There’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching an action movie. Over the decades, we’ve been gifted with a great range of high-octane movies starring memorable heroes.
The best action movies carry with them tension, drama, and plot twists. While the 1980s and 1990s are widely accepted as the golden years of action movies, there have been several great recent works too, like The Raid and the John Wick series.
What makes the action genre stand out is its diversity. From kung-fu flicks and racing gems to spy thrillers, action movies always offer popcorn entertainment. Best of all, many of these action movies have unforgettable fight scenes. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best fight scenes in movie history, in no particular order.
Black Panther – Casino Fight
Marvel’s Black Panther is one of the most important movies of all time. It marked a major milestone for representation min mainstream superhero movies, and the film’s immense success will no doubt live long in the memory. In a movie filled to the brink with action-packed scenes, the casino fight stands out as the best.
It’s a glorious scene with frantic camera movement that gets you close to the action, all of which appears to be shot in one take. The casino setting makes this fight scene unique.
Given that the casino is so ingrained in modern culture, it’s no surprise to see so many action movies use it as part of the plot. As can be seen at sites like BonusFinder NZ, online casino’s popularity is high, with so many brands in the industry. It’s safe to expect more movies and TV shows to take cues from casinos, then.
OldBoy – Hallway Fight
Nothing could make you clench in your seat quite like the brutal hallway fight between Old Boy’s protagonist, Oh Dae-Su and a group of bad guys. It’s one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. After 15 years of imprisonment in a tiny hotel room, Oh Dae-Su breaks out, armed with only a hammer, and he fights his way to freedom.
This scene is explosive, visceral, and especially brilliant because it looks so authentic and scrappy. Oh Dae-Su has spent years training himself to fight, so it serves as a culmination of a man’s descent into vengeance – and it takes place relatively early on in the film.
Atomic Blond – Stairway Fight
The seven-minute stairway fight in Atomic Blond is among the most impressive actions scenes in recent memory. It’s a sequence that takes place over one continuous shot. Starring Charlize Theron in the lead role, Atomic Blonde is high energy that never settles down.
The stairway fight is just one example of the pace of this movie, in which Theron performs all her own stunts. It’s also an excellent showcase for filmmaker David Leitch, who has directed other popular action fare like Deadpool 2. That stairway fight scene in Atomic Blond will definitely be talked about for years to come.
Inception – Spinning Fight
When Inception launched in cinemas 10 years ago, it left most viewers baffled and caused many debates and theories. Did Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, really make it home, or was he still dreaming?
It’s a question many of us still ask all these years later. However, many people overlook the excellent action scenes, including the no-gravity fight scene in a hotel corridor, which uses practical effects. Instead of using CGI, Christopher Nolan and his team built a rotating hallway, and the actors had to train for the scene.
If you love cinema, these action movies should be on your watch-list. They contain some of the most heart-racing fight scenes, and they’re all unique in their way.
These films prove that action is one the best genres out there and that there are so many ways to reinvent old formulas. While many of these movies are all style over substance, they still contain emotional moments that give you lots to think about long after the end credits.