Just 'cuz sometimes its good to do trivial.
Top 8 Movie Battles--Hand-to-Hand
Disclaimer: I don't watch a lot of what Hong Kong has to offer in the way of martial arts films, so I have to admit to a huge hole in the making of this list. I'm sure there are some wonderful scenes to be found therein, but I haven't seen them.
8. Bloodsport (1988) Jean-Claude van Damme Yeah, some of the fighting was poorly staged, and the plot was thin . . .er, anorexic. But you can't have a list of this nature without finding a way to get Bolo Yeung into the mix.
7. Kiss of the Dragon (2001) Jet Li The entirity of the last 20 minutes of this one is non-stop action. From the dispatching of thirty with sticks in the span of about 45 seconds, to the very stylish battle with the twins, Jet Li demonstrates why Mel Gibson said after "Lethal Weapon 4" that he was a freak (they actually had to ask Jet to slow down during a couple scenes so the camera could capture it).
6. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) Chuck Norris The story follows the basic plot lines of every Chuck Norris film, but a. there's this one move Chuck does in breaking a pool cue and then turning it immediately into a spinning attack that's pretty sweet, and b. how can you miss when you have Chuck Norris and Kwai-Chang Caine fighting?
5. The Protector (2007) Tony Jaa Actually not a very good movie, and the fighting was too obviously staged at points. But the next-to-last fight is a veritable festival of mangled limbs, dislocated joints and snapping bones. Fun to watch with the eyes closed, just for the sound effects!
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) The fights at the end are, in my opinion, really cool. They have some completely unrealistic moves, combined with some strong displays of serious swordsmanship, and a finishing scene between Aragorn and the Uruk leader that seems about as real as any sword fight I've seen. 3. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) This is on here just for the final scene between the two Jedi and Darth Maul.
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2003) There are a great many fights scenes to choose from in this one, but I prefer a little more realism in my fight scenes, so some of the high flying ones have to be discounted (no matter how beautiful, artisti, or ballet-like they come off). So that leaves me with the fight between Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang, which seems to have been staged without the benefit of any ropes--just two accomplished martial artists having at it. Besides, there had to be a girl fight on this list somewhere--it just so happens that this is a GREAT girl fight.
1. The Matrix (1999) The first fight scene between Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburn, right after Reeves first plugs in to learn how to do it, is, in terms of speed and creativity, one of the better ones out there. Feel free to suggest additions and changes to the list. | |
