OK, I know this topic isn't really Bilge Pumps-related (per se), but I felt kind of frivolous today and wanted to share my thoughts on what I think are the on-screen fights in moviedom. Without any further ado, here's the list, in no particular order:

Eric Bana (Hector) vs. Brad Pitt (Achilles) - "Troy" - I really like the fact that they use spears for much of the fight which you don't see much in movies. Also, the styles of Hector and Achilles are markedly different with Achilles fighting like a god would fight.

Jason Statham vs. Bad Guys in oil slick - "The Transporter" - I still smile and laugh when he straps on the bike pedals to his feet and starts to do some damage. It's clever and... well... slick.

Roddy Piper (Nada) vs. Keith David (Frank) - "They Live" - Personally, my favorite of the bunch. Maybe the longest street brawl in movie history. I can watch it over and over.

Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn) vs. Lawrence Makoare (Lurtz) - "Fellowship of the Ring" - Just a flat-out nasty bitch of a sword fight. Short, sweet, and brutal.

Ziyi Zhang (Jen Yu) vs. Michelle Yeoh (Yu Shu Lien) in the temple - "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" - Two of the best female martial artists going at it with a variety or weapons in a very gritty fight. Definitely a contrast to the ballet-like fights in the rest of the movie.

Jackie Chan (Thomas) vs. Benny Urquidez (Thug) - "Wheels on Meals" - A young Jackie against Benny the Jet in a helluva long, nasty, and flashy fight. What I find interesting is that you don't really see any of Jackie's trademark silliness in this fight. It's just a straight up duke-em-out.

Cary Elweys (Dread Pirate Roberts) vs. Mandy Patinkin (Indigo Montoya) - "The Princess Bride" - Great swordfighting and comedy throughout the sequence. One of the things that makes it great is the name-dropping of the great fight masters while the duel is going on.

Uma Thurman (The Bride) vs. the Crazy 88's - "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" - Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves. This is the perfect example of good, old-fashioned, over the top chop-socky goodness. Fountains of blood coupled with good choreography.

Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) & Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) vs. Ray Park (Darth Maul) - "The Phantom Menace" - The fight scene that made jedi, sith lords, and light sabers dangerous. All 3 actors synched it up and got it right. Shame that Darth Maul had to bite it at the end. He would have made the rest of the prequels very interesting if he was still there.

Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) vs. Hayden Christiansen (Darth Vader) - "Revenge of the Sith" - Can't have one without the other. These two dudes went all out in the big mother climax fight of the series. The fight I'd been wanting to see since the early 80's. They didn't disappoint.

Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa) vs. Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago) - "Rocky IV" - It's uplifting and fun in the Rocky tradition. You can't help but root for both guys at the end. Heart, guts, and muscle on display along with a liberal dose of smashed faces. Stallone and Dolph were in their element.

The Rock (Beck) vs. Ernie Reyes (Manito) - "The Rundown" - Personally, I had a good time watching the Rock get his ass kicked for much of this fight. Perversely, I also enjoyed watching him kick ass. Strange. Combine trash talking in Spanish with acrobatic martial arts and you've got a winner.

Val Kilmer (Nick Rivers) vs. Christopher Villiers (Nigel) - "Top Secret!" - I mean, seriously... how do you top an underwater bar fight? This one's been a favorite of mine since before I had favorites.

Mel Gibson (Riggs) & Danny Glover (Murtaugh) vs. Jet Li (Wah Sing Ku) - "Lethal Weapon 4" - The fact that Riggs/Murtaugh show their age and limitations vs a master like Jet Li and can still believably beat him in a fight shows great choreography, acting, and fighting from this trio.

Wesley Snipes (Blade) vs. Luke Goss (Nomak) - "Blade II" - Two super strong dudes doing superhuman things while doing superhuman damage to each other. No amount of concrete shattered by someone's head can be enough. This clip doesn't show the whole fight, but it's all I could find on Youtube.

Uma Thurman (The Bride) vs Darryl Hannah (Elle Driver) - "Kill Bill Vol. 2" - After all of the high-flying fantastical fighting in Kill Bill 1, this fight gets right back down to basic gritty dirty fighting. No quarter given when these two bad-ass chicks go to town on each other. Show's you why you don't sword fight in a trailer.

John Lone (Kinjo) vs Yoshiro Harada (Takeda) - "The Hunted" - The quintessential ninja vs Samurai fight that ends the way you think it would end. Don't confuse this movie "The Hunted" with the other movie with the same name and a good fight...

Tommy Lee Jones (Bonham) vs Benicio del Toro (Hallam) - "The Hunted" - Intense fight that shows you just how deadly a knife fight can be. No fancy moves or high-flying acrobatics. The first one to make a mistake, dies.

Tobey MaGuire (Spider-Man) vs Alfred Molina (Dr. Octopus) - "Spider-Man 2" - This is how a superhero fight should look. Incredible action with lots at stake and a fast pace. There's hardly any let up and the bad guy acts like a bad guy by playing on the hero's morality as a weakness.

Jackie Chan (Wong Fei-hung) vs Ken Lo (John) - "Legend of the Drunken Master" - Jackie taking on his own real-life bodyguard. I like the contrast in linear vs circular styles as well as the Buster Keaton physical comedy that Jackie puts in his moves.

Stephen Chow (Sing) vs Siu-Lung Leung (Beast) and the Axe Gang - "Kung Fu Hustle" - This movie is crammed full of awesome and funny fights, but there's nothing like a good finale. Makes me want to start every fight with a good toe smash.

And just to show there's a pirate in me...

Gina Davis (Morgan) & crew vs Frank Langella (Dog Brown) & crew - "Cutthroat Island" - There were better individual fights in the POTC movies (not to mention they were better movies), but nothing beats the power and pageantry of this ship to ship fight between the two pirate crews. Unfortunately, the only clip I could fin online was of the ending explosion, which doesn't really do the battle justice.

Well, that's about it. There a ton of other great movie fights out there, but these are my personal faves. Lemme know what you think. Maybe I missed some.

Because it's all for me blog. Me jolly jolly blog.
....Maroon