Well hello there fellow film fight fanatics. It's been a long while hasn't it? I've spent the whole last year reassessing my life after a small little existential crisis hence me not having written any articles. Part of which was because of the repeated burnout I had already been experiencing. Sadly that means I still don't feel up to the task of fully writing out this year-end list either. Hopefully by the end of 2025 I will be? And so for 2024, especially for those of you who thought 2023's listing was extremely long (my god that monstrously lengthy John Wick 4 entry though right?), I won't be giving you the usual choreographic analysis for each ranking but rather simply detailing the movie/show, the exact fight scene in question that was chosen, and some honorable mentions for categorically similar films/series. I won't even be ranking the list as a whole from #12 to #1 but instead just mentioning them in whatever order my pre-conditioned mind happened to put them in.
Many of you may find the categories themselves familiar as they'll still be based on country/medium for the sake of variety and I may have also subconsciously unintentionally placed them in an actual traditional top 12 order without trying to. But I'll leave that for you to decide more than ever. I did actually research each of the 12 contenders and jotted down notes so if you really wanna discuss them with me I'd be happy to indulge you. As is always the case some of these may have had some super limited film festival release but if they only really came out for the rest of us non-festival filmgoers this year, they still count. And hey, on a side note, if y'all actually wanted another fight scene compilation from me then don't worry. I've not completely given up out of fear of the copyright carnage that slaughtered my channel back in 2019. I got something really special coming up in February. Granted copyright doesn't screw that video too that is. But enough crap about unmade future projects. So here's this lazily made maybe somewhat anticipated annual listicle of the Top 12 Fight Scenes of 2024 for your potentially personal pleasure. I hope.
Dune: Part Two
Mainstream Hollywood honorable mentions:
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Killer's Game
Boy Kills World
The Fall Guy
Argylle
The Beekeeper
Weekend in Taipei
The Crow
Kraven the Hunter
Gladiator II
Chief of Station
The Book of Clarence
Dune: Prophecy (not a movie but Dune-related obviously)
Ninja Kamui
Animated honorable mentions:
Wind Breaker
Suicide Squad Isekai
Ranma 1/2
Solo Leveling
Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf
Kengan Ashura Season 2 Part 2
Secret Level
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Kung Fu Panda 4
House of Ninjas
TV/Streaming Series honorable mentions:
The Brothers Sun
The Acolyte
Echo
Halo Season 2
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1 & 2
Black Doves
Dune: Prophecy
Gyeongseong Creature Season 2
The Tyrant
Like a Dragon: Yakuza
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2
Shogun
Life After Fighting
Online/Independent/"Sidestream" Film honorable mentions:
One More Shot
Take Cover
Lights Out
Sixty Minutes
Roadhouse
Jade
Layers of Lies
The Killer
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver
Rebel Moon - The Director's Cut
The Lockdown
Lady Scorpions
Kung Fu Games
Art of Eight Limbs
The Last Kumite
The Smoke Master
Hellhound
Hounds of War
Heart of the Hunter
The Union
Trigger Warning
The Painter
Kill
(specific fight scene chosen not available on YouTube; bathroom brawl)
Indian Film honorable mentions:
Ganapath
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Craak
Yodha
Monkey Man
Brahim Chab related honorable mentions:
Ganapath (final fighter and assistant fight choreographer)
Customs Frontline (antagonist of final fight)
Sons of Rizk 3 (fight coordinator)
My Wife’s Ex (fight coordinator)
The Shadow Strays
Southeast Asian Film honorable mentions:
Farang
Bad Blood/Ke An Danh
578 Magnum
Pendekar Awang
Striking Rescue (Chinese production but starring Southeast Asian Superstar Tony Jaa)
The Roundup: Punishment
(specific fight scene discussed below begins at 3:18)
Korean Film/Series honorable mentions:
Badland Hunters
Officer Blackbelt
Uprising
Gyeongseong Creature Season 2
The Tyrant
Baby Assassins: Nice Days
Japanese Film/Series honorable mentions:
One Percenter
City Hunter
Out
Revolver Lily
Golden Kamuy
House of Ninjas
Like a Dragon: Yakuza
Shogun
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
(specific fight scene chosen not available on YouTube; mid-movie ensemble fight)
Hong Kong/Chinese Film honorable mentions:
A Legend
Customs Frontline
Striking Rescue
The Mob
The Crazy Dad
Second Life
Fury 12 Hours
Hunt the Wicked
The Grey Men
Black Storm
Cruel War
Blade of Fury
Eye for an Eye 2
The Drunken Prodigy
The Wild Blade of Strangers
Curbing Violence
Desperado
To Live Through Death
The Killer (not a Hong Kong/Chinese film but is directed by Hong Kong’s Godfather of Gun Fu John Woo)
100 Yards
(specific fight scene chosen not available on YouTube;
Andy On honorable film mentions:
Fury 12 Hours
Hunt the Wicked
The Grey Men
Cruel War
To Live Through Death
Bangkok Dog
(specific fight scene chosen not available on YouTube; final fight)
No honorable mentions here since all the major independent or Southeast Asian movies were already included above but the closest thing I can offer is to tell you to stay tuned for the 2024 indie fight scene compilation!
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