Top 20 Aerial Dogfights In Movies
#20: American Response
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“Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970) Much like another film on this list, this war epic sought to dramatize both the events of and those leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. And like that aforementioned other film, to middling results. But, let it not be said that when push comes to shove the movie doesn’t choreograph some of the best action sequences the early ‘70s had to offer. Indeed, after the Japanese bombers launch a devastating surprise attack on the US Naval base, the Americans take to the skies to launch a counteroffensive against a set of A6M Zero fighter planes. After the Americans get the drop on their enemies via cloud coverage, what ensues is an almost balletic display of aerial mastery.
#19: Dead Zeppelin
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“Flyboys” (2006) This forgotten war drama also flew in under expectations, but there’s at least some competent flying sequences to break up the cookie cutter story. The film documenting the Lafayette Escadrille unit during WWI, their most bombastic outing has to come at the expense of a German Zeppelin. The unit racks up a few kills of their own, but largely fails to bring down the big airship before Porter and Cassidy are riddled with bullets. Unwilling to give the villainous “Black Falcon” the satisfaction, the mortally wounded Cassidy resolves to go out in a literal blaze of glory by dive-bombing the Zeppelin with his plan. Say what you will about the mid-2000s CGI on display, but “Flyboys” certainly has a flair for the dramatic.
#18: Firefox Duel
“Firefox” (1982) The special effects in “Firefox” aren’t amazing, but that’ll partially happen when you’re rendering fictional aircraft. Indeed, the MiG-31 - code name “Firefox” - is an incredibly high-tech jet that can reach speeds of Mach 6, avoid radar detection completely, and be weaponized with a single thought. Sound ridiculous yet? You’re right, it is, but the climactic dogfight makes for memorable early ‘80s viewing. Clint Eastwood’s Major Gant finds himself going mano a mano with Soviet pilot Voskov in a pair of Firefoxes over the Arctic tundra. The scene’s more of a high-speed chase than a firefight, but Gant’s ultimately able to lose the heat with rear defenses by thinking in Russian.
#17: P-40 Retaliation
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“Pearl Harbor” (2001) Forget all the sappy romance fluff that gives this wannabe epic its lengthy runtime. Here, Michael Bay delivers all you could expect from his version of the attack on Pearl Harbor; namely, lots of explosions. After the wanton destruction brought upon by the surprise attack, protagonists Rafe and Danny manage to get themselves in the cockpits of a pair of P-40 fighter planes and take to giving their foes a taste of their own medicine. The sequence is decidedly action-packed, replete with quick cuts and extravagant imagery. Oh, and speaking of deadly games of chicken, Rafe and Danny up the ante with some impressive coordination of their own.
#16: Attack of the Drones
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“Oblivion” (2013) When you think of Tom Cruise dogfighting scenes, there’s probably one singular movie that comes to mind. Don’t worry, we’ll get there, but for now let’s dip our toes into the sci-fi genre to touch on one of his more lesser-seen ventures. In this one, Cruise plays technician Jack Harper who’s employed to repair combat drones on a war-ravaged Earth. Upon getting wise to the shadiness of his employers, Jack flees with survivor Julia in his craft but they’re pursued by drones themselves. Using his surroundings like a lightning storm and a cramped canyon, Jack maneuvers his way out of an imposing situation before crash-landing himself. Even in a so-so genre flick, you can always rely on Joseph Kosinski’s kinetic direction to keep things interesting.
#15: Barnstormer Chicken
“The Great Waldo Pepper” (1975) Who said you need aircraft firing on one another to make for a great dogfight? In this period piece that flew in at the height of Robert Redford’s popularity, he plays the titular pilot who feels he missed out on the glory of WWI. He turns to barnstorming, which eventually leads him to Hollywood working as a stunt pilot. During filming of a scene, Waldo and German pilot Ernst Kessler - sans weapons - begin dogfighting for real, using their planes to play a dangerous game of chicken. It’s a thrilling alternative sort of dogfight, which sees Waldo eventually damage Kessler’s Fokker beyond flying capabilities. The film ends with Waldo and Kessler saluting each other, the former having finally experienced dogfighting glory.
