Top 10 Movie Action Sequences of 2023

Honorable Mentions:

"Paladin Shows Off His Skills"-Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJSg-DruIWk

"Letty vs. Cypher"-Fast X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIYLines9lw

"Berlin Nightclub"-John Wick: Chapter 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIeZAMgX95A

"Jason Statham vs. Everybody"-Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr3-_-gJhek

"Apartment Fight"-Renfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGe6ZlTCCPA

10."Gerard Butler vs. Rebels"-Plane

 

True one shot fight scenes are a rare breed in Hollywood these days given how difficult they are to pull off without the assistance of subtle cuts and/or CG trickery, which makes the appearance of this intense yet surprisingly grounded sequence from Plane an unexpected delight that proves Butler is still a capable action star in his early 50's.    

9.:"Apartment Fight"-The Killer

 

David Fincher made the one true fight scene in his assassin character study really count. The visceral sound design and bone-crunching choreography do a tremendous job of conveying that these two men have only one goal in this knock-down, drag-out fight: terminating their opponent by any means necessary.         

8. "Airlock Fight"-Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

 

The final major action sequence of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy delivers in a big way as the team bands together to slickly and efficiently roll through a horde of The High Evolutionary's (Chukwudi Iwuji) goons in a scene that feels like a comic book panel in the best possible way.   

 7."Battle of Austerlitz"-Napoleon

 

History buffs will have a field day with all of the inaccuracies on display here (and they seemingly posted every single one of them in the comment section of this very video), but I found Ridley Scott's take on the Battle of Austerlitz to be an incredible snapshot of his unparalleled gift for staging exhilarating massive-scale battle sequences.     

 6."High Rise Fight"-Extraction 2

 

Chris Hemsworth using gym equipment to absolutely obliterate a team of mercenaries is one of the most magical movie moments in recent history. I guess the rest of the scene is pretty cool too.  

5."Venice Chase"-Mission-Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

 

Combining humor, the constant threat of danger and jaw-dropping stunt driving, this lengthy chase through the streets of Venice represents the best of Tom Cruise's continued dedication to making big action movies with as much real shit in them as possible.    

4."Dragon's Breath Shootout"-John Wick: Chapter 4

 

One of the most creative, badass setpieces Chad Stahelski and co. have ever put together for a John Wick movie. The seamlessness of the overhead camerawork/editing is astounding and the man getting lit on fire, running into another room then almost immediately getting lit on fire again is an incredible visual gag that is easily among the funniest movie moments of 2023.  

3."Osaka"-John Wick: Chapter 4

 

This is really only a portion of what makes the longest consecutive action setpiece in John Wick: Chapter 4 standout. It makes for a great introduction to Donnie Yen's scene-stealing Cain, features arguably the sickest choreography of the entire movie with Rina Sawayama's bow-and-arrow-wielding Akira and the film's production design/cinematography shines particularly bright throughout this sequence.        

2."Prison Break"-Extraction 2 

 

The initial segment of Extraction 2's 21-minute oner is just pure brutal bliss full of pristine editing, precise camerawork and kills that pack a serious punch.  

 1."Arch de Triomphe"-John Wick: Chapter 4

A fight scene that takes place in active traffic is one of the wildest things I've ever seen in an action movie. I can't even begin to conceive how they were able to make this work as the logistics of which car is going where, who is getting hit by what and what the set looks like vs. what's going to appear on screen (they shot this scene at an abandoned airport in Germany and not the actual Arch de Trimophe in Paris) seem basically impossible. But thankfully they were able to put it together and their collective proficiency and dedication to the craft of action filmmaking resulted in a scene that will never ever be forgotten by genre diehards for the rest of time.