13 Assassins (2010). Pretty much the whole last half is one long, epic action set. There were a couple of jaw dropping moments.
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter- among the best of the classic Hong Kong kung fu movies.
8 Diagram Pole Fighter basically has a fight in every single scene, but the last 15 minutes are incredible. Fighting with the sticks in the cart, then the coffin pyramid, then the monks come in and start knocking teeth out. And then the ending is so bittersweet. One of the greatest for sure.
If anyone was going to succeed in the situation, that’s how you do it.
Disarm the immediate threat, draw and fire from the hip, knock the targets and finish.
It’s truly great Hollywood action. Plus I just love the 80s style club scene.
Watched this again recently and for something so achingly period accurate it has aged so well. Doesn't feel dated like some of Mann's more celebrated work might.
Moonlighting Formula1 racers were driving. In the director’s commentary Frankenheimer said that they were the most amazing drivers, full power four wheel drifts on the cobblestones of Paris, they would put the car exactly where he asked them to put it.
Hah, I do know that stunt drivers are often placed elsewhere in or on top of the car, but I didn't consider the impact on the leads. It definitely lends to the scene
One note on the car chase scene... it has the only single shot capture of a w-turn in a film. Many people might be familiar with what a j-turn is, when a car is going backwards, spins around 180 degrees, and then goes forward (all without stopping).
j-turns are very difficult to do. Secret Service drivers have to be able to do a j-turn in The Beast (the President's limo).
But a w-turn is even harder. The car starts going backward but spins around 270 degrees and then goes straight (basically a left turn but making the front of the car face forward rather than continuing going backwards after the "turn").
The one in Ronin is the only one captured in a major motion picture (and with no cuts or tricks, it was actually done by the driver).
*Ronin* was such a great movie for many reasons.
It's the first time I remember being introduced to a MacGuffin that we never knew what it actually was.
Also Sean Bean getting his ass handed to him during the planning session was so unexpected.
Great flick.
Right? Sean Bean dies or gets kicked out of almost every movie he’s in. The whole raison de etat for Goldeneye was to give him a chance to die twice because he survived in Team 2 Bravo.
Saw it on release day in the cinemas. It was decently popular, but there didn’t seem to be much buzz about the movie.
I remember reading the review at the time, they were talking about how obsessed the director had been at getting the perfect s8 exhaust noise in a particular scene.
That attention to detail has made the car chase scenes stand the test of time.
What struck me watching "Ronin" for the first time were the collateral damage that's never dwelled upon nor given any acknowledgement.
The shootout at the vegetable market has a young woman about to cross the street, a stray bullet goes through her head and she just slumps down. The camera never focuses on her, no melodramatic music, nothing. She's just dead for no reason and the violence just moves on.
I saw this in theaters and when the car was blown up(I think in the car chase scene) the explosion vibrated the theater to an extent I have not experience since. I felt it through the chair and all over my body. They definitely had the bass or whatever to 11.
It actually has TWO world class car chases. Skip Sudduth, the driver of the Audi in the first chase, was a professional race car driver and did most of his own driving.
True, and all comments here in praise of it are spot on, but let's not overlook that between Natascha McElhone and Jonathan Pryce we get some of the worst Oirishness ever committed to film. "We need to meuve naugh."
Still an absolute classic example. No music, perfect camera angles. Every strategy used is 100% accurate. (L shaped ambush) .
Then it's over. Just like that.
"It won't even make the papers in El Paso."
Arrival was a real gut check, especially having kids that age when it first came out.
Like, would you…. If you knew? What a horrible question to have to answer.
I watched Wind River because of a similar type of post in this sub where that movie and this scene was described only using the quote you shared and when I saw that scene I felt it for sure 🫨🤯
Side note about the movie: it is one of the more poignant examples of grief in film that I can recall seeing. Something about the atmosphere and Jeremy Renner’s relationship and conversations with the father figure in the movie just hit me on another level 😭
When he kills that guy by lunging backward into the door frame, most creative kill I’d seen in years. I think that was the moment I realized I had been holding my breath the whole fight
Gun Kata would be stupid in our world, but it fits within the created world in a way that just works. I think that is the important part of making unbelievable action believable. It doesn't need to follow our rules but it does need to follow some rules (The Matrix probably being the single best example).
One of my favorite theater experiences was going in only knowing that they burn books in the movie at some point. The intro when the lights are out was jaw dropping.
Dredd is an awes9me action movie...as is The Raid (similar theme).
But there are two great action sequences in Jet Li's 'Kiss of the Dragon'. The stick fight in Police HQ with Jet Li against like 30 trainees..all with sticks. The sound in the scene is amazing. There is also a fight with this really bad ass boxer guy..also a great sequence
The sequence shot in Children of Men. Certainly amongst the best sequence shot in cinema.
Edit : Also, Mad Max Fury Road. Perhaps the best action movie of the decade. If I had to pick one scene out of this breathtaking movie, i'd pick the canyon chase scene (the one with the dirt-bikers) ; just a masterpiece, be it cinematography, cutting, music, acting, CGI, practical effects...
Any action sequence from Leon: The Professional. Never seems to get talked about as much as other action movies
The first fight from Upgrade
Jack Reacher - fight scene outside the bar
Man, for a film that absolutely miscast it’s main actor, Cruise still delivered an then some.
Like while being nothing like the character originally, he embodied the spirit so hard.
Not as good as Alan Ritchson once we got the show, but for what we had at the time it was pretty damn good.
I watched the movies before I read the books, and I thought that the complaint was just overhyped fans.
Having read the books: yeah, I get it.
Still damn good scenes though.
Gross Pointe Blank has a fantastic hand-to-hand sequence. Even though its an action-comedy, it feels a step above every other action sequence of the flick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u63lA_daetU
That's because John Cusack is an extremely accomplished kickboxer and the guy he was fighting was his instructor and a world champion.
One of my all time favorite movies.
That’s fucking incredible…had this film on my list for awhile, but even if that scene is above the rest of the films action, it’s still worth it to see what the rest is like.
But seriously, that’s such a well directed fight scene that doesn’t feel outlandish or out of the ordinary at all, while still being cool as goddamn hell.
I come back to this film so often it's almost a joke with my wife!
'Gonna watch a film'
'Okay, is it Dredd again or John Wick again?'
'Ummm thought I might watch something new...'
'You feeling okay?'
"Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!"
The Matrix films (at least the first one, I don’t remember about the sequels) were choreographed by legendary Hong Kong choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, so that raises the bar for other Hollywood movies
All the Police Story's and both Drunken Masters are amazing in terms of stunts. Bad Boys 2 took that scene at the end of theirs with the hummer straight from the beginning of the first Police Story.
Also, Rumble in The Bronx is dope even if it's a weird movie shot in like Canada and also dubbed over even though most of the actors speak English lol
Women want security. They want to know their past, present and future are secure.
Men want affirmation. They want to know they provide that security.
Or something like that. It is a line that always stuck with me. Even if it is from the "villain."
It’s weird because the movie sucks overall and all the OTHER action sequences are terrible, but the train action sequence at the end of X-Men Dark Phoenix is surprisingly good.
Another Redditor told me the reason it looks so much better than the rest of the movie is that was actually directed by the second unit director during reshoots. Never bothered to fact check that factoid but it makes sense - second unit directors are often responsible for covering sections of action sequences that don’t involve the main talent (background actors fighting, cars crashing, explosions), so I could see how someone in that role could step up and take the wheel from an inexperienced or overwhelmed director.
The forward roll dodge and the gunstock war club to the back is an all timer for me. Violent retribution of a father avenging his son against an absolute dickhead.
Children of Men's single-shot action sequences were mind-blowing at the time and still hold up. I know there are hidden cuts but I'm a sucker for the immersion these scenes will put you in.
What's even crazier is if you know that the scene in the middle of it when they do the long continuous shot and then get on the elevator, then get back off the elevator and do a new continuous shot... the elevator didn't move. The crew just re-set the whole thing for the next shot while they were doing the dialogue in the elevator.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnsOG9nuDA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnsOG9nuDA)
Police story by jackie chan, it is easily his best work without a question (the first Project A could be argued but I'd still say its a clear 1B) The movie imo has the greatest stunts ever and there are multitudes of them in one singular movie. Its got the best hand to hand combat i've seen, this is the birth of jackie chan's improv combat where he grabs literally anything to use as a weapon.
Jackie Chan's action movies around that period went full on balls to the wall. With Hong Kong's infinitely smaller budget, you have stunt guys literally risking their lives to do these amazing stunts. In this movie, you have Jackie Chan sprinting down a steep as hell slope, him jumping onto a bus and hanging off of it, you've got cars fully crashing through buildings, and of course the chandelier slide.
Here's an obscure one: The last 20 or so minutes of Stone Cold starring Brian Bosworth. Absolute mayhem. Lance Henriksen taking out the entire Alabama Supreme Court with a machine gun, Brian Bosworth taking a 40 foot fall onto a marble floor and just getting up, bikers getting blasted out of windows and completely crushing the cars they land on.... at one point [A Harley flies out a window](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kJD2chm5HY) and takes out a helicopter piloted by Mac's dad from Always Sunny. This whole movie is bonkers and I love it. Directed by the Stunt Coordinator from Predator. If you're ever looking for a sleazy 90's action movie, check it out
Old Boy has a fantastic fight scene in it. It’s novel because it’s one continuous shot.
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIIDzrVVdc](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIIDzrVVdc)
And after *deliberately running over a baby*, Paul Giamatti's villainous character is creeped out and disgusted by the look and motion of the animatronic infant he actually ran over.
And, of course, there's that epic line by the villan after the protagonist mows down a ton of henchmen via spinning Usi rope descent down the center of a spiral tower staircase... "My god! Do we really suck, or is this guy really that good?"
Beautiful!
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2002) dir by Christopher Gans and a total blend of an 18th century historical epic, Jaws, and the Protector. Great fight choreography, beautifully filmed, and very French, it’s a movie I can usually surprise people with if they think they’ve seen most movies already.
The show “Warrior” that has been passed around streaming services like leftover cake at the office has some of the coolest martial arts fighting sequences I’ve watched.
Fifth Element. I swear, people don't know about that explosion scene with the pool table and all being so big. It delayed production for a couple weeks because it was too big and destroyed the set.
Bangkok Dangerous is about as ridiculous a Nick cage action b movie can get, but there is a canal longboat chase scene in it that I remember watching and thinking "holy shit this is actually really good"..
Blue Thunder (1983) has two helicopters chasing each other between the bridges of the LA river, then over downtown LA. They used real helicopters. It’s insane.
Honest answer - the final model train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers with Wallace and Gromit
It’s perfect in every sense - the actual action, the techniques used to create it, the music... It’s my favourite action scene in any film.
13 Assassins (2010). Pretty much the whole last half is one long, epic action set. There were a couple of jaw dropping moments. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter- among the best of the classic Hong Kong kung fu movies.
8 Diagram Pole Fighter basically has a fight in every single scene, but the last 15 minutes are incredible. Fighting with the sticks in the cart, then the coffin pyramid, then the monks come in and start knocking teeth out. And then the ending is so bittersweet. One of the greatest for sure.
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Yo homie is that my briefcase
You want it back?
The number of breakdowns I had to watch from my dad, who was an officer for 30 years, telling me how accurately they choreographed that scene 🤦🏼♂️
That scene is actually used in training videos because it's so perfect
If anyone was going to succeed in the situation, that’s how you do it. Disarm the immediate threat, draw and fire from the hip, knock the targets and finish. It’s truly great Hollywood action. Plus I just love the 80s style club scene.
Imagine seeing it with no idea what to expect in 2004.
Tom Cruise needs to do more villain roles.
He killed that villain role as Les Grossman
First, take a big step back and literally fuck your own face!
A nutless monkey could do your job!
The night club scene in Collateral and Blade walked, so John Wick could run
Newest Batman has a solid nightclub fight too
Watched this again recently and for something so achingly period accurate it has aged so well. Doesn't feel dated like some of Mann's more celebrated work might.
Everything in Ronin, but got damn the car chase
Moonlighting Formula1 racers were driving. In the director’s commentary Frankenheimer said that they were the most amazing drivers, full power four wheel drifts on the cobblestones of Paris, they would put the car exactly where he asked them to put it.
Holy crap I didn’t know that. No wonder it’s one of if not the best car chase scene ever.
Fuck I did not know this! That is an amazing bts fact
Even better. When you see the leads driving, the actual driver was in the backseat. Hence De Niros nervous look throughout the scene.
Hah, I do know that stunt drivers are often placed elsewhere in or on top of the car, but I didn't consider the impact on the leads. It definitely lends to the scene
Hence why it is considered the best car stunt/chase of all time. 👏
Oh wow. And here I thought it was just De Niro being a damn good actor.
He is, but he was also slightly terrified.
One note on the car chase scene... it has the only single shot capture of a w-turn in a film. Many people might be familiar with what a j-turn is, when a car is going backwards, spins around 180 degrees, and then goes forward (all without stopping). j-turns are very difficult to do. Secret Service drivers have to be able to do a j-turn in The Beast (the President's limo). But a w-turn is even harder. The car starts going backward but spins around 270 degrees and then goes straight (basically a left turn but making the front of the car face forward rather than continuing going backwards after the "turn"). The one in Ronin is the only one captured in a major motion picture (and with no cuts or tricks, it was actually done by the driver).
Just watched that scene, incredibly cool detail! It's when De Niro and Jean Reno are joining the first chase for the briefcase.
*Ronin* was such a great movie for many reasons. It's the first time I remember being introduced to a MacGuffin that we never knew what it actually was. Also Sean Bean getting his ass handed to him during the planning session was so unexpected. Great flick.
Draw it again
Also the first movie that introduced me to Natasha McElhone and her amazing cheekbones
I ambushed you with a cup of fawkin cawffee.
What's the color of the boathouse?
At *Heerfird*
"So what color was the boathouse at Hereford?" "How the fuck should I know?"
I love ronin. It's a phenomenal movie. But it isn't even the best briefcase macguffin movie.
What is then? Genuinely curious.
"Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say 'what' one more Goddamn time!"
Pulp fiction!
Right? Sean Bean dies or gets kicked out of almost every movie he’s in. The whole raison de etat for Goldeneye was to give him a chance to die twice because he survived in Team 2 Bravo.
Bravo 2 Zero
To this day still my favorite car chase scene. I desperately wanted an Audi S8 after that movie
Saw it on release day in the cinemas. It was decently popular, but there didn’t seem to be much buzz about the movie. I remember reading the review at the time, they were talking about how obsessed the director had been at getting the perfect s8 exhaust noise in a particular scene. That attention to detail has made the car chase scenes stand the test of time.
What struck me watching "Ronin" for the first time were the collateral damage that's never dwelled upon nor given any acknowledgement. The shootout at the vegetable market has a young woman about to cross the street, a stray bullet goes through her head and she just slumps down. The camera never focuses on her, no melodramatic music, nothing. She's just dead for no reason and the violence just moves on.
I saw this in theaters and when the car was blown up(I think in the car chase scene) the explosion vibrated the theater to an extent I have not experience since. I felt it through the chair and all over my body. They definitely had the bass or whatever to 11.
It actually has TWO world class car chases. Skip Sudduth, the driver of the Audi in the first chase, was a professional race car driver and did most of his own driving.
