The 50 best movie fist fights
The fist fight. A time-honored tradition of beating down an opponent using the two tools God gave you. Though many of the most revered action scenes in film history involve guns, swords, or other weapons, the personal nature of a fist fight brings out the best in heroes and villains alike and makes sure audiences are paying attention to every swing.
With the release of the new film Fist Fight this weekend, we decided to take a look back at the extensive history of fist fights on the big screen and pick out the 50 Best Movie First Fights we think are the best. Check them out in the gallery below and sound off with your favorites in the comments!
Fist Fight stars Charlie Day, Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan. Dean Norris, Jillian Bell and Kumail Nanjiani. It’s now playing in theaters.
On the last day of the school year, mild-mannered high school English teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) is trying his best to keep it together amidst outrageous senior pranks, a dysfunctional administration and budget cuts that are putting his job on the line just as his wife is expecting their second baby. But things go from bad to worse when Campbell crosses the school’s toughest and most feared teacher, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), causing Strickland to be fired. To Campbell’s shock—not to mention utter terror—Strickland responds by challenging him to a fist fight after school. News of the fight spreads like wildfire as Campbell takes ever more desperate measures to avoid getting the crap beaten out of him. But if he actually shows up and throws down, it may end up being the very thing this school, and Andy Campbell, needed.
Fist Fight is directed by Richie Keen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) from a script by Evan Susser and Van Robichaux.
50 Fist Fights
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Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
The first crossover of Universal's classic monsters saw icons Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi slugging it out as the titular beasts, and their fight may be short-lived but it's the highlight of the film.
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Stars Frank Sinatra and Henry Silva engage in a true knock-down-drag-out brawl in the film, which is almost unprecedented for the time in how bloody and real it felt.
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From Russia with Love (1963)
Sean Connery's second film as James Bond still has one of the most memorable sequences wherein he takes on a Russian assassin aboard a train.
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Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The sequence where Paul Newman's character earns his titular nickname is both tiresome and inspirational.
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Way of the Dragon (1972)
The film is notable for being the only directorial effort of Bruce Lee but also because it puts him up against Chuck Norris, with a fight so crazy it's a wonder it isn't an internet meme.
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Enter the Dragon (1973)
In a film marked with countless great fight scenes, Enter the Dragon has one that is the textbook definition of a brawl as Bruce Lee and John Saxon take on endless hordes of foes.
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Blazing Saddles (1974)
As the comedy film reaches its climax, it takes an unexpected turn into the meta as the town-wide brawl stretches into other feature films.
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Rocky (1976)
The title fight between Rocky and Apollo Creed remains one of the highlights of a series filled with top notch fights.
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The Warriors (1979)
Though Walter Hill's timeless thriller is mostly about running from fights, there are plenty of full-on rumbles throughout, but the one between The Warriors and The Punks may be the best.
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Raging Bull (1980)
Robert De Niro's Jake LaMotta takes on many foes throughout the feature, but his rematch against Sugar Ray Robinson eclipses simple photography of a fight and instead becomes a cinematic masterwork.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
As Indy and Marion Ravenwood attempt to escape, he has to take on one of the most punishing fights that also happens to have a wholly satisfying conclusion.
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Blade Runner (1982)
Deckard and Batty's fight at the film's climax isn't your typical slugfest, but it features some insane and bizarre twists that culminate in the best chunk of dialogue in the script.
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48 Hrs. (1982)
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte's street fight is among the most dirty on this list, but also feels like the most real.
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Karate Kid (1984)
Sure, the final move in the film's climactic bout isn't with a fist, but it still counts here!
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Commando (1985)
Arnold has never shied away from a good fight, but the steam-room setting for this bizarre and brutral bout takes the cake.
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Aliens (1986)
Not everyone can go toe-to-toe with an alien without firearms, but Ripley managed to take on the Queen.
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Lethal Weapon (1987)
The entire film builds up to Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs beating the snot out of Gary Busey's Mr. Joshua, but it's the cinematic equivalent of great dessert at the end of a hearty meal.
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Evil Dead 2 (1987)
The most literal entry on the list as Ash finds himself literally in a fight with his fist.
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RoboCop (1987)
Known for mostly his trademark burst-fire pistol, RoboCop's fight with Clarence Boddicker proves the half-machine part of the man can deliver a thorough ass whooping.
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Die Hard (1988)
Another '80s movie with a steam-room set fight scene, but John McClain's beat down of the goon Karl had one of the wilder endings on this list.
