Why can't they just talk it over? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable, creative, and impactful movie fights of 2023. We’re giving a spoiler alert upfront, so don’t fight us if we share any major plot points.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for
00:13 the most memorable, creative, and impactful movie fights of 2023.
00:18 They don't have to be one on one, and
00:20 weapons are allowed as long as there's legit combat.
00:23 We're giving a spoiler alert up front, so
00:26 don't fight us if we share any major plot points.
00:30 [MUSIC]
00:36 Number 10, those who live in a glass prison shouldn't throw punches.
00:41 Fast 10.
00:42 [MUSIC]
00:46 >> Good morning, sunshine.
00:47 >> Incarcerated, Letty and Cipher have little choice but to work together.
00:52 Given their history though,
00:54 Letty isn't one to let Cipher off with a slap on the wrist.
00:57 The second that she's given an opening, Letty throws the first punch.
01:01 >> How much time do we have?
01:03 >> About four minutes.
01:05 >> It'll have to do.
01:06 [MUSIC]
01:09 >> To an extent, this long overdue fight reflects how the Fast franchise has
01:13 evolved.
01:14 It starts on a grounded note with the two trading kicks and punches.
01:18 But it chucks logic out the window once they go through a plate of glass,
01:23 dropping virtually no blood, of course.
01:25 While the tech savvy Cipher makes use of a nearby laser claw,
01:30 Letty is more experienced in hand to hand combat.
01:33 She delivers the winning blow.
01:34 [MUSIC]
01:40 Although slamming into another glass wall is nothing that Cipher can't brush off.
01:46 Number nine, into the Renaissance.
01:49 Spider-Man across the Spider-Verse.
01:51 >> Friend, I will not rest.
01:54 Until I find the Spider-Man.
01:56 [MUSIC]
02:00 >> Draped in the ambience of a mood ring, every frame from Gwen Stacy's
02:04 universe would fit in at the Museum of Modern Art.
02:08 It's only appropriate that Across the Spider-Verse would commence with Gwen
02:12 facing off against a Renaissance man or a Renaissance vulture in this case.
02:17 >> Where are you from, bud?
02:18 >> I am an artist, an engineer.
02:21 >> Great, a Renaissance man.
02:23 Although the two styles are on opposite ends of art history,
02:26 they flow together flawlessly in a fight that blends classic and contemporary.
02:31 It also takes a futuristic turn with the dimension hopping Miguel O'Hara and
02:35 Jess Drew joining the rumble.
02:37 In addition to juggling styles,
02:39 the sequence masterfully balances action, one-liners, and characters.
02:44 As different as their approaches are, Miguel, Jess, and
02:47 Gwen fight in perfect unison just as the latter falls out of sync with their father.
02:52 >> Well, join the club.
02:56 >> Number eight, the Kens Beach Off, Barbie.
03:00 Barbie begins with two Kens ready to beach each other off.
03:05 >> Looks like this beach was a little too much beach for you, Ken.
03:07 >> If I wasn't severely injured, I would beach you off right now, Ken.
03:10 >> I'll beach off with you any day, Ken.
03:12 >> As we reach the climax, the patriarchy has brought out the toxic masculinity in
03:17 all of the Kens, leading to the ultimate beach brawl.
03:21 Naturally, the showdown comes complete with a power ballad and
03:24 planned choreography.
03:26 Although this is the Barbie land equivalent of a war zone, it maintains the essence
03:31 of playtime with the Kens using tennis rackets as weapons and beach balls as ammunition.
03:36 The Kenergy climaxes with a final dance number inspired by the dream ballet
03:42 from Singing in the Rain.
03:43 [MUSIC]
03:51 There are ultimately no winners on the beach battlefield.
03:54 The true victors are the Barbies, who reclaim their constitution,
03:58 while the Kens beach one another into defeat.
04:01 Number seven, Ghostface Gets Gale, Scream 6.
04:06 The sixth Scream movie marks a first as Gale Weathers finds herself
04:11 on the other line with Ghostface.
04:14 >> Hello.
04:15 >> Hello, Gale.
04:16 Strange that you and I have never spoken on the phone.
04:20 This is long overdue.
04:21 >> Gale is no amateur and Ghostface is well aware of this.
04:25 Realizing that Gale will be two steps ahead, Ghostface gets a three step head start.
