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indiehousefilmfestival · 7 years

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“5 Great Movie Fights From the Past Ten Years” by Nathan Shepka

Having been a massive action movie fan for as long as I can remember, I’ve just about seen it all. Okay, I’ve seen nowhere near it all, that would be nearly impossible. But I’ve seen my fair share of the cream of the crop (movies like Die Hard, Rambo and Hard Boiled) and I’ve seen the absolute lowest of the low, the bottom of the barrel.

For that reason alone I think it makes me a pretty good judge of on-screen scuffles. Again, I’ve seen loads. From Bruce Lee to Van Damme and everything in between. I appreciate a great punch-up, whether that be full blown brawling ala Hard Times (Charles Bronson) or wrist snappingly brutal martial arts fights ala Hard to Kill (Steven Seagal).

Here we’re going to look at some stellar fight scenes from the last decade. In a time of overblown superhero movies it’s sort of slim-pickins’ in terms of real, old fashioned hand-to-hand fight scenes, especially compared to the 80’s and 90’s for example when actors like Van Damme, Seagal, Norris, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and many more were at their peak.

Hence why some of the fights mentioned below either come from instant cult classic foreign films or sometimes from direct-to-video diamonds in the rough. These are by no means the cream of the crop but are just some of my favourite fight scenes in terms of being really impressed upon first and subsequent viewings.

Fast Five – Vin Diesel vs The Rock

Let’s start with a nice easy one. You have Vin Diesel, cornerstone of increasingly ridiculous action franchise ‘Fast & Furious’, you have the introduction of hulking wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnston to the franchise. This surely has to make for a good skirmish.

Not famous for their intricate aikido moves or graceful high kicks, this fight relies more on cracking each other across the face with punches powerful enough to level buildings. It’s not ground-breaking by any means but it’s exciting to see the two shaven-headed bulls duke it out.

The fight is a lean 2 and a half minutes, not dragging itself into the realms of audience boredom whilst keeping it trim enough to leave the viewers wanting more. This grapple-fest ranks above the slightly skimpy Rock vs Statham battle in Furious 7 that marginally suffered from typical Hollywood editing farts and slightly uninspiring choreography despite featuring some unusually artistic camera movements.

The Rock and Diesel bulldozing through the set like it’s a china shop is reminiscent of Van Damme and Lundgren’s breeze block filled re-match in the belated Universal Soldier: Regeneration and it serves as a memorable scene in a movie that’s already filled with ludicrous stunts and physical feats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQEfEeBR3-M

Skin Trade – Dolph Lundgren vs Tony Jaa

A movie that was criminally never released on DVD in the UK and that arguably would have made a killing in terms of the casual action fan enthusiast, (given that the cast includes B-movie legends Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman and Peter Weller), Skin Trade features some exceptionally strong martial arts battles.

With a cast like this, you'd expect that to be the case but when you consider the budget of the film and presumably the limitations it had in comparison with a 200 million dollar Fast & Furious entry for example, you'd be forgiven for anticipating underwhelming ‘X vs Y’ fights, a bit like The Expendables franchise has unfortunately produced.

However, Skin Trade really does pull out all the stops in terms of fights and Dolph's battle with Asian action puppet Tony Jaa impresses due to its shrewd combination of the lumbering Lundgren relying on brute strength and nimble Jaa flying around like a praying mantis. A superbly lit location, lengthy punch-up and the best of American and Asian choreography make this one to watch. It totally trumps Dolph's strategically similar battle with Jet Li in The Expendables and Jaa's initial fight with Paul Walker in Furious 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKDAGrjuBE

Hunt to Kill – Steve Austin vs Gary Daniels

A little-known movie starring Steve Austin, Hunt to Kill’s generic plot involving a border patrol agent (Austin), stolen money and a band of thieves scrambling through the woods doesn’t exactly set the heather on fire. Additionally, an appearance from Eric Roberts and a sulky teenage daughter in peril help to cement this solidly in ‘cliched action schlock’ territory.

Despite this, it’s directed with competence by long-time Seagal collaborator Keoni Waxman and the action is well-shot enough to put this a notch above where it should be, serving as a passable Saturday night 90-minutes with a crate of beer.

The typically handy henchman comes in the form of B-movie icon Gary Daniels who has fought a plethora of action guys in often under-baked fights including his short-lived, one-sided scrap with Seagal in Submerged, choppy brawl with Statham and Li in The Expendables and repetitive rumble with a sleepy Snipes in Game of Death (not a remake of the posthumously released Bruce Lee flick by any means).

Here he fights a clunky Steve Austin, who throws his big meaty fists around with the agility of a battle tank; but Gary Daniels’s best high kicking, Austin’s ability to take a hit and a satisfyingly mean end for said henchman make this a welcome 3-minutes in an otherwise pedestrian action flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHzcL487dX8 (excuse the German dubbing!)

Parker – Jason Statham vs Daniel Bernhardt

The next entry features another B-movie bad guy who has made a career out of playing the sneering henchman. Daniel Bernhardt has challenged action icons Chuck Norris in The Cutter, Keanu Reeves in John Wick and Jean-Claude Van Damme in soon to be released Kill ‘Em All. But here, he’s fighting the Stath in what is one of the least memorable movies of Jason’s career.

However, there are a few standout moments in this largely forgettable crime thriller that sees Statham play Parker, (the same character Mel Gibson’s role in Payback was based on) and his fight with Bernhardt is one of them, coming out of nowhere with pacey aplomb. The other is Jennifer Lopez doing a bit of a sly striptease.

This fight earns extra points for sheer brutality, and just when you think it’s over it hits the gas one more time. After smashing each other into everything in sight in a high-rise apartment, utilising the television, the shower curtain and even the toilet cistern, the fight ends with them baying around out on the balcony and Statham enduring a painful self-inflicted knife wound in order to save himself. If the conclusion of the fight doesn’t leave you wincing a little, you’re probably the devil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHFZGDFdovU

The Raid – Yayan Ruhian vs Iko Uwais & Doni Alamsyah

Insane on every level, this brings back memories of both Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan chop-socky slugs but with added punch, uber-violent dynamic and a sense of tension and panic arguably never reached before by any on-screen martial arts bout.

Asian action triumph The Raid is excellent as a whole but the final two on one battle featuring terrifyingly agile villain ‘Mad Dog’ is the ultimate final gift of an already jam-packed spectacle. Lasting an entire 5 and a half minutes and set in a minimally dressed room, so grey that it blends with the actors’ clothing, it impresses without the use of extravagant or contrived props or gadgets.

No, it’s just a solid flow of hundreds of perfectly timed hits, barrages of genuinely painful looking landings and editing fluid enough to keep your eyes focused on the fight without having to dissect a collage of murky choppy cuts ala the Bourne franchise, to figure out what’s going on.

The last time I witnessed such a high-stakes two on one battle was Mel Gibson and Danny Glover duking it out with the lightning-fast Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4, in a fight that was both as violent as the original movie and made the audience fear for the charaters’ lives thanks to a flawless portrayal of the bad guy’s skills.

Here is no different and upon first watch I was on the edge of my seat and borderline hollering at the TV for the good guys to win. They just can’t keep Mad Dog down, every time you think they have the upper hand it is snatched away from them and that’s what makes for such a thrilling battle.

To make a good fight, you have to make it look like the underdogs are going to lose, so that the win is much more of a relief and it’s a major relief when the two heroes finally stop taking a pummelling from determined, relentless Mad Dog. Sometimes it’s as much about the narrative or the stakes as the technical ability itself. The Raid final fight has both. Outstanding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpQNSW3S5Dg

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