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The frenetic French film “Sleepless Night” has been referred to more than once as “Die Hard in a Nightclub,” and the comparison is not undeserved. It’s got the kind of unchoreographed violence that feels thoroughly believable and (consequently) more painful. This kitchen sequence is the action highlight of the film, wherein our hapless bad-cop Vincent faces off with worse-cop Lacombe. Neither of the two men are particularly gifted fighters and what transpires is the most unexpectedly memorable slugfest I’ve seen in a long time. “Sleepless Night” is a great little film. The attention to detail is just astounding, especially when you consider that the fictional nightclub wherein 90% of the movie takes place is actually a conglomeration of disparate locations in several different countries. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in off-the-beaten-path auctioneers.
Posted 1 month ago -
Jet Li vs Donnie Yen in Hero (2002)
Jet Li faces off against Donnie Yen (who would later rise to international fame with the martial arts biopic Ip Man), as choreographed by Wei Tung. This fight is interesting in that it’s mostly staged in the minds of the two combatants, to the tune of a guqin played by an extra in the background.
Posted 9 months ago -
Hel VS Camero in Bitch Slap (2009)
A modern throwback to B-movies and exploitation flicks of the ’50s-’70s, Bitch Slap is filled with hot bombshells, explosions, gratuitous TnA shots and cheesy dialogue.
In this scene, two of the main characters duke it out and viewers are treated to loads of ass-kicking and face-punching with a side of boob-grabbing and crotch-biting goodness.
The fight sequences were choreographed by stuntwoman Zoe Bell, probably best known for playing herself in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof.
- @anneisms
Posted 9 months ago
animated gif by @helloluis -
Liu Kang VS Reptile in Mortal Kombat (1995)
Here, we are introduced to Reptile as he goes head to head with Liu Kang. Probably the best fight scene in Mortal Kombat (and quite possibly, Paul W.S. Anderson’s best movie EVER), this is also the first time Liu Kang does his signature move, the “Bicycle Kick”.
MORTAL KOMBAAAAAT!
Posted 9 months ago -
David Belle & Cyrl Raffaelli vs Scary Big Dude in District B13
Posted 9 months ago
Parkour movie par excellence District B13 is a great ride through to its final moments, with our two heroes (parkour co-founder Belle and fight choreographer extraordinaire Raffaelli) handily evading all pursuers until they arrive at the proverbial Final Boss. Naturally, their free-running skills lend a hand here once again. -
James Bond vs Mollaka in Casino Royale
Posted 9 months ago
The 007 reboot with Daniel Craig did more than just revitalize the Bond franchise, it reimagined the character as a rougher, more contemporary spy. Keeping the fancy gadgets to a minimum and not holding back on the blood made for the most invigorating Bond film we’ve seen in a decade, and the foot chase in the movie’s opening minutes was awesome way to kick off a new era. The sequence was itself notable for bringing parkour into the mainstream consciousness, as it featured one of the sport’s founding fathers, Sebastien Foucan. -
Jason Statham vs Thugs in The Transporter (2002)
Choreographed by Cory Yuen, Jason Statham brings the beatdown on dozens of thugs in The Transporter’s action-packed finale. Although the movie will be forever be remembered for its creative use of engine grease, there’s an inspired encounter towards the beginning of the clip featuring shipping container doors and Statham’s inhumanly powerful roundhouse.
Posted 9 months ago -
Bruce Willis vs Karl Urban in Red (2010)
Part grapple, part submission, all dirty. Albeit being a brief bout, it gets bonus points for putting its props to use (ie. breaking them) in this otherwise boring office setting.
“Red” is pretty much unrecognizable from the Warren Ellis graphic novel that it was supposedly adapted from, but its light, “True Lies”-esque humor was entertaining in its own way. Choreographed by Buster Reeves (who was incidentally also the stunt coordinator on Game of Thrones), this fight has some great little moments and a pretty cool submission ending.
Posted 9 months ago -
Gabe Law vs Yu Law in The One (2001)
Posted 9 months ago
Only someone like Jet Li could pull off a martial arts movie in which his primary opponent is an evil version of himself. The Cory Yuen-choreographed sequences are an awe-inspring example of Li’s skill as a Wudang practitioner. In this final duel between his two halves, the protagonist Gabe Law employs the more subtle, circular Baguazhang style against the antagonist’s more aggressive Xingyiquan style. -
Stuntmen vs Challengers in Bangkok Knockout (2010)
Posted 9 months ago
Directed by Tony Jaa’s partner in crime, Panna Rittikrai, Bangkok Knockout’s premise couldn’t be more meta: a group of Thai stuntmen are out celebrating a new movie gig when they party a bit too hard and wake up in an abandoned complex with no idea how they got there. Turns out they’ve become part of an elaborate game in which they’re faced off against various challengers (including a rather frightening Jason Voorhees ripoff and an even more frightening lingerie-clad transvestite) while evil rich people watch on their iPads and cackle. The fact that the actors are all stuntmen in real life make the low-budget fight sequences engagingly authentic to watch, and truly awesome moves abound. (Jump to 05:45 to get to the action straightaway.)