04:31 Gale has already survived five movies, but
04:33 as Ghostface bluntly reminds her, Dewey's luck ran out last time.
04:38 >> How does it feel to lose the only man who ever loved you?
04:42 >> [BLEEP] you.
04:43 >> Putting Gale in a vulnerable state,
04:45 Ghost aims to ax off another legacy character.
04:48 Armed with a gun, Gale seemingly outsmarts Ghostface with Star 69.
04:53 >> Can you hold please?
04:54 [SOUND]
05:02 >> She misses the mark,
05:03 showing that sometimes you can bring a knife to a gunfight.
05:07 A shard of glass will also do.
05:10 Although Gale survives, the audience is genuinely convinced that this might be it,
05:15 until the paramedics arrive.
05:17 >> Got a weak pulse.
05:18 Get the backboard.
05:19 We need to move now.
05:20 >> Number six, Mutant Montage.
05:23 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mutant Mayhem.
05:26 To track down the mysterious super fly,
05:28 the turtles must interrogate several crime families first.
05:32 >> They are the ones who can lead us to super fly.
05:35 >> That's a lot of leads.
05:36 The backdrops range from a seedy poker table, to an Asian restaurant,
05:40 to a sketchy mattress store, to a rugged pool hall, to a secret lab.
05:45 Although the locales change, the sequence is ingeniously edited into one
05:49 flowing fight with each of the turtles getting a chance to shine.
05:53 We see the turtles fight as a group as well with a 360 shot that's pure sensory
05:57 overload.
05:58 [MUSIC]
06:02 It's all set to Black Street's No Diggity,
06:04 which the filmmakers struggle to secure the rights to.
06:08 While alternatives were considered,
06:09 no song matched the action as well as No Diggity, which was fortunately cleared.
06:15 It's the music that pushes this montage over the edge.
06:18 [MUSIC]
06:23 Number five, Akilla Confrontation, John Wick Chapter Four.
06:29 John Wick shoots, stabs, and neck snaps his way through hordes of assassins
06:34 as if they were crash test dummies.
06:36 [SOUND]
06:43 Anyone who can stop Mr. Wick in his tracks has already overcome the odds.
06:48 John faces his most physically imposing opponent yet in Akilla,
06:51 who's built like a flight of stairs.
06:54 >> [LAUGH] Must be Christmas, yeah?
06:58 >> Except this flight of stairs can throw a punch.
07:01 Initially, it seems like Akilla might be a pushover as he flees through a neon lit
07:06 rave.
07:07 When the fight boils down to brute strength though,
07:09 the hulking Akilla tosses John around like a rag doll.
07:12 Akilla wins one round, knocking John down a story.
07:15 John makes a comeback in round two,
07:17 raining upon his heavy hitting adversary with help from some stairs.
07:22 >> Why don't you just die?
07:24 [SOUND]
07:29 >> Number four, Guardians of the Hallway,
07:33 Guardians of the Galaxy, volume three.
07:35 Apparently there was an unwritten rule that if a 2023 movie starred Chris Pratt,
07:41 it needed to feature No Sleep Till Brooklyn.
07:44 >> No sleep till Brooklyn, yeah.
07:49 >> After popping up in the Mario movie,
07:51 the Beastie Boys song made Peter Quill's awesome mix.
07:54 >> No sleep till Brooklyn, no sleep till Brooklyn.
08:04 >> Rocket is done running from his past, but that doesn't mean he'll face it alone.
08:09 Entering a hallway of enemies, the sequence is shot as if it were a continuous take,
08:13 seamlessly shifting perspectives from one Guardian to another.
08:17 The action is slowed down to let the mayhem sink in.
08:20 [MUSIC]
08:28 It's one of the grittiest MCU fights, with the absence of red blood being the only
08:32 thing restraining it from R-rated territory.
08:35 Like the best hallway fights, it makes a short distance feel like a murderous
08:39 marathon.
08:39 [MUSIC]
08:50 Number three, Training Day, Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning, part one.
08:57 Tom Cruise may be the closest equivalent to a modern Buster Keaton.
09:01 While Keaton is remembered as a comedian, he was just as much an action star,
09:06 pulling off stunts that rival Cruise's death-defying escapades.
