These fighting films cover martial arts to street fighting and everything in between (2024)

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Never Back Down (2008)

There aren’t very many fighting movies that are also set in high school, but Never Back Down sits at that unusual intersection. The story follows a frustrated and conflicted teenager named Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) as he arrives at a new school. Of course, the movie takes an interesting turn when he is lured into an underground fighting club and ends up with a personal nemesis that he can only defeat with help from a veteran of mixed martial arts.

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Bloodsport (1988)

If you’re looking for an ’80s action movie with more of a focus on fighting, Bloodsport may fit the bill perfectly. Army Captain Frank Dux goes completely AWOL and travels to Hong Kong to become the champion of a secret martial arts contest. The fights are brutal and there’s no guarantee of survival anytime two people square up. Bloodsportwas one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s breakout roles, and this movie is a great way to dig into the action star’s larger filmography.

Fight Club (1999)

Fight Clubis certainly one of the best David Fincher movies. Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, the film follows some young, aggravated men who decide the best way to solve their problems is to kick the crap out of each other. Thanks to a famous twist ending, Fight Clubis remembered as one of the best movies of the ’90s, and it also features one of Brad Pitt’s best performances. He is somehow charming, disgusting, sexy, and terrifying all at once, commenting on the social expectations and outlooks of young men in a sometimes very meta way.

Real Steel (2011)

Though not your typical boxing movie, Real Steel has all of the elements of a great one but with some added flair from its sci-fi elements. The movie stars Hugh Jackman as a struggling ex-boxer who just so happens to stumble upon some undiscovered talent that he is determined to harness. If this is starting to sound a lot like every other underdog boxing movie, you’re almost right. The main difference with Real Steel is that the undiscovered talent is actually an old, discarded robot that he wants to whip into fighting shape.

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Widely considered one of the best movies of 1973 and one of the best martial arts movies of all time, Enter The Dragon is also the best Bruce Lee movie of all time, and the last complete film he appeared in before his death that same year. With aesthetic cues taken from the James Bond franchise and with the blaxploitation movement just getting started, Lee teams up with James Minton Kelly and John Saxon to take on a criminal empire. Academics have since interpreted the film to be an allegory of post-colonial Asia, but if that’s above your head just sit back and enjoy the gorgeously choreographed fight scenes and sleazy ’70s charm.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Winner of four Oscars, Million Dollar Baby certainly ranks among the best Clint Eastwood movies. The movie is about a veteran boxing trainer named Frankie (Clint Eastwood) who has devoted his life to the ring at the expense of virtually everything else in his life. When Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) walks into his gym demanding a trainer, Frankie refuses on the grounds that he doesn’t think much of women boxing. She won’t take no for an answer; however, and as Frankie turns her into a viable fighter, the two develop an emotional bond that will shape them for the rest of their lives.

The Karate Kid (1984)

Though not quite as intense as UFC fights or other forms of mixed martial arts, karate remains one of the most popular fighting forms in the US. The Karate Kid was a large part of that and has continued to influence the world of fighting movies even decades later. It has even spurred a hugely popular Netflix series, Cobra Kai, which is worth checking out if you were a diehard fan of the original movie.

The Fighter (2010)

Based on the true story of Micky Ward, The Fighter is all about a young boxer struggling to escape the shadow of his older half-sibling. His older brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), who has fallen from greatness due to drugs and crime takes Micky (Mark Wahlberg) on as his student to help him achieve his dreams of greatness. The juxtaposition of a great fighter falling from grace while his younger brother rises through the ranks is a classic story, but the actors in the film make it seem like something entirely unique.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

One of the best Kung Fu movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a timeless feature from Ang Lee that changed what kung fu movies could be. In the film, a young and aristocratic woman named Jen (Ziyi Zhang) works to overthrow the oppression of society by denying her arranged marriage, choosing a life of crime and love instead. Meanwhile, a highly skilled and trained swordmaster named Yu (Michelle Yeoh), devoted to justice and honor, realizes she has let her life pass her by without experiencing her own true love story. This was one of the most highly acclaimed films of its time, winning four Oscars and captivating audiences worldwide when it was first released.

