Top 10 Father Vs Son Fights in Movies

Did they even try to go fishing? Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Father vs. Son Fights in Film.

For this list, we’re looking at rocky father and son relationships, biological or otherwise, that took a turn for the physical. Although a punch might not necessarily have landed, the threat of violence needs to be present. As these confrontations tend to take place in the film's climax, spoilers will be included.

“Excalibur” (1981)
With “Excalibur”, filmmaker John Boorman did the impossible and convincingly adapted one of the famous legends of all time onto the big screen. After Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, he forms the Round Table and builds Camelor. But his half-sister Morgana tricks him into sleeping with her, leading to a war between Arthur and his incestuously conceived son Mordred. Armed with a spear against Arthur’s legendary sword, Mordred stabs the King of Camelot through the chest before the favor is swiftly returned. In a film filled with the mystical, the climactic confrontation strips away magic and glory to deliver an almost intimate encounter. It’s bloody, brutal, and a memorable conclusion to an epic story.

“Beowulf” (2007)
Featuring an all-star cast and mind-blowing visuals, director Robert Zemeckis brings us an epic tale of lust and greed. Changed from the original poem, when Beowulf travels to Denmark he ends up making a pact with Grendel’s mother, instead of killing her – if he gives her a son, she’ll make him a King. Many years later, Beowulf’s kingdom is attacked by his offspring, which happens to be a dragon. Making good use of the 3D motion capture effects, there is self-mutilation, crumbling bridges, and the beating heart of a massive dragon. What else could anyone want?

“This Boy's Life” (1993)
This coming-of-age drama was based on a memoir, and Robert De Niro’s character - stepfather Dwight Hansen - feels all too real. When single-mother Caroline first meets Dwight, she thinks he offers the chance at a better life for her and her son Toby, played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Before too long however, it becomes obvious that Dwight is far from an ideal partner or role model. Emotionally and verbally abusive, things turn physical when Dwight sees a thrown away bottle of mustard that isn’t quite empty and confronts Toby. Both actors pull off stunning performances, as the situation quickly escalates into a full blown, realistic fight.

“Silver Linings Playbook” (2012)
We’re moving right from one De Niro film to another! David O. Russell’s Oscar-winning comedy-drama is full of highlights. One of the best scenes sees the bipolar Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, desperately searching for his wedding videotape while his mom tries to calm him down. Screaming at the top of his lungs and waking up the whole neighborhood, he inadvertently knocks his mother to the ground, forcing his father to step in. Years of frustration are unleashed in a short slap fight, as both men lose control before the police arrive and put an end to it.

“Wanted” (2008)
Wesley is a directionless sad sack who ends up working for a super-secret assassins organization. Could happen to any of us, right? He’s trained by Morgan Freeman in the art of bullet bending, so he can take down the rogue agent Cross, who killed Wesley's father. A few cool training sequences and some successful missions later, Cross and Wesley face off in a train. The epic shootout ends with Cross saving Wesley’s life, but that doesn’t stop him from gunning his opponent down. With his dying breath, Cross reveals he is actually Wesley’s real father. Shucks – that info would have been useful a few minutes earlier.

“The Quick and the Dead” (1995)
Man, Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t have much luck with dads. In this revisionist western from Sam Raimi, Gene Hackman’s Herod is a brutal gunslinger-turned-mayor who stages a quick-draw competition to fuel his own ego. One of the contenders is Leo’s Fee 'The Kid' Herod, who believes winning the contest will be enough to earn the Mayor’s respect. Facing off in the semi-finals; Herod asks The Kid to pull out, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. The actual battle is quick and over before anyone knows what happened, making the long and painful aftermath all that much harder to swallow.

“Fences” (2016)
Jealousy can be a powerful emotion, even coming between father and son. A talented baseball player, Troy was born too soon, as the MLB were yet to accept any black players. Years later, Troy’s son Cory is scouted by a college football team, but his father refuses to sign the permission documents. Things come to a head when an intoxicated Troy refuses to step out of the way to allow Cory into their house. Declaring that his father does not matter any more, Cory tries to protect himself with a bat, but the tables are quickly turned.

“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (2007)
Dewey Cox’s journey to musical super-stardom starts off in the way of so many – while playing with his brother Nate, Dewey accidentally chops him in half with a machete. Pa Cox blames Dewey for Nate’s death, saying that the wrong kid died. Once Dewey is famous and relatively successful, however, they reunite and Pa challenges the singer to a machete duel. Learning things the hard way, Pa cuts himself in two and realizes Dewey didn’t mean to kill his brother. Heck, it could happen to anyone! Is it silly? Yes. But that doesn’t make it any less hilarious.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)
Peter Quill thought he struck gold with his daddy Ego, a god-like being capable of creating an entire planet with the power of his mind. Reunited after all these years, Ego believes that together they can shape all of existence into something considerably better. And looking at Chris Pratt and Kurt Russell on screen together, it’s easy to see how these charmers could go on to do great things. But just as Star-Lord starts to warm up to the idea, Ego mentions that he killed Quill’s mother. Oops. Exploding mountains, lightning, and David Hasselhoff – this father and son fight throws everything and the kitchen sink on the screen and somehow makes it work.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Bruce Banner vs. David Banner
“Hulk” (2003)

Michael Sullivan, Sr. vs. John Rooney
“Road to Perdition” (2002)

“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
Honestly, is anyone at all surprised? The definitive dysfunctional father and son pair, they delivered two epic fights, with both ending in a dismembered hand. Although we do not really get to see them interact all that much, Luke and Darth Vader represent two conflicting ideologies – the light and dark side of the force. Despite their lightsabers, these duels are won in the heart and mind rather than on the field. Their first encounter sees Darth Vader attempt to turn the conflicted Jedi to the dark side. In their rematch, it’s Luke who tries to get his dad to see the light. Both instances are tense, emotional, and iconic.