The Best Action Scene / Sequence of ALL TIME! - Blu-ray Forum

levcore · 01-28-2022, 06:50 AM

What is your all time favourite action scene/ sequence and why?

Markgway · 01-28-2022, 07:02 AM

DR Herbert West · 01-28-2022, 07:03 AM

Eagles612 · 01-28-2022, 07:28 AM

morris_schaffer · 01-28-2022, 07:30 AM

I can name a few but you're asking for one so probably...

Why this one? So many aspects.

Michael Kamen was one of the best action composers of all time, here in peak form. Jan de Bont was one of the best action cinematographers of all time.
I love the approach of the helicopters, shot for real in century city with multiple cameras setup, it was a bonefide one shot deal apparently because the window they got to film this was super small.
I love how there is nothing gimmicky about this entire movie, it doesn't hinge on a MacGuffin, it's not about showing off, but is about real flesh and blood humans in real peril and still totally a high concept idea. And it's palpable, never bombastic or exagerated.
it saves its most explosive scenes for the climax which is how it should be (some actioners blow their wad early). The pace of the movie is just great.
everything that happens in this movie is because it was orchestrated by one of the best bad guys ever and you know that when this scene is done, there is still Hans to deal with.
I love how real it all feels despite the mayhem despite some scenes being miniatures. I love the shot when the roof blows and we see the explosion from within the helicopter like they're truly enveloped by the fire, or the quick establishing shot from far away with the top of the building on fire, a similar shot was earlier in the flick when Thornberg's van was driving towards the McClane household. Or the pan-up at 2:56 which drives the point home that this is all happening within the same scene, it just makes it so real.
And how logical. Ebert hated the Robinson cop character but Dwayne T. Robinson actually had a good point. What if McClane was a bad guy? So I love that moment when the chopper pilot points out they've got a terrorist shooting up the hostages which makes perfect sense. If you can write the movie in such a way that even the good guys are legit antagonists, then that just piles on the thrills and spills, in a totally genuine way.
"We're gonna need more FBI guys I guess"

Michael24 · 01-28-2022, 07:30 AM

My all-time favorite:

Rzzzz · 01-28-2022, 07:50 AM

This was easy for me...

No CGI, just a lot of talent and a lot of guts. They don't make 'em like they used to....

CreasyBear · 01-28-2022, 09:27 AM

I'm going to break this up into best action sequence and best fight sequence.

Best overall action sequence.

There are a lot of amazing action sequences, but this one combines so many techniques, including FLYING A HELICOPTER UNDER AN INTERSTATE OVERPASS! Fiedel's music, the stunts, and editing all create an incredibly suspenseful and masterful action sequence that never forgets the stakes and personal danger of characters we love.

Best fight sequence.

Hands down my favorite Jackie Chan fight sequence, which pretty much by default makes it my favorite action sequence. Everything that Jackie does best is here in spades, along with Benny the Jet being a totally worthy foe. Like all the best fight sequences, it tells a story, is intense and hard hitting, and funny too!

CyberpunkCentral · 01-28-2022, 09:42 AM

Y'all kid right?

Nothing tops this...

CreasyBear · 01-28-2022, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

Y'all kid right?

Nothing tops this...

Operation Condor (1991): Yamaha DT200R Chase Scene - YouTube

Among Jackie chases, I put Police Story 3 at the top.

MagellanvsHimself · 01-28-2022, 11:57 AM

John1701D · 01-28-2022, 12:00 PM

morris_schaffer · 01-28-2022, 12:04 PM

I'm going to be that guy. I admire Jackie Chan stunts more than I'm emotionally or viscerally invested in them. Sure, when it's slapstick fights, then it's another beast altogether, but in terms of his serious stunt work, although there have been a few that I certainly did enjoy and found superficially thrilling, it just adds very little knowing he's doing this for real and there's no stunt guy. Moreover, a lot of his action scenes are part of movies that are usually so ramshackle in terms of story or convincing bad guys that there is little for me to latch onto emotionally. Police Story 3, insane stuntwork towards the end and fun, but nearly everything before that is so generic, awkward and barely coherent that I'm never really on the edge of my seat. Most of the scenes mentioned in this thread so far beat any Jackie Chan stunt hands down for me personally because the movies they're from are legit great top to bottom. But I get why Chan is making an appearance here, in a way it makes sense and seems fair.