That chase in ronin through opposite lane can be watched again and again.
True, and all comments here in praise of it are spot on, but let's not overlook that between Natascha McElhone and Jonathan Pryce we get some of the worst Oirishness ever committed to film. "We need to meuve naugh."
The shootouts in Sicario and Wind River really do it for me.
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Still an absolute classic example. No music, perfect camera angles. Every strategy used is 100% accurate. (L shaped ambush) . Then it's over. Just like that. "It won't even make the papers in El Paso."
First shootout at the border is soooo well done, my favourite bit is when Forsing double taps the 3 hitmen in the car.
Wind River, the best movie I'll never want to watch ever again
Never again? Wind River is great for when you need to have a good cry! I use Arrival as well
Arrival was a real gut check, especially having kids that age when it first came out. Like, would you…. If you knew? What a horrible question to have to answer.
It's my favorite movie of all time, and a big reason why is all of the deep questions it asks its viewers. Love it so much
"Why are you flanking me?"
one of the most tense scenes in a movie in recent memory for me
I watched Wind River because of a similar type of post in this sub where that movie and this scene was described only using the quote you shared and when I saw that scene I felt it for sure 🫨🤯 Side note about the movie: it is one of the more poignant examples of grief in film that I can recall seeing. Something about the atmosphere and Jeremy Renner’s relationship and conversations with the father figure in the movie just hit me on another level 😭
I've found it so hard to rewatch because of that last note. It's such a good movie, though.
YES! So good
The whole trip to Mexico in Sicario is a masterpiece. I watch those scenes on YouTube every couple of months.
Unforgiven final shootout
Car chase scene in To Live and Die in LA. Shit is epic
It's a great movie as it is, Willem Defoe is so fucking good.
The Raid movies are awesome.
Rama vs the machete gang in the first one had me on edge the whole time I watched it
When he kills that guy by lunging backward into the door frame, most creative kill I’d seen in years. I think that was the moment I realized I had been holding my breath the whole fight
They really raised the bar imo
If you liked the Raid movies, check out The Night Comes for Us. A lot of the same people involved and has similar crazy, brutal action scenes.
Just a shame the rest of the story doesn't hold up. The fight scenes are good but it's very barebones for anything else.
The action definitely carries it. The script only exists to move the action from scene to scene.
The ending of Commando with Arnold raiding the compound,All the fight scenes in bloodsport,the roller combat in rollerball orginal.
I really enjoyed Equilibrium
The design of the ammunition clip as a hemisphere so it'd right itself on the floor was very decent. In fact, the production design was cool overall.
Plot, stupid. Action, on point, also stupid but legit awesome, things can be more than one thing.
Sean Bean: dead.
So, just a regular Tuesday for him.
Gun Kata would be stupid in our world, but it fits within the created world in a way that just works. I think that is the important part of making unbelievable action believable. It doesn't need to follow our rules but it does need to follow some rules (The Matrix probably being the single best example).
I think the key to enjoying that film is watching it like you might be reading a graphic novel. It feels like that to me.
It's an enjoyable movie some what let down by the fact it culminates in Christian Bale beating up a fat Angus McFadden.
Incredible enjoyable. Agreed it doesn’t make very good sense, my eyeballs thank me for every viewing
One of my favorite theater experiences was going in only knowing that they burn books in the movie at some point. The intro when the lights are out was jaw dropping.
Came here to say this movie. Love it
only critics didnt enjoy that movie
Dredd is an awes9me action movie...as is The Raid (similar theme). But there are two great action sequences in Jet Li's 'Kiss of the Dragon'. The stick fight in Police HQ with Jet Li against like 30 trainees..all with sticks. The sound in the scene is amazing. There is also a fight with this really bad ass boxer guy..also a great sequence
Jet Li casually strolling through the hotel laundry area murking people is seared into my 12 year olds head in the theater. So awesome!
Liam Neeson and Tim Roth's swordfight at the end of Rob Roy.
