Top 10 Movie Fistfights

So, this is Charles Bronson. Upcoming street fighter and wannabe celebrity. And what better way for him to showcase his abilities to the public than by brawling with a gypsy. In this fight, we get to see the moustache-donning Bronson, portrayed by Tom Hardy, display his true brute force by getting pummelled and doing some pummelling of his own. Not only that, but he finishes it all off with some dark Bronson humor by whizzing on the guy.

This fight scene is great for the same reasons “Die Hard” is great: it’s gritty, realistic and, well… Bruce Willis is shirtless and bloody. After John McClane has taken out multiple German bad guys, he is left to tangle with the beefcake Karl. In what can only be described as an extremely un-choreographed dance, McClane and Karl fight it out, with staircase scraps and hair pulls aplenty. And who can forget the memorable conclusion that leaves us all choked up…

Take the multiple bad guys of a Bruce Lee film as well as the gymnastically mesmerizing, and at times, comically entertaining prowess of a Jackie Chan movie and that’s what you get here. Portraying badass driver and fighter Frank Martin, also known as the titular Transporter, Jason Statham constantly finds himself tackling multiple bad guys, with whom he deals with aplomb through the action thriller. Take this scene, for example. While at a bus depot riddled with suits, all he has is his acrobatic abilities… oh, and a whole lotta oil.

So, here is a guy who really really wants another guy to try on his sunglasses. Seriously, that is the crux of this fight. Belonging to a film that can only be described as an alien-trip wrapped in paranoia, we see wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper take on Keith David in a messy pub brawl-styled fight in an alleyway. This encounter is so long and unpredictable you get the impression that the actors just said ahh to hell with the choreography.

Two superhuman beings going head to head? This is what Marvel films are all about. Although they were friends in the past, the memory loss of Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier, results in these two becoming adversaries. In addition to this scene being a down and out awesome tussle, it is also an emotional rollercoaster as we see the Cap constantly torn between defending himself against an enemy and refusing to hit a friend.

It can be hard to decide who you want to win in a fight when both sides are so damn cool. Although Bats is defeated earlier in the movie, he returns to Gotham all fired up and ready to tackle Bane again. Surrounded by Bane’s henchmen and citizens of the city, we see these two fight it out in the street. Batman, growing noticeably stronger as the scene goes on, eventually beats the bad guy’s butt by kicking him through a glass door.

Regardless of what you thought of Robert Downey, Jr.’s incarnation of the great Sherlock Homes, there is no denying that this slow motion fight scene is brilliant. Hiding away in another one of his odd pastimes, we see Holmes partake in a bare-knuckle fight. After getting wailed on a few times, he decides to call it quits…but he just cant turn his back on a challenge. What comes next is a blow-by-blow breakdown of combating genius.

This one is relatively short and sweet… and by sweet, we mean brutal. Pissed over not being Tyler’s golden boy anymore, our narrator takes out his anger on one of Project Mayhem’s most fair-haired members. After knocking him down and climbing on top of him, he ignores the tap out and go limp rule, and instead pummels his opponent’s face into mush. His excuse… “I felt like destroying something beautiful.”

First off, we’ve got Jason Bourne jumping through a fricking window. Bonus points for that. What ensues is a typical Bourne tussle, filled with smashed furniture, expert martial arts, improvised melee weapons and gruesome injuries. But what also makes this scene so great is the over the shoulder camera angle, as we feel like we are inflicting and receiving each punch and kick throughout.

Before we reveal our number one brawl, here are some of our honorable mentions.
- Jake Tyler vs. Ryan McCarthy
“Never Back Down” (2008)
- Indiana Jones vs. 1st Mechanic
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
- John Matrix vs. Bennett
“Commando” (1985)
- Martin Riggs vs. Mr. Joshua
“Lethal Weapon” (1987)
- James Dalton vs. Jimmy
“Road House” (1989)

Mr. Anderson indeed. With their guns all out of bullets, we watch Neo tackle the seemingly unstoppable Agent Smith with ultra fast fight moves that the movie franchise has become renowned for. From punching out walls to being thrown through them, and producing lightning fast haymakers to multiple mid-air kicks, this scene sums up the Matrix nicely with its gravity-defying, dimension-shifting action on steroids. And the magic all takes place in a grimy, but all-too-fitting subway.

Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite punch’ em up moment from cinema? For more black and blue Top Tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.