CreasyBear · 01-28-2022, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morris_schaffer

I'm going to be that guy. I admire Jackie Chan stunts more than I'm emotionally or viscerally invested in them. Sure, when it's slapstick fights, then it's another beast altogether, but in terms of his serious stunt work, although there have been a few that I certainly did enjoy and found superficially thrilling, it just adds very little knowing he's doing this for real and there's no stunt guy. Moreover, a lot of his action scenes are part of movies that are usually so ramshackle in terms of story or convincing bad guys that there is little for me to latch onto emotionally. Police Story 3, insane stuntwork towards the end and fun, but nearly everything before that is so generic, awkward and barely coherent that I'm never really on the edge of my seat. Most of the scenes mentioned in this thread so far beat any Jackie Chan stunt hands down for me personally because the movies they're from are legit great top to bottom. But I get why Chan is making an appearance here, in a way it makes sense and seems fair.

The films being so off the wall is part of the appeal. They're rarely trying to be suspenseful and super intense in the vein of Die Hard or T2. They're playful and kinetic and surprising and funny. His 80's stuff is genius. Wheels on Meals is my personal favorite. Everything gelled together with that one. Even the scenes that aren't fight or stunt sequences are hilarious and the character dynamics are terrific.

morris_schaffer · 01-28-2022, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

The films being so off the wall is part of the appeal. They're rarely trying to be suspenseful and super intense in the vein of Die Hard or T2. They're playful and kinetic and surprising and funny. His 80's stuff is genius. Wheels on Meals is my personal favorite. Everything gelled together with that one. Even the scenes that aren't fight or stunt sequences are hilarious and the character dynamics are terrific.

They're sometimes feeling like more serious cop movies and even then I find them tonally a bit hit and miss, entirely unfunny and very awkward rather than something that was meant to be as it was and it was all part of a big plan.

But you are right that action scenes can be all kinds of different things and should not all be cut from the same cloth. And in some Chan movies I legit feel this is the direction they wanted to go in, in others, well, I'm considerably less engaged.

Markgway · 01-28-2022, 12:33 PM

Oh, this thread was meant to be serious...?

In that case...

CreasyBear · 01-28-2022, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markgway

Oh, this thread was meant to be serious...?

In that case...

Hard Target | Final Shootout with Jean-Claude Van Damme - YouTube

This gif owns every film in this thread.

Pondosinatra · 01-28-2022, 01:13 PM

spaceball-one · 01-28-2022, 01:11 PM

A tie, between:

and:

bladerunner6 · 01-29-2022, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaceball-one

A tie, between:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0VwHDRMq3s

and:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8deRYotdng

I just rewatched FRWL and no doubt about it, that fight scene leaves me breathless.

01-28-2022, 06:50 AM	#1
levcore Blu-ray Grand Duke Member since:Jun 2011 Location:Dryland 4K collection:306 Blu-ray collection:2617 Trading Score:3	The Best Action Scene / Sequence of ALL TIME! What is your all time favourite action scene/ sequence and why?

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01-28-2022, 12:04 PM	#13
morris_schaffer Power Member Member since:Aug 2017 Location:Belgium 4K collection:151 Blu-ray collection:413 DVD collection:74	I'm going to be that guy. I admire Jackie Chan stunts more than I'm emotionally or viscerally invested in them. Sure, when it's slapstick fights, then it's another beast altogether, but in terms of his serious stunt work, although there have been a few that I certainly did enjoy and found superficially thrilling, it just adds very little knowing he's doing this for real and there's no stunt guy. Moreover, a lot of his action scenes are part of movies that are usually so ramshackle in terms of story or convincing bad guys that there is little for me to latch onto emotionally. Police Story 3, insane stuntwork towards the end and fun, but nearly everything before that is so generic, awkward and barely coherent that I'm never really on the edge of my seat. Most of the scenes mentioned in this thread so far beat any Jackie Chan stunt hands down for me personally because the movies they're from are legit great top to bottom. But I get why Chan is making an appearance here, in a way it makes sense and seems fair.

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