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They Live (1988)
For a movie about Aliens secretly controlling the world and the human population, Roddy Piper and Keith David's fight is the most realistic and punishing of fist fights.
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Road House (1989)
There is no denying Swayze's charm on screen, but the man delivers a killer haymaker and rips throats out like no one else.
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Even non-humans can get in on a good fist fight, and despite their inability to feel pain, the scene in the steel mill is grueling battle.
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Happy Gilmore (1996)
The title character takes on none other than the beloved icon Bob Barker in the film and it's a joke (and fight) that is still funny.
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Fight Club (1999)
It's almost cheating given the title, but the ass kicking Edward Norton delivers to Jared Leto belongs in a museum.
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Ali (2001)
Again, another fight-filled film, but the recreation of The Rumble in the Jungle with Ali vs Foreman is a high point in its brawls.
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Oldboy (2003)
Admittedly some weapons are used briefly, but the iconic hallway fight from the film is a masterclass in cinema and remains one of the most unique fights of all time.
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Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
For two ladies mostly known for using swords, their final confrontation comes down to their fists with eye-popping results.
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The Punisher (2004)
Though not a wholly remarkable film as a whole, the extended fight with Frank Castle and the fan-favorite Russian is, ahem, punishing. Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm trying to remove it.
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Spider-Man 2 (2004)
All these years, and countless superhero movies later, and the train fight between Spider-Man and Doc Ock remains one of the high points of the entire genre.
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Anchorman (2004)
Ridiculousness is certainly a factor in its inclusion here, but the multi-news team wide rumble is too unique to forget.
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Borat (2006)
And speaking of unforgettable and ridiculous, the naked hotel-chase fight in this semi-fictional documentary is one of the many memorable scenes in the film.
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Death Proof (2007)
The movie may be all about cars and car chases, but the final moments feature a three-way ass kicking that is both redemption for the characters and fully completes their arcs in a wholly satisfying manner.
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The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The fight between Bourne and another black-ops asset, Desh, is a perfect encapsulation of the entire series and it's game-changing action techniques.
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Eastern Promises (2007)
The attempted assassination of Vigo Mortensen's Nikolai in a sauna sees a brutal and harrowing fight, unique for its setting and for Mortensen's lack of clothes.
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The Dark Knight (2008)
What makes the Joker's party-crashing scene so great is how it feels the most Batman-like of any one scene in the full feature, capturing both characters' core ethos in just a few simple shots.
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Ip Man (2008)
The first time that the title character cuts loose with his abilities is in a brawl against ten men at once, whom he handily defeats with terrifying precision.
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Watchmen (2009)
The opening fight to the feature captured the grit and destruction of the opening pages of the comic unlike many other portions of the feature.
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Sherlock (2009)
The title character's complete dismantling of his opponent with meticulous narration is one of the most interesting character-driven battles on film.
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Inception (2010)
Inception is hard to beat when it comes to big summer movie blockbusters anyway, but it's even tougher to beat a spinning room fist fight.
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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Only two punches get thrown in the fight, but that first encounter Scott has with one of Ramona's “evil exes” establishes the entire tone and world of the film in a few short moments.
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The Raid: Redemption (2011)
As the film nears its end, its most punishing and brutal fight takes place with a two on one fight that is stomach turning.
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Hanna (2011)
Eric Bana tries to lose a tail in the subway and ends up delivering one of the most marvelous fights in an wholly underrated movie.
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Haywire (2012)
Gina Carano's battle with Michael Fassbender in the film is one of the most real fights you'll find in a spy thriller, and its lack of score makes you feel every single punch.
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Skyfall (2012)
It was tough to only put Bond here once, but the Shanghai skyscraper fight in arguably the best modern Bond movie is can't miss.
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Man of Steel (2013)
Though many balk at the scene's destruction, the fisticuffs that Superman and Zod get into is unmatched.
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Pacific Rim (2013)
Two words: Elbow Rocket. Gypsy Danger delivers a hay maker like no one else.
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Steve Rogers finds himself in an elevator full of friends turned foe and he makes the most of only one hand against an entire team of trained operatives.
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Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The battle between Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor and The Hulk is the kind of thing dreams are made of, and the sequence in the film is one of the bright spots.
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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
When Max wakes up to find what he's been dragged into, we get a scary and incredibly unique battle as he takes on Furiosa and the Wives while also chained to an unconscious Nux.
