The 10 Best One-On-One Movie Fight Scenes, According To Reddit

There have been numerous examples of one-on-one fight scenes in movies. Even some war movies that have a massive scope contain at least one scene where the battle is just between two people. It can happen in any genre when tensions boil between two characters to the point things erupt physically. Some characters are old friends, while others are perfect strangers, but they come to blows.

If looking to Reddit for suggestions, movie lovers will find some surprising examples. Whether they’re mentioned frequently or praise is particularly strong, Reddit users know which one-on-one movie fisticuffs stand out the most.

Indy Vs The Swordsman — Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

When it comes time for Indiana Jones to get into a sword battle, he instead quickly draws his gun and shoots. The reason behind this was a behind-the-scenes issue: Harrison Ford and many crew members had contracted dysentery. It worked out for the best, as the scene stands as one of the film’s best comedic bits.

As one Redditor put it, “Indy versus Scimitar guy. Scimitar guy does all this ornate pre-fight intimidation with his sword and Indy just casually pulls out his gun and shoots him. None of this is overly elaborate …”

John Bennett Vs Ted — Ted (2012)

Like with all great friendships, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (Seth MacFarlane) have their ups and downs. One particular down involves a man-on-teddy fight in a hotel room. It’s a strong comedic scene that makes great use of the CGI that brings Ted to life.

Redditor BangBang00 wrote, “I should take this more seriously but I can’t help but to think of Mark Wahlberg vs. Ted from the movie Ted whenever I think of fight scenes …”

Several Battles In The Star Wars Movies

On a thread looking for the best one-on-one fight scenes in movies, Mashington14 added several from the Star Wars films: “Luke vs Vader, Anakin vs Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan vs Maul, Obi-Wan vs General Grievous, or my favorite, Mace Windu vs Palpatine. Say what you will about the prequels, but most of the fights are awesome.”

The Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan vs Maul fight doesn’t count, even if it is one scene that made fans like the whole movie even more. There are later chunks where Maul fights one then the other, but most of the fight is two on one.

H.I. McDunnough Vs Gale Snoats — Raising Arizona (1987)

The Coen brothers’ farcical comedy Raising Arizona features a suitably gonzo performance from Nicolas Cage as H. I. McDunnough, a robber short in the smarts department. Unfortunately, he made acquaintances while in jail, two of whom (John Goodman and William Forsythe) are on their way to steal his and his wife, Edwina’s (Holly Hunter) new baby. Of course, H. I. and Edwina stole the baby first. Things come to a head when H. I. and Gale Snoats (Goodman) start exchanging blows.

One Redditor phrased it simply: “Nic Cage vs. John Goodman in Raising Arizona.” Redditor TomShoe then commented, “Holy s***, that was John Goodman?”

The Bride Vs O-Ren Ishii — Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies have several scenes where the Bride, one of the best female movie anti-heroes, goes after a member of the assassin team that betrayed her. Some are short, like the Bride vs. Elle Driver in Kill Bill Vol. 2, while some last a little longer, like the Bride’s suburbs-set fight with Vernita Green.

Bigfoot675 wrote of the Tarantino two-parter: “There are so many in the Kill Bill movies.” Mwmani then narrowed it down with: “I’ve always been partial to the snow garden fight at the end of Kill Bill Vol. 1.”  and her fight with O-Ren Ishii is one of her more beautiful scenes throughout the two movies.

Caesar Vs Koba — Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

The third act of Matt Reeves’s phenomenal Dawn of the Planet of the Apes finds Caesar miraculously alive after being betrayed by Koba, who’s taken control and shattered the existing peace between humans and apes. The former friends fight to the death, with Koba receiving just that.

Jwiggler put it simply: “I loved it.” Then, a few Redditors started quoting the movie. Mr_popcorn wrote “Koba no ape.” while a now-deleted user wrote, “Caesar weak. Koba weaker…”

Captain America Vs The Winter Soldier — Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

As one of the best MCU films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier does a lot of things very well. Towards the top of the list is the fluidity of its scenes, where characters move at a rapid-fire pace yet the series of images are never anything less than coherent.

ShewantstheDefense felt that “the Captain America/Winter Soldier fight scenes were very impressive. Could almost feel the weight/force behind some of those hits.” RhettS was one of several Redditors who agreed with the scene’s suggestion. In their words: “Not only that but the speed of the two characters, mixed with the fact that a shield, knife, and pistol can all be used in the same hand to hand fight.”

Martin Blank Vs Felix La Pubelle — Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Grosse Pointe Blank is one of the better movies to feature both John and Joan Cusack. John stars as a depressed hitman who decides to attend his high school reunion to get out of his head a bit … and take out a target.

Darierl brought up the particularly nasty high school reunion fight: “I’ll always remember him killing a guy with a pen, it was brutal, as was the whole fight.” Then, a now-deleted user added “Yes! This is one of the all-time great fight scenes in a Western-made movie, and it works all the better for appearing in a dark comedy…”

George Nada Vs Frank Armitage — They Live (1988)

Even the best sci-fi action movies similar to They Live can’t match up to its alleyway fight scene, which clocks in at nearly six minutes. Punch for punch, it’s both brutal and almost cartoonish. The brawl is so well-choreographed and acted out by Keith David and former professional wrestler Roddy Piper that it manages to both feel its length and breeze by.

On a thread looking for the best fistfight scenes, mjxii suggested John Carpenter’s movie by title. Many other Redditors chimed in on the merits of the scene, but it was 19lins90 who put it perfectly with “I like how every time this gets asked They Live is regarded as the best.”

John McClane Vs Karl Vreski — Die Hard (1988)

In Die Hard, two of Hans Gruber’s main henchmen, Karl and Tony Vreski, give John McClane a major run for his money. Tony dies fairly early on, which only incentivizes Karl to appease his bloodlust further.

TheCurtain512 wrote, “Karl was like the gold standard of the number two bad guy/enforcer,” to which Reinhardt_UNSW replied with, “That actor actually had a very interesting journey to get there.” Redditor Dbcanuck then elaborated on the true story of Alexander Godunov, who portrayed the grieving Karl: “Russian Bolshoi Cold War defector who turned into a Hollywood B-list star … Barishnikov fired him from the American Ballet, some say out of jealousy.”

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Ben Hathaway
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Ben Hathaway is a Senior Writer (Lists) for Screen Rant. A former Therapeutic Day Treatment counselor, Ben is now a career writer. When not working, he is writing and self-publishing (on Amazon) novels under the name Scott Gray. In his spare time, he’s reading on the porch or watching every film under the sun. Ben can be contacted at [email protected].

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