#14: A Family Affair
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“Iron Eagle” (1986) 1986 was a tough year to come out with a fighter jet-themed action movie, as “Iron Eagle” got swamped with poor comparisons to that other Tom Cruise dogfighting movie we mentioned earlier. And most of those criticisms are warranted, as this story about a teenager who almost single-handedly rescues his dad from an overseas compound is ridiculous, in case that synopsis didn’t imply as much. But it definitely nails pure ‘80s cheese in its climactic sequence. Not only is the young Doug able to decimate an entire military base and trick them into releasing his father, but he manages to abscond with him and outduel an ace pilot in the process. The ‘80s really were a different time, weren’t they?
#13: Keeping Up With the Joneses
“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) All of our dogfights so far have been entirely serious, but leave it to a middle-aged Sean Connery to liven things up a bit. Escaping from a German Zeppelin, Indy and his pops Henry commandeer a biplane only to be pursued by some “Luftwaffe” fighters. Having endured Nazi chase scenes before, you’d think Indy would be able to handle himself, but it turns out Henry is his greatest threat in this sequence. Sitting in the gunner seat, Henry tries to defend the plane, only to take out their own rudder. It’s a short sequence, but one that had us laughing then and now. We may be touching on an even more iconic Sean Connery character soon enough, though…
#12: Tomcats vs. Japanese Zeroes
“The Final Countdown” (1980) Okay, forget “Iron Eagle,” “The Final Countdown” might actually be the most ridiculous movie on this list. Why? Because it’s about an aircraft carrier that inadvertently travels back in time as the crew is presented with the opportunity to prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor. All that being said, the plot does allow for things we’d otherwise never get to see, like some WWII-era Zero fighters going up against more modern Tomcats. Indeed, when our protagonists witness a civilian boat being fired upon by the Japanese Zeroes, they dispatch their Tomcats to allay the threat. They initially try to intimidate the Zeroes, but when they merely reroute for the carrier, the Tomcats open fire and it is brutal.
#11: Hit & Run
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“Memphis Belle” (1990) A lot of the dogfights on this list tend to accentuate the glory and awesomeness of aerial combat, but this one from “Memphis Belle” has a slightly different perspective. Telling the tale of the eponymous Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the movie gives an even greater POV glimpse of what it’s like to be under attack in the skies. There are certain inaccuracies committed here and there, but that doesn’t detract from this scene, for instance, wherein the bomber is set upon by enemy aircraft. Though it turns out to be nothing but a hit-and-run, the terrified look on navigator Lowenthal says it all.
#10: The SPECTRE of Pursuing Helicopters
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“You Only Live Twice” (1967) James Bond has piloted a lot of vehicles over the years. But an autogyro might just be the most out-there. During his Japanese adventure, he takes to the skies in one - nicknamed “Little Nellie” - in search of an island SPECTRE base. Confirming his suspicions, a fleet of enemy agents greet him with helicopters. It isn’t long after the classic “Bond” theme kicks in that he’s defending himself with Little Nellie’s outfitted weaponry like a flamethrower. You’d think the helicopters would have a size and maneuverability advantage, but Bond has a Bond advantage, finishing them off with more weaponry like aerial mines and missiles. Who’d’ve thought one of the best Bond fight scenes would take place in the air?
#9: Lightning’s Little Trick
“Red Tails” (2012) Being about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of mostly black pilots that formed during WWII, “Red Tails” should probably be better. But that’s not to say it’s without a few showstopping moments. In this scene, the Airmen are tasked with escorting a Boeing B-17 when they’re attacked by a German fleet. At one point, hotshot pilot “Lightning” is pinned down, but turns the tables on his pursuer with a little switcheroo. A lot of aviation enthusiasts will tell you this move is impossible, but it certainly makes for a cinematic moment. Lightning still isn’t done making a name for himself, though, as he later goes after a “Kriegsmarine” destroyer for good measure.
#8: Battle of Endor
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“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983) You had to have known we’d be getting to “Star Wars” sooner or later. And you know what? We might not even be done. In this trilogy-capping extravaganza, Rebel ships hone in on the Death Star, only to realize “It’s a trap!” The Rebel pilots hold their own as they wait for the strike team to disable the Death Star’s shields. Once they do, though, that’s when the real fun begins. Lando Calrissian - piloting the Millennium Falcon - leads a team into the tight bowels of the space station with TIE fighters on their tail. They manage to make it to the reactor core, destroying it and by proxy the Death Star. The Falcon is narrowly able to make it out before the final explosion rings out.