Warrior (2011)

Similar to The Fighter, Warrior is the story of two brothers. When a former marine, Tommy Riordan, returns to his hometown in Pittsburgh, he enlists his recovered alcoholic father to train him for the largest MMA tournament in history. As Tommy makes his way toward the title prize, his estranged brother, a former MMA fighter, also joins the competition. Naturally, the two end up on a collision course with each other and are forced to confront the things that tore them apart.

Ip Man (2008)

If you’re looking for a kung fu movie that is a bit more traditional than a lot of MMA-related films of today, Ip Man is likely to fit the bill perfectly. It should also be noted that the IP Man was in fact a real person and he was actually the original trainer of Bruce Lee. All in all, this film has some of the greatest fight scenes you’ll find and is an essential watch for most fans of big-screen fighting.

Rocky (1976)

Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky is the rough and tough underdog boxer story that still feels fresh more than 40 years after its release. Rocky is a little-known boxer and Philadelphia local who is randomly chosen to fight the heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). To prepare for the fight, he must overcome physical and emotional obstacles he never thought he could tackel. Beautifully written, this film does more than tell a great sports story. It’s a story of personal victory and perhaps the quintessential example of a character defying insanely long odds. While this film is entirely fictional, it does feature some overlap with the greatest boxing matches of all time.

Creed (2015)

Rockyis the kind of triumph that probably should never have been sequelized. When it was, though, it turned into one of the great sports franchises in the history of filmed entertainment. When it came time to reboot it, we can only be grateful that Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan were the team taking over. The first Creedis a genuine triumph, filled with incredible fight choreography and genuinely moving moments, especially from Sly Stallone, who slides into the role of the mentor with delicacy and ease.

The Wrestler (2008)

Telling the story of a long past-his-prime wrestler who tries to settle down and leave the ring behind,The Wrestleris a movie that’s totally unafraid of showing how bruising professional wrestling can be. Not many movies take the antics of these athletes and entertainers seriously, butThe Wrestleroffers a genuinely moving portrait of a man who doesn’t know how to separate who he is as a person from who he is in the ring.

Raging Bull (1980)

One of Robert De Niro’s definitive performances also happens to be a great boxing movie. Telling the story of a middleweight boxer who finds success in the ring, even as he struggles to express himself outside of it, Raging Bullis really an examination of the ways masculinity and anger can destroy your life if you let it.Raging Bullis not always an easy movie to watch, but every moment set in the ring is a genuinely wonderful piece of filmmaking, and up there with the best stuff Martin Scorsese has ever done.

Southpaw (2015)

The plot of Southpaw is pretty conventional, but the performance of Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of Billy Hope is what makes the film memorable. Gyllenhaal excellently portrays the struggles of a man who is trying to keep his head above the water both inside of the ring and outside of it. Marital distress is one of the main themes in the movie.

The Last Duel (2021)

A brutish, harrowing, graphic film,The Last Duelis set in medieval France, and tells the story of the events of the last duel on record from three different perspectives. The duel occurred over allegations made by a knight’s wife that she had been raped. First, we see the film’s events from the knight’s perspective, and then from the accused rapist’s, and finally from the perspective of the woman herself. It all leads up to a final duel that feels genuinely harrowing, and where the outcome is entirely uncertain. Featuring a wonderful ensemble cast,The Last Duelgives us a taste of just how barbaric these duels could get.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Both volumes of Quentin Tarantino’s ode to Hong Kong action movies are worth watching, and each one features a number of outstanding fight sequences. The films tell the story of The Bride, a woman who was left for dead by her former team and vows to get revenge on each of them in turn. Featuring one of the best performances of Uma Thurman’s career, Kill Billcontains some of the most impressive sequences in Tarantino’s entire filmography. It’s a movie about much more than fighting, but that doesn’t mean that the film’s many fights aren’t a highlight.

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