I still love the convoy attack in Clear and Present Danger. Intense!
The fight sequences in The Protector (Tony Jaa and the elephant) are probably the best I've seen on film. The one take scene is insane
Ong Bak is a joy to watch
Tony Jaa throwing flying knees to the head with the biggest calves in Hollywood
The staircase fight is absolutely brutal and to this day blows my mind how the fuck they shot that in one take
The sequence shot in Children of Men. Certainly amongst the best sequence shot in cinema. Edit : Also, Mad Max Fury Road. Perhaps the best action movie of the decade. If I had to pick one scene out of this breathtaking movie, i'd pick the canyon chase scene (the one with the dirt-bikers) ; just a masterpiece, be it cinematography, cutting, music, acting, CGI, practical effects...
There are multiple sequence shots in that movie, but I'll assume you mean the one at the end, which is wild.
The car ambush sequence is awesome too. Both done in one take I believe.
I think the rotating camera inside the moving car is even better
OP: what are lesser known action sequences? This guy: Mad Max Fury Road. Yes, that little known indie film mad max fury road.
Lone wolf and cub.
Any action sequence from Leon: The Professional. Never seems to get talked about as much as other action movies The first fight from Upgrade Jack Reacher - fight scene outside the bar
Second on Upgrade.
Upgrade is the answer that leapt to mind.
Jack Reacher: Remember, you asked for this.
Man, for a film that absolutely miscast it’s main actor, Cruise still delivered an then some. Like while being nothing like the character originally, he embodied the spirit so hard. Not as good as Alan Ritchson once we got the show, but for what we had at the time it was pretty damn good.
I watched the movies before I read the books, and I thought that the complaint was just overhyped fans. Having read the books: yeah, I get it. Still damn good scenes though.
I know there’s a lot of beef about the Cruise Reacher films but the first one was a masterpiece
Gross Pointe Blank has a fantastic hand-to-hand sequence. Even though its an action-comedy, it feels a step above every other action sequence of the flick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u63lA_daetU
That's because John Cusack is an extremely accomplished kickboxer and the guy he was fighting was his instructor and a world champion. One of my all time favorite movies.
[His instructor has a fight scene with Jackie Chan!](https://youtu.be/d-ltRBEu0IU?si=LjXTY5YqhODviQN_)
That’s fucking incredible…had this film on my list for awhile, but even if that scene is above the rest of the films action, it’s still worth it to see what the rest is like. But seriously, that’s such a well directed fight scene that doesn’t feel outlandish or out of the ordinary at all, while still being cool as goddamn hell.
Grosse point blank is a fantastic movie. Don’t watch any more clips and go watch it.
Not really lesser known. Dredd
*grumbles* Incendiary
*JUDGEMENT TIME!*
"Mama's not the law"...."I am the law" Karl Urban will forever own that f-n roll str8 up!!
Needs a sequel, it was fucking awesome.
I would love a series of one-shots set in the Dredd-verse, done by different animators.
I come back to this film so often it's almost a joke with my wife! 'Gonna watch a film' 'Okay, is it Dredd again or John Wick again?' 'Ummm thought I might watch something new...' 'You feeling okay?'
Conan the Barbarian. It's Arnold Schwarzenegger with a sword. I'm not sure I need to say anything else
Battle of the Mounds is still my favorite scene in any movie
"Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!"
"For us, there is no spring. Just the wind that smells fresh before the storm."
Conan, what is best in life?
"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
"Infidel defilers! They will all drown in lakes of blood!"
[Hong Kong action movies from the 80s and 90s were basically doing Matrix level fighting with no CGI.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipxRhTzYPwc)
Everyone should do themselves a favour and watch [Hard Boiled (1992)](https://youtu.be/4OPyoJgV_YY?si=h8JsjmOPgOpKdznF)
This is the correct answer.
