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The greatest fight scene in history

FaceHugger

FaceHugger

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
13,949
USA
For those of you old enough to remember this in the theater:



Watching Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne go at it like seasoned Kung-Fu Theater actors was wild. The entire theater back in 1999 was speechless. There hasn't been a moment like that in cinema since. I really doubt there ever will be again, either.

"You think that's air you're breathing now?.... hmmm"
 

StriderHiryu

Member
Oct 28, 2017
238
For me the uninterrupted one shot fight scene from Ong Bak is the best, despite the reduced budget and terrible story line. I think the scene is unique and almost feels like Streets of Rage in real life.



The one you posted is a great one though! Feels like real life Tekken.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
That isn't the final fight of The Young Master

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dirtyjane

dirtyjane

Member
Oct 27, 2017
839


The Raid is a strong contender, sadly the best scene is cut on youtube but you all probably know it by heart.
 
SABO.

SABO.

Member
Nov 6, 2017
5,872
I remember watch this at my cousins friends house when I was 8 years old on their Ps2.

Not the theater, but it was a pretty damn epic experience.
 
beat

beat

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,543
The Matrix dojo fight isn't the greatest ever as far as virtuosity goes, but the choreography and performance and music all work together to tell the story it wants to tell, and that story is more interesting than (for example) the story of the Matrix's lobby gunfight scene.

but as far as fight scenes go, I always go back to Donnie Yen vs Wu Jing in SPL, or Jackie Chan vs Ken Lo in Drunken Master 2, or Michelle Yeoh vs Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,054
I'm pretty sure we get a topic like this every couple of months.

And I will say this time what I said last time: for me it's Michelle Yeoh vs. Ziyi Zhang in Crouching Tiger.



Not only is the choreography outstanding with lots of long shots but the two actresses are superb and convey a lot of conflict and emotion during the fight.
 
FranktheRabbit

FranktheRabbit

Member
Dec 22, 2018
432
D3M0N said:
i always go with this one :D
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Yep! I love the fight scene with the assassin from The Raid 2. It's absolutely mind-blowing and it would have to be my pick as well.

For other movies, I'm also a fan of the scene from Ip Man where he takes on 10 martial artists at once. The music and tone of the scene really do a lot to elevate it.

Oldboy and Daredevil (the Netflix series) also deserve a lot of credit for their long, exhausting one-shot fight sequences.
 
Catsygreen

Catsygreen

Member
Nov 1, 2017
1,362


Probably not the best fight scene, but I like this one from "Crimson Rivers 2".
The fight shows a cop with a very technical fighting style against someone physically stronger. It's a French film but dubbed in Russian in this clip.
 
Dan Thunder

Dan Thunder

Member
Nov 2, 2017
14,062
Oh come on OP, it's not the greatest fight scene in history by a very long margin. I could spend 5 minutes on Youtube and find a huge list of far superior scenes.
 
BebopCola

BebopCola

Member
Jul 17, 2019
2,063
I can't really add anything better than what is already up (especially They Live). But I will always have a special place in my heart for this battle of the masters.

 
matrix-cat

matrix-cat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,284
Triggerhappytel said:
I'm pretty sure we get a topic like this every couple of months.

And I will say this time what I said last time: for me it's Michelle Yeoh vs. Ziyi Zhang in Crouching Tiger.



Not only is the choreography outstanding with lots of long shots but the two actresses are superb and convey a lot of conflict and emotion during the fight.
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I would side-eye any list of Greatest Fight Scenes that didn't include this one. Top 5 ever, in my opinion. Absolute fire.
 
Box

Box

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,629
Lancashire
Retroarnold said:
Probably not the GOAT, but I love this fight scene. It's sooooo OTT and comical.

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It's been that long that I've pure forgotten how he got he glasses in the first place..?

I was in the cinema for the Matrix. Thanks for making me feel oooold OP.

Personally think it's tough to beat original Old Boy and The Raid on this front.

2dq6WvR.gif
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,550
FaceHugger said:
The entire theater back in 1999 was speechless.
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As it should be. I mean, who goes to the theater to make speeches instead of watch the movie they and the rest of the audience paid $12 to see?
Bad things happen...

Ford Theater 1865
"Four score and seven years ago..."

"Hey Abe, shut it!"

And I don't need to tell you what happened next...

the fight in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon between Jen and Shu Lien over the Green Destiny where all Shu Lien's swords break is my vote.
 
PhoncipleBone

PhoncipleBone

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,339
Kentucky, USA
This is more a two parter, because you gotta have the first one where Jackie loses:



And then the rematch later after Jackie trained for a bit:



It is funny seeing Ken Lo, the final boss from Drunken Master 2, as the goofy henchman watching. But the guy Jackie is fighting is Brad Allan, who was the fight choreographer for this and then went on to work on a bunch of American films as the main fight/stunt designer. And the fact that he is in charge of the fights/stunts for Shang Chi makes me extremely excited for the film now.
 
Nooblet

Nooblet

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,637
signal said:
It's not the best I'm sure but my favourite from modern films

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What's impressive about this one is that they were improvising and making contact for real instead of carefully choreographing everything.
It's obviously slightly sped up, but still.

Apparently Donnie often pulls stunt guys aside before a scene and tells them that he's gonna pay them a few hundred dollars if they take a hit for real. And they do it because in HK films the stunt people only get paid if they end up in a scene and don't get paid at all if their scene gets cut.
 
sir_crocodile

sir_crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,506
Of all the videos I expected to see when I opened this thread, this sure wasn't it lol. Laughed my ass off.

My faves would probably be Jackie Chan's fight at the top of the building in Who am I or the end fight of Young Master.
 
bixente

bixente

Member
Jan 27, 2019
2,258
Shopping Mall fight in Police Story.

Nothing tops that for me.

Also have a fondness for the playground fight in Police Story 2. Outstanding choreography there.
 
grang

grang

Member
Nov 13, 2017
10,074
I got to see The Matrix in Dolby Cinema when it rereleased last summer, seeing that scene in theaters with the sound really was an incredible experience, way more impactful than watching it at home.
 
Prine

Prine

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,724
If we can include sword fights, id put Troy, Achilies vs Hector. Felt a sense of dread throughout the battle. An uncomfortable inevitability.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
Nooblet said:
Apparently Donnie often pulls stunt guys aside before a scene and tells them that he's gonna pay them a few hundred dollars if they take a hit for real. And they do it because in HK films the stunt people only get paid if they end up in a scene and don't get paid at all if their scene gets cut.
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You have to imagine that probably happens a lot considering some of the insane hits and falls I've seen stuntmen take in 70s/80s/90s HK action, not just Donnie films
 
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