#7: Sky Battle
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“Hell’s Angels” (1930) Howard Hughes’s war epic was perhaps too ambitious for its time, as evidenced by the plethora of technical issues and on-set accidents that plagued the production. The film even failed to recoup its budget despite being the highest-grossing film of the year. Still, it can’t be ignored the impact it would have on filmmaking, and nowhere is that more evident than in the dogfighting sequences. This battle among the clouds in particular remains visually striking, as the post-production conversion to make it a sound movie only adds that much more. While another entry on this list predated Hughes’s by a few years, there’s still no getting around the magnitude on display here.
#6: Welcome to Earth
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“Independence Day” (1996) A fully fun ride from start to finish, “Independence Day” is the summer blockbuster that keeps on giving all these years later. After the alien invasion causes complete devastation upon some of the world’s greatest landmarks, the humans launch a counteroffensive but are largely thwarted by the mothership's force fields. Therein begins more individual conflicts with smaller-scale alien aircraft. The most notable dogfight sees Marine pilots Hiller and Wilder lead their immediate aggressors across the desert. After Wilder’s shot down, Hiller weaves in and out of the Grand Canyon before getting the tailing ship to crash. An action sequence of this caliber only needs a one-liner to punctuate it, and Hiller delivers it upon meeting his extraterrestrial rival.
#5: Protecting the Minesweeper
“Dunkirk” (2017) Leave it to Christopher Nolan to deliver one hell of a dogfight. The most recent entry on this list, “Dunkirk” splits the historical evacuation of the titular French city into three parts: land, sea, and air, the latter of which encompasses just an hour of narrative time. Honestly, the whole movie is a thrill ride all the way through, but if we had to choose one dogfight, it’d be the second. In this one, pilots Farrier and Collins look to protect a minesweeper ship from enemy planes. Rather than go for showy stunts, Nolan relies on prime IMAX technology and a superb Hans Zimmer score to ratchet up the tension. Despite being one of the most grounded, this dogfight has our blood pumping every time.
#4: Final Battle
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“Battle of Britain” (1969) The eponymous Battle of Britain occurred in 1940 and saw the Royal Air Force stave off a potential German invasion. The aptly titled film from 1969 proves worthy in momentousness. While we could pick from a handful of impressive dogfights, you just can’t beat the finale, which takes a unique approach to dogfight filmmaking. Namely, it eschews sound effects entirely in favor of an orchestral score that props the scene up and then some. Playing out like a film serial of old, the scene perfectly captures the grace and violence of the aircraft in tandem. With an astounding production budget, “Battle of Britain” was a groundbreaking film in its day and holds up years later.
#3: Trench Run
“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) With all respect to the Battle of Endor, the first time the Death Star was destroyed will always be the best. This time out, George Lucas was directly inspired by film serials of old, with war films “The Dam Busters” and “633 Squadron” being specifically alluded to in the climactic Trench Run sequence. In it, the Rebels lead an assault on the Death Star in their X-Wings as they’re engaged by Empire TIE fighters, one of which is piloted by big bad Darth Vader. The Rebels suffer heavy losses, but Luke leads a charge through the trenches for the exhaust port. He’s nearly shot down, too, but a last-minute save from Han Solo gives him the opportunity to blow the damn thing.
#2: Opening Dogfight
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“Wings” (1927) The first movie to win Best Picture, “Wings” set the standard for all movie dogfights to follow, not to mention action sequences in general. Once again depicting a dogfight between German and American forces, this scene pioneers several filmmaking techniques that would be used for decades to come, such as quick-cutting to the pilots’ chairs to get up-close reactions from the characters. Not only that, but an applause-worthy moment comes when two planes enter a head-on collision. Even for a silent film, “Wings” manages to thrill as its groundbreaking visuals are paired with a terrific score. We can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to be watching this one back in 1927.
#1: The Need for Speed
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“Top Gun” (1986) “Top Gun” is a product of the ‘80s, pure and simple. And with a lot of that comes a considerable amount of cheese. But if there’s one thing it gets absolutely right from an entertainment standpoint, it’s the flying sequences. Technically speaking, there’s only one dogfight in the movie, discluding all the training sequences, but what a bout it is. After the Navy pilots had previously brushed up against enemy MiGs, this time a full-scale engagement ensues. After a whole movie of being a hotshot pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finally recognizes the importance of never leaving your wingman. Not only does he make an ally out of his rival, but he turns the tables on the enemy and takes out the last one personally.