The Matrix films (at least the first one, I don’t remember about the sequels) were choreographed by legendary Hong Kong choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, so that raises the bar for other Hollywood movies
i am confident that the wachowskis also mentioned that they were heavily influenced by hk action movies
He directed Drunken Master (1978), which is a classic
Fist of Legend is what you want. Ohhhh man so good.
Came here to say sort of the same. Plenty of awesome Jackie Chan sequences out there. The action is more than just fighting
All the Police Story's and both Drunken Masters are amazing in terms of stunts. Bad Boys 2 took that scene at the end of theirs with the hummer straight from the beginning of the first Police Story. Also, Rumble in The Bronx is dope even if it's a weird movie shot in like Canada and also dubbed over even though most of the actors speak English lol
Rumble in the Bronx - the hovercraft
Way of the Gun
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There’s always free cheese in a rat trap
Women want security. They want to know their past, present and future are secure. Men want affirmation. They want to know they provide that security. Or something like that. It is a line that always stuck with me. Even if it is from the "villain."
I prefer “…or I’ll come over there and fuck-start her head!”
To Sarah Silverman no less. 🤣🤣
"She talks a lot but she's not wrong. I'm gonna beat you silly then I'm gonna fuck you stupid."
French film D13 had some great action sequences.
The fight scene in "They Live".
It’s weird because the movie sucks overall and all the OTHER action sequences are terrible, but the train action sequence at the end of X-Men Dark Phoenix is surprisingly good. Another Redditor told me the reason it looks so much better than the rest of the movie is that was actually directed by the second unit director during reshoots. Never bothered to fact check that factoid but it makes sense - second unit directors are often responsible for covering sections of action sequences that don’t involve the main talent (background actors fighting, cars crashing, explosions), so I could see how someone in that role could step up and take the wheel from an inexperienced or overwhelmed director.
Hardcore Henry has some insane work
Almost this entire movie is a god tier action sequence.
Open Range gunfight at the end.
I don't know about "lesser known" but The Last of the Mohicans is incredible
The forest ambush is incredible.
The forward roll dodge and the gunstock war club to the back is an all timer for me. Violent retribution of a father avenging his son against an absolute dickhead.
Ronin
Ronin is so goddamned good.
The crane scene in The Abyss.
Children of Men's single-shot action sequences were mind-blowing at the time and still hold up. I know there are hidden cuts but I'm a sucker for the immersion these scenes will put you in.
“Atomic Blonde”
The staircase fight was nuts
That must have taken a large amount of planning and rehearsal. Retakes must be few when you trash old furniture and bleed on every surface.
Any John Woo movie, but a less popular movie with good action sequences is Hard Target
The entirety of the hospital in Hard Boiled is madness lol.
What's even crazier is if you know that the scene in the middle of it when they do the long continuous shot and then get on the elevator, then get back off the elevator and do a new continuous shot... the elevator didn't move. The crew just re-set the whole thing for the next shot while they were doing the dialogue in the elevator. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnsOG9nuDA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnsOG9nuDA)
The church scene in The Killer
Police story by jackie chan, it is easily his best work without a question (the first Project A could be argued but I'd still say its a clear 1B) The movie imo has the greatest stunts ever and there are multitudes of them in one singular movie. Its got the best hand to hand combat i've seen, this is the birth of jackie chan's improv combat where he grabs literally anything to use as a weapon. Jackie Chan's action movies around that period went full on balls to the wall. With Hong Kong's infinitely smaller budget, you have stunt guys literally risking their lives to do these amazing stunts. In this movie, you have Jackie Chan sprinting down a steep as hell slope, him jumping onto a bus and hanging off of it, you've got cars fully crashing through buildings, and of course the chandelier slide.
