Hiya

I never do film threads, but i've been going back through a shit ton of action/martial arts films of late to cheer myself up, and thought I'd put this one to the floor as it's a pretty serious subject: best fight set pieces?

I would like to humbly offer the following (have included links if tl:dr)

1. Raid 2 - Kitchen Fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqecZyU-Cg4

Hard to even describe this one without just showing it to someone. So much technique, so much joy in the camera work and tbf you need someone looking constantly eyebrow-surprised at Iko's ability to make him seem more charismatic sometimes. Still, it's just stellar, especially when they hold-and-break a couple times. The PACING.

2. Chocolate - Warehouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj3X-_tEKsw

Obviously straying a touch more toward the slapstick at times and majoring on acrobatics. But Chocolate has a sense of humour throughout so it doesn't break that context regardless of who she's beating up. The filing cabinet/locker stuff is really good fun, and there's something so old-timey about it. Big fan.

3. Transporter - Oil fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot2RkUSRjmg

Tbf I get a little bit homoerotic about Statham regularly, and this scene features him literally dripping in oil, so draw your own conclusions. HOWEVER, the single best thing about this sequence was being unafraid to have him putting on bicycle pedals to use as ice skates, because there's a nod to the really old MA films there - the silliness of Monkey while still exhibiting serious technique.

Honourable mention:

Daredevil: Corridor fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV1Vzn6xwqQ

Not a film, but I'll accept something when it's of this quality. Silvera choreographed this, which makes a lot of sense - Dark Knight rises was him, so that fluidity is there. But the two obvious things that make this scene perfect are the continuous-shot, run-on-rails camera work and the brilliance of watching DD grow tired. The kicks off the wall to throw a punch, the hits that take him down as much as anyone else. It's just phenomenal. Season 2's stairwell fight came close to hitting this high, but for me it was just a shock to watch it the first time around. Pure class.

Anyway my work starts now so i'll just leave this all here for you to ridicule me. But if you have any fight scenes to contribute I will watch the lot of 'em later.