09:10 It's only appropriate that Dead Reckoning channels the general with its climactic
09:14 train sequence.
09:16 Squaring off against Gabriel atop a locomotive,
09:19 Ethan Hunt dodges all incoming obstacles, including his rival's knife and a tunnel.
09:24 [MUSIC]
09:31 The set piece utilizes as many practical effects as humanly possible,
09:35 putting the actors on a fully functional train that'll inevitably be destroyed.
09:40 The upper hand keeps changing with Ethan eventually pressing the knife against
09:43 Gabriel's throat.
09:45 Gabriel gives him the slip, but even when the mission goes off the rails,
09:49 Ethan holds the key to victory.
09:51 [MUSIC]
09:52 >> I got it, we got it.
09:55 >> Number two, Donnie defeats Diamond Dame, Creed III.
10:00 In the previous film, Adonis Creed settled one of Rocky's oldest scores.
10:04 [MUSIC]
10:08 >> And that's it, it's over.
10:10 >> Draco's corner throws in the towel.
10:13 And Adonis Creed defends his title, defends his name.
10:18 >> Creed III delves deeper into Donnie's past as he confronts a friend turned
10:23 enemy, making for his most personal fight yet.
10:26 >> You put the gloves on my hands?
10:29 >> You must be punchy.
10:32 >> [LAUGH] >> Cuz memory serves,
10:36 you used to carry my gloves.
10:37 >> As far as Damian Anderson is concerned,
10:40 Donnie was not only responsible for his incarceration, but
10:44 he essentially stole his destiny.
10:46 >> All right, I challenge you for the heavyweight championship of the world.
10:51 You and me.
10:52 >> Run it.
10:53 >> Run it.
10:54 >> Hell yes.
10:54 >> It's winner takes all as Donnie fights for the life he built,
10:59 while Diamond Dame attempts to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his.
11:03 The fight is also internal, as Donnie wrestles with guilt and
11:07 shame over how he wasn't there for Damian during his lowest points.
11:11 With more than just a title on the line though,
11:14 Donnie picks himself back up to deliver a knockout, proving that he's still the champ.
11:19 [MUSIC]
11:33 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:37 Sibling rivalry, polite society, the Khan sisters crush each other with kindness.
11:43 [MUSIC]
11:51 Dropped a bomb, see-sue, going out in Dr. Strange love fashion.
11:56 [MUSIC]
12:03 The final battle, Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves.
12:07 A campaign well played.
12:09 >> We had to distract you so Karrick could slap on that cuff, and so
12:13 Dwork could do this.
12:14 [MUSIC]
12:20 >> The Brutes, the killer, a fight that goes full Fincher.
12:25 [MUSIC]
12:33 Shapeshifting showdown, Nimona, unleashing the animals within.
12:38 [MUSIC]
12:43 >> Okay, that was super gross.
12:45 >> I know.
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12:59 [MUSIC]
13:02 >> Number one, Yard Brawl, Extraction 2.
13:05 Extraction 2 outdid its predecessor with a 21 minute sequence that's pure
13:10 adrenaline.
13:10 >> Guys, I need a way out.
13:13 >> Working on it.
13:14 >> Executed to appear like one epic take, Tyler Rake breaks a family out of
13:19 a prison with more than a few obstacles in his way.
13:22 One of those obstacles is David Rodiani, who imprisoned his family in
13:26 the first place.
13:27 As brutal as that match is, David is merely an appetizer.
13:32 The main course is outside where Tyler and
13:35 a shovel wielding Ketavan must battle their way through an army of prisoners.
13:40 >> Back off.
13:41 Move.
13:42 Back.
13:43 Back.
13:44 Back.
13:45 Back.
13:46 [SOUND] >> Every time one prisoner goes down,
13:50 several more jump in.
13:51 >> Cinematographer Greg Baldy immerses us in the action,
13:55 making it feel as if we're beside Tyler as he uses anything he can as
13:59 an instrument of destruction, including his own fiery fist.
14:03 Which movie fight got you the most pumped in 2023?
14:07 Let us know in the comments.
14:09 >> Did you beat up those kids?
14:10 >> No, they apologized.
14:13 >> I heard screaming.
14:14 >> Who's the apologizing?
14:17 >> Did you enjoy this video?
14:18 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
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14:24 [MUSIC]
14:34 you