This article was produced on behalf of Home Leisure Direct – suppliers of pool tables, jukeboxes, arcade machines and many other barroom accessories.
The film industry has several win/win combinations; think car chases, murder scenes etc. But one of the most iconic and most loved is the bar fight. Since the birth of film, bar fights have been instrumental in engaging the audience and entertaining lovers of violence across the globe. Here’s a list of the top 10 bar fights in cinema.
Terminator
1984 may seem like a long time ago, but the first Terminator film is still an absolute classic. This scene symbolises everything that was right about the film: Arnie, guns, bars, fights and Arnie’s guns (muscles). It may seem a little out-dated, low budget and poorly acted, but for films lovers, this has all the hallmarks of a cult classic and oozes with 80′s style.
Watch the Terminator bar fight
Terminator II
Unlike most sequels, the next Terminator film was a fierce match to the impact of the original. Not only was the budget much bigger, but it also had a decent plot, a few sub stories and a lot of character depth to keep it interesting. The second instalment is a proud successor to the original movie and Arnie’s switch to a good guy opened it up to a much wider audience.
In this scene, an in-the-buff Arnie strolls into a dingy biker bar in search of clothes, boots and a motorcycle. After a game of pool is interrupted by the naked cyborg, a bar fight of epic proportions entails. One chap gets a knife through his back, attaching him to the pool table, while another biker gets thrown onto a burning hob. Although in retrospect, a fight of this calibre wouldn’t be out of place in a biker bar.
Universal Solider
Yet more cyborgs – although not quite in the same league as the Terminator franchise. However, when you consider Roland Emmerich’s latest efforts (2012, Day After Tomorrow); this one certainly comes up trumps. Like all films starring the muscles from Brussels, you pretty much know from the outset that a Jean-Claude Van Damme film isn’t going to feature the acting prowess of Robert DeNiro. What you will get however is plenty of action, death, muscles, some more muscles, terrible accents and even more muscles. Universal Solider, released in 1992, sticks to these design principles and even manages to get in a proper good bar fight scene, too.
With Dolph Lundgren – that guy from Rocky IV – adding to the muscle power, Universal Solider is perfect for the ‘bad acting, plenty of low budget action’ film fan. One thing that screams out when watching this is clip is why are they taking Van Damme on one-by-one? Surely that’s just the wrong way to do it.
Watch the Universal Soldier bar fight.
Out for Justice
Speaking of actors who fight a lot better than they act, Out for Justice stars Steven Seagal as a tough nut with a Brooklyn accent – only, the accent is about as convincing as his abilities as an emotional actor. Throwing his weight around as usual, Seagal almost comes across like the local hard nut you try and avoid eye contact with. He defends oncoming pool cues and fists, and throws people around left, right and centre; all the while looking as wooden as an antique shop. Seagal, despite being a seriously bad actor, is actually one of the most talented and celebrated martial arts experts in the world. He lived in Japan for a large part of his life – which probably explains his love of oriental clothing and Judo chops.
Desperado
This is a seriously manic bar fight for its OTT style and almost cartoonish display of violence – in true Robert Rodriguez fashion. Just look at the blood, guns and amount of make-up Antonio Banderas is wearing. The usage of big guns is superb, and with Banderas’ ability to think of a snappy, witty line just before he kills everyone, it makes for a great scene. There’s just something about Mexican/Latino fighting that works. Perhaps it’s the heat, sweat and oversized clothing. Whatever it is, it gets most people’s heart racing. Banderas is bloody brilliant in this and marked his first big introduction to the mainstream.
Trainspotting
This particular scene is definitely not safe for work because a word involving ‘unt’ is used several times. If you’re safely at home, however, do have a watch. Danny Boyle’s film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting is as gritty as British cinema gets, and one of those triumphs that manages to delight, as well as disturb, on a low budget. This slow motion version of the pub fight depicts the pain delivered in a far more acute manner.
Gone Baby Gone
A film that took many by surprise – because it was actually good – manages to deliver a genuine bar fight off superb quality. Despite being directed by Ben Affleck, the film hit critical acclaim, which was probably due to Morgan Freeman and Casey Affleck’s performances.
The Great Race
Westerns and bar fights go together like peaches and cream. The Great Race displays this ethos perfectly by combining the typical western theme of a bar with the typical western practice of some good old fashion fisticuffs. There may be several dodgy directorial moments, several hints at comedy and a few “why the hell have they put that in” scenes, but The Great Race is still a proper western – and for that, it’s worth a watch.
The War Wagon
John Wayne is a legendary actor in the realm of western cinema, and it would be blasphemy not to include a film starring the giant gun slinger. There is plenty of joy to be had watching this saloon brawl, and the way in which the actors respond to a knuckle sandwich is sheer genius for being so out-dated. Some notable moments include the native Indian being smashed over the head with a glass bottle and the old geezer who wanders in, only to receive a smack to the chops.
Romeo Must Die
This popular modern film starring rappers and other hard people involves a bar fight that is as street as it is ghetto – just look at those neon lights. Perhaps more for the PlayStation generation, this scene features the standard bad guy with super-human martial arts expertise who takes on a room full of people. Starring martial arts expert Jet Li and now deceased RnB superstar Aaliyah, Romeo Must Die is another example of those hyper-kinetic, one-for-the-lads films that were popular during the early 2000s – think Gone in 60 seconds, The Fast and the Furious and Swordfish.
Do you agree with the list? What other classic cinema bar fights should be on the list?
