Most Brutal Movie Fights and what makes a good fight scene

[WingedSerpent]

I'm playing God of War 3, and I find myself remembering something said on the first one's extra features section.  When looking for inspiration for the fighting mechanicas, the artists looked to movies, thinking that they'll find some great fight scenes and not really finding any.  One of the producers said (I'm paraphrasing here)  "movie fights are kind of tame" and "we only found a coouple we could use, and they were some obscure movies". 

Unfortuneatly, he doesn't say what movies he ended up using, but I've always wanted to know.  So I ask my fellow members, as to what you think are some of the most brutal movie fights.

I'm also thinking about what makes a fight scene brutal or good.  Some movies, like Kill Bill, and Story of Ricky crank the violence up to where it's cartoony.  Others like Equlibrium or the Matrix are so choreographed and stylized, that even when arms, legs, and faces are being chopped off, your thinking more about how nice it's shoot.

Now I have nothing against the stylized martial art movies.  I enjoy them myself.

I think one of the best fights is in They Live.  Because it looked like a real fight.  No fancy techniques, or cartoonish gore.  Just two guys trying to beat the #^$# out of eac other.

Use your best judgement about what can be posted on this site.  Or if you like the stylized fights tell me why and what you think makes a good fight scene.

[RCMerchant]

This scene from a BRONX TALE rings true to me....I dunno-I lived in NYC-hell- I was born in the Bronx! And I din't mess with the Italians. I got in a lotta fights-but not with Italians-there crazy. Well,my Ma married an Italian-so usually not to many people messed with me either. But I had my moments in the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovm34SgK8HQ
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[oxode]

I'd say the best fight scene I stumbled over till now: The end fight at Tsui Harks "The Blade"(the Hark remake of the one armed boxer). Not much of the usual Asian fx mayhem, as flying men and stroboscopic cut storms. He didn't heed it. The actors just slash with edged weapons on each other like they really give a f*** if they kill each other. And sure they would have (that the blade is blunt don't really matter, at this speed and furor)if one of them would have even blinked at the wrong time. This one gave me a full scale chill.

[JPickettIII]

This scene from a BRONX TALE rings true to me....I dunno-I lived in NYC-hell- I was born in the Bronx! And I din't mess with the Italians. I got in a lotta fights-but not with Italians-there crazy. Well,my Ma married an Italian-so usually not to many people messed with me either. But I had my moments in the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovm34SgK8HQ

I watched the clip, that was a very violent fight scene.  I will try to find the one from Conan the Barbarian.  This is the fight scene when he and he clan go to get the princess back from the serpent king.

[Javakoala]

I saw "Who'll Stop The Rain" years ago, and there was a scene in which Nick Nolte beat the hell out of two guys trying to find him. If I saw it now, I'd probably find it tame, but that scene has stuck with me for brutality. He didn't just stop them, he just kept hurting them. That's how I remember it. Maybe I was being overly sensitive that day. I really should find that movie again and watch it.

[joejoeherron]

I always liked the fight scene in They Live. seeing rowdt roddy piper and keith david just beat the crap out of ech other is priceless.  they just keep swinging until one of them fall after like 5 minutes or so

[JaseSF]

Most of the best fight scenes I've seen tend to come from pre-wire work Hong Kong Kung Fu films. Of course there's Bruce Lee's films ENTER THE DRAGON, GAME OF DEATH, THE CHINESE CONNECTION, FISTS OF FURY, RETURN OF THE DRAGON. But there's loads of others from the 70s and 80s with great fight scenes too. Some I enjoyed the fighting include: SHAOLIN VS. NINJA, THE TATTOO CONNECTION, THE REVENGER, THE SHAOLIN INVINCIBLES (with Kung Fu Gorillas? - well guys in monkey suits anyways), ANGRY FIST, SHAOLIN CHASTITY KUNG FU (which features little kids brutally Kung Fu fighting), THE SECRET OF THE SHAOLIN POLES, EUNUCH OF THE WESTERN PALACE (which is almost like a G.I. Joe style precursor to Mortal Kombat in some ways).

[Trevor]

Chuck Norris versus Professor Toru Tanaka in An Eye For An Eye still remains my favourite fight scene. 

[IDontLikeBerkshire]

Oldboy has an amazing fight scene. The scale of it is incredible, it's our main character, against a roomfull of bad guys, in a very small space. The camera is also great, and lets us see everything that goes on, and you're left dodging and ducking along with the main character. It felt like something out of a video game, but in a good way, it immerses you into the action.

[indianasmith]

When Titus Pullo got sentenced to die in the Arena during the first season of ROME, and Lucius Vorenus came to his aid against a dozen gladiators . . .  THAT was a brutal fight!!

[Starsky]

Seagals bar fight in Kill Switch, when one of the guys won't tell him what he wants to know (that he's an awesome action star and a kick ass musician) he bangs the guys teeth into the bar and keeps hitting him on the back.

One of the rare times I go "oh, s**t!!!" and cover my eyes

[skuts]

Ed Norton beating the pulp out of Jared Leto in Fight Club was pretty brutal.

[lester1/2jr]

CHocolate and the other thai one.  all those knees and elbows!

[Kaped-Kaper]

I always liked the fight scene in They Live. seeing rowdt roddy piper and keith david just beat the crap out of ech other is priceless.  they just keep swinging until one of them fall after like 5 minutes or so

I heard it was a practical joke they played on John Carpenter. He ended up liking it so much he kept it in the final cut.

[spongekryst]

I like all kinds of different fight scenes, just as long they don't halfa$$ it. What I mean is, if it gonna be raw and real, "They Live" is the way to go, cartoonish gore, probably "Tokyo Gore Police". That being said, I usually don't like CGI, sylish fights, except for one...the final fight in Blade 2. It is stylish, but it is also BRUTAL, I'm not a very violent person, but every time I watch that movie when that scene comes, I wanna smash people's heads through concrete.

GRRRRARGH!!!!