Top 10 Movie Fights in Bathrooms

The late James Gandolfini plays a dangerous man on a mission to recover some stolen cocaine, but Patricia Arquette’s character is just as out of her mind. This Quentin Tarantino-written film has his trademark dark humor written all over it, with scenes so violent they’re borderline cartoonish – right down to the flame throwing. It’s a fight to the death – and a very bloody one at that – and the bathroom setting reminds us there are no rules for where such matches can take place.

The gang’s pub-crawl gets very interesting when it suddenly becomes the B-story to the alien invasion that’s revealed in this scene from the sci-fi comedy. This bathroom fight is comedy gold because it’s the last place you’d expect blue blood to fly, or limbs and heads to get severed. Many of this fight’s visual effects were made practical enough to look realistic despite its context. That just adds to the strange feeling that this could very well take place at your own local watering hole. Nice moves, too.

The guy that Jack Ryan thought was his bodyguard almost gets the drop on him when he’s revealed as an assassin here. For a big budget Hollywood action piece, it’s creative that this is still more of a brawl than the typical, meticulously overworked fight scene; because sometimes, extensive martial arts choreography isn’t necessary when it’s just one man hell bent on terminating the other. There’s also an awkward sense of desperation that comes with the unusual venue, and it’s captured very well throughout this fight.

Here’s your proof that a fight between two cybernetic androids from a post-apocalyptic future is still allowed to be a little silly, as long as it’s fun to witness and enjoy. Only Arnold can use a urinal as a baseball bat, and never has a toilet dunk swirlie looked as painful, if not just for the humiliation factor. It’s easy to destroy home and office furniture, but the complete devastation of a corporate restroom is nice new ground.

For his first mission, this young ninja-in-training takes a stab at recovering a gold watch by disposing of the guy wearing it – and it’s messy. The mobster gets poked like a pincushion but survives it all with ease, forcing Raizo to take at crack at bouncing his head off the urinals. There’s enough blood to ensure the janitor has his work cut out for him, as the private setting of a bathroom for this assassination is the only hint of discretion this extremely brutal ninja bothers to muster.

It’s a flashback within a flashback that reboots the Bond franchise, showing us how the secret agent earned his double-O status in the MI6 agency. This bathroom fight is actually quite subtle for a Bond film, because for once in its history of opening sequences, the fight is kept simple, confined, plausible, realistic and contained. It’s awesome as always, but the classy restraint here is a game changer when you consider the frequent use of impossible stunts and chase scenes we’re usually subjected to in Bond intro scenes.

It’s Arnold’s secret agent versus a warmongering terrorist in this scene from the action comedy, and after lots of awkward stalking and whistling to appear inconspicuous, weapon fire suddenly breaks the tension and silence – not to mention the furnishings. All the toilet stall occupant wanted was relieve himself in peace while reading his newspaper, but instead he got a front row seat to the trifecta of a gunfight, fistfight, and a dicey knife fight. Depending on how frightened he is, it’s probably a good thing he’s already on the can.

In a New York subway bathroom, the Punks confront and even outnumber their rivals, the Warriors. A calm before the storm precedes this battle, where all of their weapons and personal strengths are put to good use. However, it doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose. This fight scene from the cult action thriller drama is violent and bloody. But not in a campy, self-deprecating, or exaggerated way… these guys mean business. It’s Hollywood movie magic at its brutal best, and it pulls no punches.

In “The Matrix,” Agent Smith is no run-of-the-mill computer simulated AI-powered fighting machine; he’s one with a sadistic and merciless hatred for his human enemies – especially Morpheus. That might be what makes his fight with the best of the human fighters painful to watch. The dust flies in this dilapidated bathroom, with its crumbling paralleling the beating both bodies are taking in this destructive beat-down. The fight has so much speed because the characters do, and there are physics-defying highlights that accentuate how superhuman their abilities are.

Before we go for number one, here are some honorable mentions:
- Cataleya Restrepo vs. Marco
“Colombiana” (2011)
- Cha Tae-Shik vs. Ramrowan
“The Man from Nowhere” (2010)
- Det. Marcus Bennett vs. Fouchet’s henchmen
“Bad Boys” (1995)
- Ernie ‘Chip’ Douglas vs. Robin’s Date
“The Cable Guy” (1996)
- William ‘Bill’ Marks vs. Jack Hammond
“Non-Stop” (2014)
- Harry Potter vs. Draco Malfoy
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)

When this cop sends himself to prison for a crime ring investigation, it’s no surprise that the prisoners want a piece of him the moment he’s inside. Featuring great camerawork, stunts and cinematography, this scene from “The Raid 2” is a list topper both for its fight and its use of the setting. The tension rattles right off the lock of the stall door for a stylistic start. And, beyond the great martial arts, the whole thing takes place INSIDE that small space, a clear challenge and achievement for any filmmaker or fight choreographer.

Do you agree with our list? Which fights in bathrooms did we miss? For more entertaining Top 10s every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.