). Hearing that it’s such a lengthy oner might lead you to believe that you understand what this scene is, and that you’re prepared for it when it happens in the film, but I promise you that you aren’t. Until you’re actually strapped in, eyes glued to the screen, you don’t really realize just how unfathomably long twenty-one minutes is.
Sneaking through a prison to evade the guards. Dueling the villain one-on-one in a brutal beatdown. Navigating through a massive prison brawl while fending off hundreds of inmates and guards. A car chase through the streets and into the woods, evading enemy vehicles and blasting back at them. Sprinting through a warehouse to reach a train. Battling with a helicopter chasing after the train. Vicious, close-quarters combat against experienced mercenaries who board the train. A second helicopter to throw another wrench into the escape plan. And then a catastrophic train crash involving rolling cars tossing our heroes about. All of that, and more, is what happens during this sequence.
And somehow, through it all, it never fails as a scene. Character work is still being done, through dialogue and physical reactions to each new incident. The choreography remains fresh and amazing, hitting you with so many jaw-dropping moments that you just want to keep rewinding to re-watch each beat of the journey. The soundtrack keeps your blood pumping, the camera work is stellar, the variety of craziness is engaging…it’s some seriously amazing stuff, and a pure example of top-tier filmmaking.
And you know what the best part is? The rest of the movie is just as amazing too!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 