Is there anything more gripping than a good action scene? Be it a cold open into the brutal world of a movie, or the culmination of two hours of tension in a climactic final battle, action has been at the core of cinema since the medium’s birth in the early 20th Century.
What makes an action scene good is subjective and depends on a viewer’s own experience, genre preference, and dozens of other elements, but IMDb has put together a ranking of the 10 Best Action Scenes of All-Time, and it’s a pretty good list.
10. The Revenant – Arikara Attack
The opening scene from The Revenant sets the tone of the movie personally. As the band of trappers are making camp in the woods, they come under attack by the Arikara tribe of Native Americans. Director Alejandro Gonzalez makes masterful use of long takes to keep tensions at a peak whilst arrows silently fly from all directions, and the trappers feel helpless during the ambush.
9. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – The Burj Khalifa
Still referred to by many as Tom Cruise’s best stunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise, the Burj Khalifa scene truly cemented Cruise as an action legend. According to Matt Damon, Cruise had planned the shot for 15 years and wouldn’t let anything get in his way. When the movie’s stunt coordinator said it was too dangerous, Cruise simply brought in another stunt guy to make the shot work, and the results are phenomenal.
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Helm’s Deep
Easily one of the best scenes in the entire trilogy, the Battle for Helm’s Deep has everything you could possibly want from a fantasy battle. Menacing orcs (Urakai)… Check. Banter between an Elf and a Dwarf… Check. Ian McKellan leading a cavalry charge dressed in a white robe… Check. The Battle for Helm’s Deep is perfectly shot, being frequently used by film analysts as an example of a perfect large-scale movie battle.
7. Troy – Hector vs Achilles
Despite what you might think of the overall movie, the brutal one on one fight between Hector and Achilles is one of the coolest duels put to film. The constant raising of stakes keeps the audience engaged as helmets are thrown aside, spears are broken, and short swords are swung with frightening speed and power. The duel between Hector and Achilles is the saving grace of this film.
6. Casino Royal – Miami Airport Chase
Like almost every Bond film, Casino Royal nails its action scenes. While another scene appears later on this list, the Miami Airport Chase is still as entertaining as it is tense. Starting in the airport terminal, Bond chases his target out on to the runway and has to disarm a bomb on a moving fuel truck heading right towards a full passenger plane.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Pelennor Fields
While many fans claim Helm’s Deep to be the best action scene, the Battle of Pelennor Fields takes a higher place on the list, partly due to its higher stakes for the overall plot but also for giving audiences a look at the behemoth Mumakil – the giant elephants. The scene sees the tide of the battle quickly change against the armies of men as their cavalry are quickly crushed by the hulking creatures.
4. Saving Private Ryan – Omaha Beach
The battle for Omaha Beach in Saving Private Ryan is so realistic it has given WWII veterans PTSD attacks during showings of the film. The cold open to the movie, audiences are given a fly-on-the-wall view of one of the most important battles of the Second World War.
3. The Revenant – Bear Attack
This film finally earned DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar. The bear attack from The Revenant is a tense, violent, and personal action scene. It does not involve armies that number in the thousands, just one man helpless to nature and a long, suspenseful one-take shot that refuses to cut while Dicaprio’s Hugh Glass attempts to play dead.
2. Casino Royal – Parkour Chase
Want to know who’s to blame for The Office‘s parkour cold-open? The intense, gravity-defying chase from Casino Royal is the culprit. The scene stars Daniel Craig alongside Sebastien Foucan, a champion free runner and Ninja Warrior contestant. As Bond attempts to hunt done his target, he is taken on a death-defying chase across building sites and a construction crane, having to carefully traverse the terrain while his target effortlessly leaps from building to building.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Attack on Minas Tirith
It’s safe to say IMDb like The Lord of the Rings, and we can’t blame them. The siege of Minas Tirith opens with Sauron’s armies launching human heads over the walls with catapults and only gets more violent from there as soldiers and civilians are crushed under falling buildings. Just as things are getting bad, the wyvern flying Nazgul attack from above, swooping down to clear soldiers from the city’s walls.
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