Arnold Schwarzenegger: The 5 Best & 5 Worst Fight Scenes Of His Career, Ranked

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an undisputed titan when it comes to 20th-century action. A highly bankable star for his time, the Austrian-origin bodybuilder earned millions with cult classics like The Terminator, Total Recall, Commando, Predator, and so on. All of these films featured notable fight sequences that more than often ended with hyperviolent results and quotable one-liners.

Despite him being a part of some well-choreographed action hits, the actor has had his share of laughable action scenes that might seem dated by modern standards. However, even his worst cinematic fights end up being iconic for some reason or the other.

10 Best: Mall Brawl (Commando)

Popularly referred to as the ‘Mall Brawl,’ this scene from Commando—one of the more underrated action films of the ’80s—captures the very essence of Arnold Schwarzenneger’s ‘one-man army’ persona.

John Matrix is desperately searching for his missing daughter who got abducted by the mercenary Benett. As he finds some of Benett’s henchmen in a shopping mall, Matrix’s rage knows no bounds. Apart from lifting an entire phonebooth and throwing it on the ground, the hero also jumps from the mall’s top floor and lands on the top of an elevator headed for the lower levels. Several armed policemen arrive at the scene, but he overpowers them with his bare hands.

9 Worst: Fighting A Man-Ape (Conan The Destroyer)

The sequel to Conan The Barbarian was a high point in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s early career, but some of its fight scenes might serve as guilty pleasures in modern-day standards. For instance, when Conan visits the heavily-mirrored crystal palace, he confronts the Man-Ape and sorcerer known as Toth-Amon.

Apart from the Man-Ape’s makeup, Conan’s exaggerated expressions add to the unintentional humor of the scene. The trick to defeating the enemy is also fairly simple, as, when Conan breaks a mirror, he realizes it directly injures the Man-Ape. After figuring out this connection, he just smashes all mirrors until the creature returns to his human form.

8 Best: Alleyway Beatdown (Total Recall)

After a mind-altering memory implant sets off the events of one of the ’80s most cerebral sci-fi films, Douglas Quaid meets a stranger who claims to be an old friend. A confused Quaid tries avoiding him only to be surrounded by three more unknown assailants. Held at gunpoint, Quaid is asked about “a trip to Mars” of which he has no memory.

Even though his hands are restrained, Quaid lifts both of his legs for a kick. Once freed from their clutches, violent savagery follows. Necks are snapped, and blood is sprayed on the walls. The fast-paced brawl plays out smoothly and is significant to show the brainwashed Quaid’s survival instinct.

7 Worst: Bear Fight (Hercules In New York)

Hercules In New York marked Schwarzenegger’s cinematic debut. So, it’s quite natural to assume that this might not be his best film. But, as mentioned before, some of his worst films also turn out to memorable.

The divine Hercules is trying to adjust to human society and has a seemingly normal day. He’s riding a carriage with his girlfriend until they sight a bear at a park. In a flash, Hercules charges at the bear. What follows is a hilarious wrestling match of sorts with Schwarzenegger’s Hercules suffocating the bear to death. The campy fight, the bear-costume, and the strangely merry background music make the scene all the more cryptic.

6 Best: T-800’s Arrival (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

As the Model 101 T-800, played by Schwarzenneger, is sent to the past, he arrives with a naked humanoid exoskeleton. He coldly walks into a bar and scans everyone to find a perfect match whose clothes he can steal. When he finally finds a bearded biker, he demands to have his clothes, boots, and motorcycle. The biker laughs mockingly and says, “you forgot to say ‘please.'”

This condescending attitude doesn’t suit the Terminator, who proceeds to attack everyone in his vicinity. After damaging the bar, he casually walks out as the song “Bad To The Bone” starts playing. Not only is it one of the best fight scenes in T2, but it also shows the action star’s charm.

5 Worst: Fists On Deck (Hercules In New York)

In yet another hilarious fight scene from Hercules In New York, the titular protagonist fights a group of men who refuse to believe that he’s the “son of Zeus.”On a ship headed to America, Hercules punches, kicks, and throws them all over the deck.

The camera shifts in absurd angles, incorporating an aerial view, lower shots, and even a first-person viewpoint. For the latter, one can see Hercules’s viewpoint as he clenches his fist and looks at a terrified man who begs for mercy. All in all, this is definitely one of the most bizarre fight scenes in cinematic history.

4 Best: Buzzsaw’s Death (The Running Man)

In the satirical and gory world of The Running Man, people are pitted against each other for the entertainment of the elites. In the titular televised contest, the ‘stalker’ Buzzsaw ties the ‘runner’ Ben Richards to his bike. After being dragged for a few seconds, Richards manages to untie himself and pins Buzzsaw to the ground.

As is evident from his name, Buzzsaw wields a power saw as his main weapon. After a close one-on-one fight, Schwarzenneger’s Richards manages to get hold of the saw and brutally bisects him as Buzzsaw squeals in pain. It’s easily one of Schwarzenegger’s best-ever movie kills.

3 Worst: Gladiator Fight (Conan The Barbarian)

Early in the movie, Conan is trained to become a gladiator. He’s pitted against other fighters against his will, but his muscular physique allows him to overpower every adversary. In the initial minutes of the film, Conan is shown to be fighting a masked gladiator who punches him in the stomach and grabs his neck until it bleeds.

Eventually, Conan does fight back and emerge victoriously, but it’s his yells and groans that would distract the viewer from the intensity of the fight. These screams would be a recurring part of Schwarzenegger’s overacting in other classics like Total Recall and Predator.

2 Best: Dutch Vs. The Predator (Predator)

Predator‘s dramatic climax finds Dutch Schaefer as the lone survivor in a forest as his peers are all hunted down by the titular villain. Realizing that he can’t fight the Predator on his own, Dutch devises various booby traps with counterweights, one of which ultimately crushes the Predator.

However, the alien’s death is preceded by heavy hand-to-hand combat as it removes its helmet and gives up its energy weapon, eager to defeat Dutch in an equal fight. The exhausted Dutch seems to lose this fight, but the trap comes in handy. After defeating the creature, Dutch runs to safety as the Predator self-destructs.

1 Worst: Pops Vs. T-800 (Terminator: Genisys)

Terminator: Genisys opens with an aged T-800 referred to as ‘Pops.’ When Pops confronts an antagonistic T-800 in a scenario from the past, it’s revealed that a highly-skilled Sarah Conner is also assisting him in this mission.

In a dramatic fashion, Pops charges with a shotgun and proclaims “I’ve been waiting for you.” If one is to follow the canon of the first two films, the shotgun bullets would definitely knock down the T-800 for a few seconds. But, this doesn’t happen, and T-800 gains the upper hand in the battle. It’s only after a whole minute that Sarah finally snipes him, implying that she was never in position. If the duo were waiting for the enemy for so long, they could have definitely relied on better planning.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(736 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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