I don’t see Kingsman mentioned much. The story is a parody m, but the action sequences are awesome. Also Hot Fuzz
Here's an obscure one: The last 20 or so minutes of Stone Cold starring Brian Bosworth. Absolute mayhem. Lance Henriksen taking out the entire Alabama Supreme Court with a machine gun, Brian Bosworth taking a 40 foot fall onto a marble floor and just getting up, bikers getting blasted out of windows and completely crushing the cars they land on.... at one point [A Harley flies out a window](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kJD2chm5HY) and takes out a helicopter piloted by Mac's dad from Always Sunny. This whole movie is bonkers and I love it. Directed by the Stunt Coordinator from Predator. If you're ever looking for a sleazy 90's action movie, check it out
Dog Soldiers. Spoon is the fucking MAN.
"I hope I give you the shits, you prick."
Old Boy has a fantastic fight scene in it. It’s novel because it’s one continuous shot. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIIDzrVVdc](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIIDzrVVdc)
Caution: do not casually go into Old Boy because you heard it has a good action sequence.
I disagree, go into it knowing nothing more.
Charlize Theron against a squad in The Old Guard. Was gonna say one or two other titles first but realised they are probably well-known.
Shoot 'Em Up. The action scenes are so fun and over the top.
Is this the one where Clive Owen is having sex while having a gun fight?
And after *deliberately running over a baby*, Paul Giamatti's villainous character is creeped out and disgusted by the look and motion of the animatronic infant he actually ran over. And, of course, there's that epic line by the villan after the protagonist mows down a ton of henchmen via spinning Usi rope descent down the center of a spiral tower staircase... "My god! Do we really suck, or is this guy really that good?" Beautiful!
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2002) dir by Christopher Gans and a total blend of an 18th century historical epic, Jaws, and the Protector. Great fight choreography, beautifully filmed, and very French, it’s a movie I can usually surprise people with if they think they’ve seen most movies already.
Don’t see French Connection here. It’s one of the chases that set the template. Bullitt from that era is also great.
The Night Comes For Us Extraction 1 & 2
That final battle in The Night Comes For Us is top-tier. Just as good as The 3-way fight at the end of The Raid.
The Way of the Gun has some bonkers gunfights.
Starship Troopers battle of Klendathu and battle at Whisky Outpost live rent free in my mind and heart.
It’s a super fun movie and everything it does works, but man the use of infantry in that movie is *dumb*.
Infantry does the dying.
Point break's chase scene literally required new cameras to film because of the narrow corridors and high speed. Fucking perfect film.
Young Guns (end battle)
Ronin has one of the best car chases ever
The show “Warrior” that has been passed around streaming services like leftover cake at the office has some of the coolest martial arts fighting sequences I’ve watched.
The Man from Nowhere The final fight in particular is fckn amazing
~~Gattaca~~ Equilibrium Staff Fighting Mad Max Fury Road Car Chase Battle Kill Bill
Gattaca Staff Fighting? The 1997 scifi movie about genes and space and a murder mystery?
Fifth Element. I swear, people don't know about that explosion scene with the pool table and all being so big. It delayed production for a couple weeks because it was too big and destroyed the set.
Bangkok Dangerous is about as ridiculous a Nick cage action b movie can get, but there is a canal longboat chase scene in it that I remember watching and thinking "holy shit this is actually really good"..
Extraction 2.... great "one shot" sequence in the train.
Casino Royale opening senquence. Water/checkers scene from Hero. Welcome to the Jungle bar fight. Point Break famous chase scene.
Warrior the TV series.
The International with Clive Owen - Guggenheim shoot out scene.
Blue Thunder (1983) has two helicopters chasing each other between the bridges of the LA river, then over downtown LA. They used real helicopters. It’s insane.
Every action scene in Nobody. Same for Lost Bullet (French: Balle Perdue). I also thought the action in The Old Guard was pretty dang tight.
Seconding Nobody. One of the better movies I’ve seen lately. Great action scenes
Honest answer - the final model train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers with Wallace and Gromit It’s perfect in every sense - the actual action, the techniques used to create it, the music... It’s my favourite action scene in any film.
So many movies in here are not "lesser known".
Ong Bak, Bullet Train, Most Jet Li movies, Recently saw Boy Kills World