The best action movies are the ones that push boundaries, and there have been plenty of recent examples of this.

Incidentally, streaming services such as Netflix have been hugely important in changing the way audiences interact with the action genre, starting multiple big-budget franchises that are perfect for at-home viewing. Movies like Extraction have become some of Netflix’s best-performing movies thanks to their fast-paced storytelling that doesn’t demand too much attention or investment to enjoy. All of these movies have progressed action cinema in some way, starting trends that have quickly been picked up and incorporated into other entries in the genre.

This Is Perhaps The Single Greatest Fight Scene In Any Movie

Oldboy Has A Brilliant One-Shot Fight Sequence

Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy tells the story of a violent man who’s been held captive for several years, who finds himself suddenly released and forced to uncover the identity of his captor using just a cell phone and some money. The movie features an incredibly memorable hallway fight scene in which Choi Min-sik’s protagonist takes down a swarm of attackers in an enclosed corridor. The sequence is filmed like a side-scrolling video game, focusing solely on the main character as he takes down the entire gang with some makeshift weapons and well-timed dodges.

What’s so impressive about Oldboy’s hallway fight scene, beyond the delicate choreography and stunt work, is the energy that Park Chan-wook manages to create on the screen. There’s an incredible amount of tension and apprehension that leads up to the sequence, making that first punch even more satisfying. The fight also feels extremely real and authentic; the character doesn’t have any game-changing superpowers, but rather he takes several dangerous hits before ultimately coming out on top. This helps build the tension even further and immerse the audience in the moment.

Action Cinema Wouldn't Be The Same Without Oldboy

The Movie Has Influenced The Most Successful Action Movies

Oldboy was undeniably one of the most influential action movies of the early 2000s, and many of today’s most popular films were clearly inspired by its fluid direction and energetic filmmaking. The first John Wick movie is an obvious example, with similarly dynamic fights that have the protagonist bleeding on his knees before unleashing some brutal kills with unconventional weapons. John Wick’s violent deaths are clearly inspired by Oldboy, and in turn, they inspired many other projects that followed.

Additionally, Oldboy has notably inspired some of the MCU’s most prolific fight scenes, from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s hallway rumble to Daredevil’s many alleyway brawls. It was one of the first examples of such a tightly confined fight that also managed to feel spacious and alive, which was all done through Chan-wook’s energetic direction. Another great example is the elevator fight in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which feels like a much crisper and brighter example of the same idea.

What Are The Other All-Time Great Action Movie Fight Scenes?

Oldboy Isn't The Only Action Movie To Push Boundaries

Throughout the years, there have been many incredible cinematic fight scenes that pushed the boundaries of what movies could do. Classic adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Mummy perfectly demonstrated how to capture the electricity of hand-to-hand combat, while projects such as Braveheart and Gladiator later shifted towards a much grander, orchestrated type of fight scene that included hundreds of background extras and stunt doubles. This trend was especially present in historical and fantasy epics, with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers having perhaps the most iconic example with the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

In recent years, there’s been a more evident shift towards tighter, intricate fight sequences that use sharp camera movements to capture the energy of the combat.

In recent years, there’s been a more evident shift towards tighter, intricate fight sequences that use sharp camera movements to capture the energy of the combat. This started with scenes like the home invasion in John Wick, and later manifested in action movies such as Nobody and Atomic Blonde. Both of these movies have fierce, bloody fight sequences that use enclosed locations to increase tension and allow their protagonists to interact with their environment in unique ways.