Top 10 Movie Fights of 2023
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.
Transcript
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?
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14:24 [MUSIC]
14:34 you