Top 10 Movie Fights in a Forest
If a deathmatch breaks out in the woods, but there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Who cares? It's still awesome. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 movie fights in a forest. Nothing makes a fight more intense than having its combatants square off in the timeless, sometimes primitive elements of Mother Nature. For this list, we're excluding all the larger-than-life war scenes to list only the tree-lined fights that are dramatic and personal. This means scenes like Rambo gunning down an entire army from a stationary gun are out… However, since some of these are the final showdowns in their respective films, there may be some spoilers ahead so SPOILER ALERT.
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Written by Akil Goin
Top 10 Movie Fights in the Forest
If a deathmatch breaks out in the woods, but there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Who cares? It’s still awesome. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 movie fights in a forest.
Nothing makes a fight more intense than having its combatants square off in the timeless, sometimes primitive elements of Mother Nature. For this list, we’re excluding all the larger-than-life war scenes to list only the tree-lined fights that are dramatic and personal. This means scenes like Rambo gunning down an entire army from a stationary gun are out… However, since some of these are the final showdowns in their respective films, there may be some spoilers ahead so SPOILER ALERT.
#10: Jaguar Paw vs. Middle Eye
“Apocalypto” (2006)
When Jaguar Paw escapes his own involuntary sacrifice and seeks to rescue his trapped family, his adventure culminates in a showdown between him and one of his lead antagonists, Middle Eye. It’s a quick fight, with Middle Eye delivering one taunting word as he’s on his knees half alive. “Almost” he says; a reference to both his own proximity to death and his taunting recurring nickname for Paw, who almost escaped the raiders that ravaged his city when they captured him.
#9: L.T. Bonham vs. Aaron Hallam
“The Hunted” (2003)
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Hallam, a renegade war vet that battles his PTSD demons by murdering people in the wilderness, can only be stopped by his trainer, and this is the showdown we’ve been waiting for. It could be the talents of its A-list actors, the nature of the characters, or the suspense that drives the scene; but there’s no denying how it moves us in a way that’s about as visceral and adrenaline-fueled as a pay-per-view fight night.
#8: Maj. Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer vs. the Predator
“Predator” (1987)
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These testosterone-fuelled jungle scenes are literally and allegorically about Man versus Beast; they’re also a commentary on hunting, military competence, fear, strategy and sacrifice. Watching Dutch set traps and make mud masks for this hunter-alien fills us lowly popcorn munchers full of survivalist metaphors – and even manages to best the Yakuza sword fight from the follow-up “Predators,” which is also pretty damn cool. In addition, there’s enough Arnold Schwarzenegger quotables to secure the scene’s place in pop culture on its own.
#7: Ihei Misawa vs. Samurai
“After the Rain” [aka “Ame agaru”] (1999)
The beauty of this humble swordsman’s scene shows the late Akira Kurosawa’s influence, as it’s based on his last script and directed by his longtime Assistant Director. Particularly unique is Ihei’s attitude, character and skillset during every fight he’s in: effortless, overskilled, even somewhat disinterested. There’s a certain subtlety with the traditional choreography, blood spurts and sound effects that nods to a classic, minimalist style, especially for its time.
#6: Wolverine vs. Spike
“X-Men III: The Last Stand” (2006)
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While Wolverine takes on Magneto’s entire Brotherhood of Mutants during his search for the Phoenix, he trades blows with a mutant that tosses a seemingly endless supply of claws his way. It’s a relatively even-matched fight with just enough differences between the two claw-based brawlers to keep us guessing about who has the upper hand, in a manner of speaking.
#5: Dalton vs. Jimmy
“Road House” (1989)
Dalton is the bar bouncer that psycho-Jimmy does not want to mess with. It’s the ‘80s action movie to end them all thanks to its camp, raunch and unintentional hilarity, but that doesn’t take away from the excellence of its fight scenes. This was a time when long takes and wide shots showing every bit of the action were the norm, and mullets and shocking one-liners weren’t off limits. When was the last time you saw an action hero rip out another man’s throat with his bare hands?
#4: Jay Hamilton vs. Chris Vaughn
“Walking Tall” (2004)
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The deathmatch here all started with a corrupt casino boss and his drug-running employees. And Chris, the new sheriff in town, isn’t having any of that. He’s bigger and brute-r than Hamilton, but even though he’s The Rock we can’t help but wonder how he’ll overpower an axe-wielding villain while armed with nothing but his busted leg. Turns out, in a pinch, a tree stump is an impressive and resourceful weapon.
#3: Iron Man vs. Thor
“The Avengers” (2012)
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There are forest rangers and environmentalists that would definitely disapprove of the destruction in this scene. The two are fighting over Iron Man’s conviction that Thor is risking their mutual enemy Loki’s escape. And it’s Norse god versus machine; hammer versus suit. But even so, this fight ends in a draw the moment Captain America breaks it up. It’s a bit torturous to the audience, but in a good way, because it looks like they were just getting started.
#2: Jake Sully vs. Col. Miles Quaritch
“Avatar” (2009)
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When a heavily armed Colonel is attacking his defensive ex-marine in a battle for Pandora, the underdog is made very clear. Besides the groundbreaking visual effects, this fight fuels our fix for metaphors of man versus nature, strength versus agility and all the dichotomies that are compounded by the characters’ personal principles and motivations. They’re good reasons that made this the highest grossing film of all time.
Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
- Li Mu Bai vs. Jen Yu / Yu Jiaolong
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000)
- Tien vs. Bhuti Sangkha / Crow Ghost
“Ong Bak 2: The Beginning” (2008)
- Katniss Everdeen vs. the Tributes
“The Hunger Games” (2012)
- Mei vs. Government Soldiers
“House of Flying Daggers” (2004)
- Yang Hui-ching vs. General Shih
“A Touch of Zen” (1971)
#1: Optimus Prime vs. Megatron
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)
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Megatron is resurrected and he wants Sam Witwicky and his friends terminated post-haste… over Optimus Prime’s dead body. Reviews of the first film criticized it for fast cutting and overuse of camera shake, and none of that is to be had this time. This forest fight is clear, realistic and engaging enough to make us question how some of its shots were accomplished. It’s also pretty violent for any children watching, but that’s kind of awesome.
Do you agree with our list? Which forest fights did we miss? For more tree-lined Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
