Top 10 Outrageous Feats of Strength in Movies

Lifting a large piece of wood over your head for a significant length of time is a challenge for most of us on a good day. For an emaciated, brutally tortured prisoner of war with a sprained ankle, even getting it off the ground is a miracle. Holding the beam aloft for much longer than anyone expects him to, Louis Zamperini showed audiences not just his considerable physical strength, but also a staggering strength of will and defiance that proved to be the crowning glory and climax of this historical biographic drama. Good on ya, Louie.

A broken back isn’t something you just walk off… especially when you’re tossed into a prison pit and your only hope of escaping is straight up. Bruce Wayne not only has to overcome a crippling injury, but also somehow has to train himself to scale sheer rock to freedom. Which, without a rope or a safety harness to catch him, is even harder than usual. Unfortunately, unlike the little flying friends he’s named after, Bruce can’t just sprouts wings and soar away. Instead, it’s blood, sweat, and tears, with a little help from some killer back muscles.

Everybody likes some coliseum style games once in awhile… except for the people participating in them, of course. When a few of your buddies are buried up to their necks in the sand and the only thing keeping their heads attached to their shoulders is you, it’s time to flex those biceps and put your back into it! That’s exactly what our hero does in this Italian action adventure drama, informally known as “The Triumph of Maciste.” Stopping one runaway horse is impressive; stopping two with each arm is almost Herculean.

A golf course might not seem like the ideal place to demonstrate your killing skills, but the hat-wielding henchman in this case doesn’t seem to mind. Oddjob, our favorite bowler-hat-wearing baddie, demonstrates what he would be more than willing to do to a human skull by pulverizing a golfball in the palm of his hand. No biggie, right? Until you try and do it yourself, of course. Even Bond looks a little freaked out.

You don’t mess with Mother Russia. With a six pack that puts Schwarzenegger to shame and guns bigger than the ones on her belt, this cop killing machine tears the driver-side door off a police car like one of us would tear a piece of tissue paper, casually deflecting just a few more of the desperate cops’ bullets before continuing her murderous rampage. Who needs the Jaws of Life when you have this villainess around?

When death is on the line, sometimes you just have to use whatever’s at hand! Handling rock like a child’s toy, colossal and considerate giant Fezzik uses a rock to demonstrate his crushing power to his small opponent. However, he ultimately opts to toss the rocks away due to the desire for a fair fight. Westley is lucky that Fezzik prefers to be sportsmanlike!

He’s the mean, green, sleigh-lifting machine. In the moment before Mr. Green and Grouchy is about to ruin Christmas for all of Whoville, a little visit from a friend spurs his heart, and his muscles. Stopping a sleigh laden with the presents for an entire town from a steep downhill slide and hoisting the bounty above his head, the Grinch earns the respect of both the townspeople and bodybuilders everywhere. After all, the heart is a muscle.

When you think of ballroom dancing, impressive feats of strength aren’t usually what come to mind. But Agent 86 and his dance partner are all about breaking the norms, as their feisty and competitive routine shows off. From dips to lifts, it’s a dance no one will forget, with some sizzling moves that tear up the floor and a grand finale that soars above the rest. Who said ballroom dancing was all champagne and fancy suits?

Spider silk may be the new Kevlar, but Spidey is stopping something a bit bigger than a bullet. No stranger to some heavy lifting, he showed both his muscles and wit to Mary Jane when he held up the entire wall of a building, but even that feat was nothing compared to stopping this runaway train. Only through some tremendous grunting and yelling does he pull through, grinding the silver bullet to a halt before he’s out cold. It’s okay, Petey. You deserve a little snooze after all that...

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Jaws Wire Bite
“Moonraker” (1979)
- Gobinda Crushes Dice
“Octopussy” (1983)
- Helicopter Yank
“Ghost Rider” (2007)
- Hercules Toppling the Statue
“Hercules” (2014)
- Hulk Punch
“The Avengers” (2012)

Normally, a feat of super strength coming from the Man of Steel himself isn’t something that turns heads. But when he’s lifting an island filled with the only material that makes him weak? You bet we’re going to take notice. Lifting an island? Yawn. Lifting one full of kryptonite? Well, that’s certainly something you don’t see everyday. Seeing Superman struggle makes him a little more human, and in this case, just a little more likeable. Better luck next time, Lex.

Do you agree with our list? What big screen feats of strength blew your mind? For more brawny top tens published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.