Here we go.  Time for the action junkie to make the hard decision.  Strip down the guns and ammunition, and some are still left with two deadly weapons: fisticuffs.  Well, that and swords.  But a good fight scene isn’t just about big punches and buff dudes, it’s about the choreography and visual style also.  Take movies like Eastern Promises and Bronson for instance, having lawn drawn out fight scenes where the main character is stark naked. Viggo Mortensen just gets right to it, fighting off a hitman in a day spa sauna with his donger flopping around.  That’s dedication.  Then there’s obvious choices like 300, which gorgeously slomos its way through entire battle scenes, slowing down every spurting artery and flying head.  As always, there is the comedy route, which is used in movies like Kung Pow: Enter the Fist where our protagonist fights a martial arts trained cow.  Or look to Oldboy, where the main character fights through a hallway full of thugs, which is made so special by the single, uncut, fluid take chosen by the director.  There are so many great fight scenes out there, I feel like choosing one isn’t fair.  But as of late, my pick goes to:

Kung Fu Hustle

This is just one of the beautifully rendered fight scenes in this martial arts spectacle, but every fight scene is just as good.  Writer/Director/Actor Stephen Chow shows his mastery of the kung fu genre, as he blends comedy and high-flying choreography into every battle.  This is a blast of a movie to watch, but watch it subtitled and not dubbed over.  Focus on the glory of the action, not some crappy english voiceover that distracts from the film.

What about you all, got a favorite fight scene?