Brutal fight scenes in films

[anguslowe]

Rare is the day you see a fight in cinema that actually feels and looks like a fight.

Watching Braveheart ( I just had to get the soundtrack just for the cavalry charge!), some of the most blood thirsty and cinematically awe inspiring camera work can be found in the most bizarre of places sometimes. The film when looked on in its entirety is just a mess. A historical mess set in Scotland, filmed in Ireland and stars an Australian trying to affect an accent he just wasn’t designed for but the fights by god! Sheer and utter brilliance. From the first scrap in the village after his girl is killed by the English lord to the slow motion before the heavy cavalry crash into the Scottish lines at Stirling and then the mania that ensues afterwards, the film captures it all. God help me but I love this film so!

The combination is perfect - the music, the camera, the editing (the film win an award for), the acting and even the look of it is just bloody astounding.

So my question to you is, What do you rate as the best ever brutal fight scene to be portrayed on the screen?

[BlueTsunami]

Some of the best has to be in A History of Violence. Especially the first fight when Tom Stall (The Main character: Viggo Mortensenthe) fights off the two thugs. Fricken brains one of the guys with a coffee pot. Later on, you've got a scene where Tom crushes a guys treakia. Painfull.

[seahorse]

ong bak, i think its a thai movie starring tony jaa. every punch just looks painful as hell. in fact, i think i'll watch it right now....

[Zer0-Sum]

Some of the best has to be in A History of Violence. Especially the first fight when Tom Stall (The Main character: Viggo Mortensenthe) fights off the two thugs. Fricken brains one of the guys with a coffee pot. Later on, you've got a scene where Tom crushes a guys treakia. Painfull.

I second this one, A History of Violence was sick for fighting scenes that looked and felt real. And Tom Stall (AKA Joey) gets messed up in every fight scene.

Brave Heart is another one that I also second for realistic and brutal fight scenes.

A Fight Club has bad ass fight scenes. And Snatch. Funny both are with Bradd Pitt. The bare handed bozing scenes with Pitt in Snatch are brutal. Cant understand a frickin work he utter, but damn but id dosen't take care of business!!

[Helios]

Wait...you've just now seen Braveheart? Or have you rewatched it and "just noticed" the greatness of the movie.

I liked Bloodsport best far as brutal fight scenes go.

[SuperLuigiBros]

I dont know about the best, but as far as just plain brutal, Ong Bak definatly springs to mind. Especially at the last place. The guy gets a 2-man saw and lunges at the guys face, and the only thing he can do is block with his fore arms, taking the saw teeth. I practically felt that one. And then what he does to the guy for doing that to him and breaking his friends arm. And then even worse, when he 'finally' finishes off the main kung fu guy - the double knee drop. Ouch.

If you want brutal, go watch Ong Bak.

[masteratt]

Gladiator.

Great film, great fight scenes (from what I can remember of it).

[munnkyman]

kill bill just lots of blood i love those movies

[Boggy700]

Blue Velvet, when there's the guy and Kyle MacLachlan.
True Romance, when there's the guy and Patricia Arquette.
Goodfellas, when there's the guy and Joe Pesci.
A Clockwork Orange, when there's the guys and the other guys.
Sin City, when there's guys.

Okay, so I don't know anything about realism.
Anything at all.
But I do know when something is emotionally powerful.
And while the fights in Sin City are ultra stylish, and those in A Clockwork Orange are beautifully artistic, they still exude a heightened emotional intensity, the likes of which I haven't experienced in many other films.

I also liked the fight scene at the end of Kill Bill Vol. 2.
I imagine many people found it to be too brief and possibly anti-climactic.
But I felt it was the perfect legnth, and had the perfect end.
It wasn't too long so as to distract the audience from the emotional core of the scene, and the ending was special enough to add decoration to the entire film, and more importantly, implied a rage more appropriate than any other act of physical violence could have in this situation.


I'll think of other scenes later maybe.

[Negativity]

The Braveheart's fight scenes were terrible. The Brits just stood there waiting to be hit by that dude.

[Pro A.]

Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby had some great boxing scenes because of their brutal impact and razor-sharp editing. You can almost feel the punches. You can't say the same for Rocky.

For action movies, the one I like is the hand-to-hand duel between Bond and Red Grant in From Russia with Love, with both of them fighting on the Orient Express. Superior editing and some great sound effects make it a memorable duel between a classic hero and one of the best villains in the series.

[Blaksmoke]

^ Yeah, and to think it was filmed more than forty years ago. Still holds up.

[Coded-Dude]

The curb check in Amercian Histroy X = brutal

[Sandman]

The curb check in Amercian Histroy X = brutal
Yeah, that is disgusting. It makes me sick when I see that.

My favorite fight scene is the first scene in The Way of the Gun.

[Crow]

Kung Fu Hustle has some very realistic scenes