What better way to cap off a month full of 2019 recaps than celebrating the biggest, boldest and best action sequences the movie industry birthed during the final year of the decade? Here are the 10 fistfights, shootouts and other acts of staged violence that warmed the genre fanboy section of my heart the most during this tremendous period for cinema.
Note: It may seem unfair that I'm not featuring a wider variety of movies here, but I genuinely feel like the handful of films celebrated below were far above everything else this year in the action department (with the exceptions of Dark Phoenix, Alita: Battle Angel, Anna and Polar- which contained well-crafted scenes that fell just short of the honorable mentions section).
Honorable Mentions:
"I'm Just a Girl"-Captain Marvel
"Final Fight"-Gemini Man
"Hobbs vs.Hattie/Shaw vs. Henchmen"-Hobbs &Shaw
"Penthouse Fight"-Stuber
"Prison Escape"-Terminator: Dark Fate
10."Sporting Goods Store Fight"-Stuber
If the wit and off-the-wall energy present in its action sequences carried over to the more traditional comedic aspects of the film, Stuber would've been a new buddy cop classic. This hilarious fight scene makes great use of its unusual environment while also serving as a necessary moment of catharsis for its feuding protagonists (Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani).
9."Catacombs Fight"-Gemini Man
While it may lack the unforgettable money shot of young Will Smith hurling a motorcycle at old Will Smith that concludes their first encounter, the second Smith v. Smith showdown that takes place in the unfairly maligned Gemini Man features cleaner editing, better fight choreography and less wonky CGI.
8."Chase Through Florence"-6 Underground
Opening 6 Underground with a 15+ minute car chase (the highlights of which are above) through the scenic streets of Florence, Italy is the most pure display of Michael Bay's signature excess to date. Big thanks to the always fiscally irresponsible Netflix for making this thing of explosion-and-impalement-filled beauty possible.
7."Motorcycle Sword Fight"-John Wick:Chapter 3-Parabellum
John Wick: Chapter 3 is such a masterclass in action filmmaking that a badass motorcycle chase that sees Wick dispatching a fleet of sword-wielding assassins isn't even in the top three best scenes from the movie, which is both a testament to this franchise's high quality and an indictment on the vast majority of the other people in the industry that can't even sniff the level of precision and creativity that's brought to every single fight scene here.
6."John Rambo's Sadistic Take on Home Alone"-Rambo: Last Blood
Brutally mowing down about two dozen bad guys in a booby trap-filled tunnel on his property is an appropriately depraved way to conclude the vicious cycle of violence that has defined the character of John Rambo throughout Sylvester Stallone's icon franchise.
5."Escaping Eteon Headquarters"-Hobbs & Shaw
Sure Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Vanessa Kirby kick all sorts of ass in this crucial sequence at the midpoint of the terrific Fast and Furious spinoff, but the sheer euphoric lunacy that stems from respected veteran character actor Eddie Marsan going H.A.M with a flamethrower is what elevates this above the previous entries on this list.
4."Hallway Fight"-Hobbs & Shaw
By Fast and Furious standards, this scene is downright grounded. Questionable physics, superhero acts of strength or flying cars are nowhere to be found during this 4 minute snippet. Instead, director David Leitch just lets Jason Statham show off his hand-to-hand fighting ability in an exquisitely-staged martial arts showcase that is every bit as exciting as the over-the-top setpieces that have turned this franchise into a global phenomenon over the past eight years.
3."Defending the Continental"-John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum
To be completely honest, this might've been the highlight of the movie in the theater. The ridiculous Dolby setup at AMC made you feel the weight of every shotgun blast and assault rifle round fired. It loses a little bit of its power upon rewatch at home, but it's still a dazzling, claustropbic shootout that is among the most visceral this franchise has concocted to-date.
2."Casablanca"-John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum
John Wick never really had a running mate on the battlefield in the prior two installments and this partnering with his old friend Sofia (Halle Berry) shows that even the Baba Yaga gets elevated when he has a team around him. Having an equal to Wick fight alongside him gave director Chad Stahelski and the fight/stunt team an invitation to up the ante, and they unsurprisingly did just by staging a delightfully chaotic scene that features a slew of "holy shit" moments (Wick's quick reload staredown, Sofia sliding under a cart while her dogs jump over it before shooting two guys, at least a half dozen more).
1."Antique Weapon Shop Fight"-John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum
There is no greater example of the more playful, martial arts-driven fight scenes that made John Wick 3 the clear best entry in the series thus far than this. Watching Wick and his opponents frantically break glass inside of an abandoned antique weapon shop so they can throw knives and axes at each other is sincerely one of the most inspired, funny and badass things I've ever seen in a movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment