10 Underrated Movie Fight Scenes You Need to See

Kirk Douglas: Lonely are the Brave (1962)

When ranch hand Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) arrives in a New Mexico town and learns that his best friend has been jailed for aiding illegal immigrants, he schemes to get arrested so he can help him break out. He then instigates a bar fight with a seemingly embittered, one-armed WWII vet (Bill Raisch, who later played the One-Armed Man in the original The Fugitive television series), agreeing to take him on with one hand behind his back.

The resulting fight is far more vicious than he anticipated, with objects being tossed and heavy blows being traded. Eventually, other bar patrons jump into the fray, and they’re not on Burns’ side either. We figure the beating taught Burns not to judge a man by a perceived disability.

Rod Taylor and William Smith: Darker Than Amber (1970)

The staged fight for the climax of this film, which was directed by Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) turned very real when actors Rod Taylor and William Smith really got into it. It all went down during a scene in which Terry (Smith’s villainous character) attacks Travis McGee (Taylor’s protagonist).  

“Fight choreography and staging went out the window when Rod decided to really hit me. And so the fight was on,” Smith told BZ Magazine. “That was a real fight with real blood and real broken bones. Rod is a skilled fighter, and at the same time a real scrapper. Now that was a good fight!”

The movie has never been released on DVD, and if it ever airs on TV, it is likely edited down.

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris: Way of the Dragon (1972)

Some people may not know that these two martial arts icons actually did face off in one movie—notably, the only one directed by Lee. In their big showdown, Tang Lung (Lee) and Colt (Norris) square off in an obviously fake coliseum set, but their intense battle of brain and brawn (just watch as they learn each other’s styles and adapt to them) is electrifying to watch.

Yeah, the cinematography and sound effects are very much of their era, but the scene still works. What makes it brutal is how Colt, knowing he cannot win, literally fights to the death until Tang Lung snaps his neck. In victory, Lee’s character looks sad and makes a respectful gesture to his fallen opponent.

Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh: Yes, Madam (1985)

Michelle Yeoh is most known for her work in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but she’s accomplished much more than some Western movie fans know about. Cynthia Rothrock is an underappreciated American action star of the ’80s and ’90s who first made her name in Hong Kong (the first American woman to do so).

The two martial artists team up in Yes, Madam as police inspectors from Hong Kong and the UK who join forces to retrieve valuable microfilm unknowingly stolen by small-minded thieves. The climactic fight sequence embedded here showcases both ladies’ super speed and amazing agility amid a furious flurry of punches and kicks.

Even the exaggerated sound effects, dubbing, and continual high-pitched shouts common to kung fu movies can’t detract from the glorious action here.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Keith David: They Live (1988)

In John Carpenter’s subversive tale, a construction worker named John Nada, played by the late Roddy Piper, uncovers a freaky conspiracy. Aliens have secretly taken over our planet disguised as the rich elite and are subliminally making us breed, consume, and conform while plundering our natural resources.

John wants his friend Frank (David) to put on special sunglasses, which he swears will help him see the aliens and subliminal billboards around him. Angered by his friend’s past “crazy” behavior, Frank refuses. The resulting spat turns into a nearly six-minute brawl in an alleyway, which ebbs and flows, winds down then revs up again, until John can make Frank see his point of view. Literally.

According to David, the fight, which included some pro wrestling moves, took two weeks to rehearse and three days to film. (Supposedly, it ran twice as long before being edited down.) It’s also a great metaphor for what’s happening in the film.

Jackie Chan: Police Story IV: First Strike (1996)

There are many reasons why Jackie Chan is a martial arts legend: his undeniably impressive skills, his comic timing, his fearlessness in tackling crazy stunts, and his sly ability to use props in his fights are just a few. All of those things come into play in this acclaimed scene which will likely be new to younger movie fans.

We won’t get into the complicated plot here, but suffice to say the central conflict in this scene is that Chan’s character, Kui, wants to clear his name of murder, and the brother and cohorts of the deceased man don’t believe him. This leads to a hyperkinetic fight sequence involving tossed furniture, rolling scaffolding, a broom battle, and then the use of a metal ladder as a weapon and defense. It’s visceral stuff.

Choi Min-Sik: Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan-wook’s twisted thriller has a sick twist ending that will still get under your skin today. Choi Min-Sik plays Oh Dae-Su, a man who, after being inexplicably imprisoned for 15 years, is released and let back into the world. But he seeks to find out who put him away and why. Once he tracks down the prison where he was kept, Dae-Su engages in a fight with over a dozen men, armed only with a hammer and his fists.

Even after being pummeled by multiple opponents and getting stabbed in the back, he rages on like a maniac, but only for a short time. Like his enemies, he is winded, which makes the scene more realistic. In a single, 2½-minute shot that tracks down the corridor from the side, Chan-wook presents the brawl in all its ugly intensity. The most surprising part is that, even after breaking through the path of his opponents, Dae-Su goes after the last man standing before making his way to the elevator. He’s got vengeance on his mind, and he will not be denied.

Tony Jaa: Tom-Yum-Goong/The Protector (2005)

Even if you don’t know what this scene is about, you won’t care. It’s one of the best movie fights you’ve never seen (or may ever see).

Tony Jaa’s protagonist, Kham, is on a mission to rescue his elephants back from poachers, and he invades a restaurant to seek them out. The Thai action hero then jumps, punches, and kicks his way through nearly 20 henchmen while making his way up to the fourth floor of the building. All of this is done in one four-minute take, with the cameraman carefully capturing the path of anger and destruction.

Beyond his obvious martial arts moves, Jaa’s character dispatches his foes in different ways: tossed over balcony rails, shoved through wooden latticework, thrown down stairs, and bashed into walls. He is spectacular, and the stuntmen going up against him are also impressive. The movie has many high-energy fight scenes, but this one really stands out for its intensity and fluid choreography.

Robert Downey Jr.: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

We’ve always known Holmes to be brainy and musically inclined, but in this version his fighting skills, often not utilized in other cinematic adaptations, are displayed front and center.

We are quickly introduced to the intrepid detective as he is engaged in a bare-knuckle brawl with a larger opponent that is being betted upon by locals. Holmes initially uses an eclectic martial art known as bartitsu to fend off his attacker, but after the man spits at the back of his head for wanting to end the fight, Holmes mentally strategizes to calculate the best way take the brute down. That part is played in slow motion before the fast-paced final execution of Homes’ takedown, so we virtually feel those blows.

The sequence is most brutal in slo-mo and shows how brilliantly calculating and disciplined Holmes can be. 

Will Ferrell, James Marsden, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Will Smith, etc: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Yeah, we know it’s not an action movie. But this funny flick’s insane melee, involves eight different news teams, overly polite Canadians, a Minotaur, the ghost of Stonewall Jackson, and Harrison Ford as a were-hyena. There are supernatural powers, telepathy, and a gun from the future involved, and it all makes for a hilariously inspired fight scene. It’s also impressive, considering these are mostly comedians kicking ass on screen.

It takes a few minutes to build up to the main event, but the ridiculous bravado that prefaces it amps up the anticipation perfectly. Sometimes a goofy action scene, like this and “the silent fight” in The Other Guys, offers a nice relief from the seriousness associated with many action pictures.