Often there is little more satisfying than seeing a character in a movie get what they deserve. It’s even more satisfying to see justice delivered through a character’s sheer strength, especially in movies that focus on complex systems of superpowers and magic. It makes things a little more realistic to see a punch done well.
The history of punches in movies goes back to the beginning of movie history. From Clint Eastwood-led westerns to high-budget Marvel blockbusters, punches have been the focus of some of Hollywood’s most iconic scenes. These ten punches in movies are not only surprising, but they are also very memorable in movies full of other types of action and drama.
10 Henry Cavill reloads his fists
When the first trailer for Mission: Impossible – Fallout fell during the 2018 Super Bowl, fans were quick to notice a particular scene featuring Superman himself, Henry Cavill. In the scene, Cavill pumps his arms up before hitting a man in a bathroom next to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. Luckily for those fans, the scene made it into the final movie.
The scene comes when Hunt and Cavill’s character, CIA agent August Walker, infiltrates a nightclub to intervene in an arms deal. They follow their suspect to the men’s room, where an epic fight takes place. Cavill’s reloaded punch is just one of many great suckers thrown into this scene, and is one of the best action sequences in the entire franchise.
9 McLovin tries to buy alcohol
The comedy of 2007 Super bad doesn’t have much action compared to a Mission Impossible movie, but it still has an iconic hit. In one of the early scenes of the film, Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s iconic Fogell enters a liquor store to buy alcohol with a fake ID that calls him McLovin. It’s a plan doomed to fail for protagonists Seth and Evan.
However, McLovin almost gets away with it, until a mugger gives McLovin a surprising and quick blow. Though the teens’ plan goes awry, the blow leads McLovin to meet Slater and Michaels, a pair of cops played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader. The rest of the night turns into a wild ride for this trio, engaging in some pretty outrageous activities.
8 Gipsy Danger’s Rocket Punch
Pacific is a 2013 monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro. It’s an American take on classic kaiju (giant monster) movies, which revolve around a war between humanity and huge undersea monsters. So the movie features major CGI battles between this Kaiju and the human defense line: humanoid mechs known as Jaegers and piloted by human pilots.
The film’s protagonist, Raleigh Beckett, controls a Jaeger known as Gipsy Danger, and is sent out to fight Kaijus throughout the film. In one scene, a souped-up Beckett activates Gipsy Danger’s Elbow Rocket ability, giving the Kaiju a super-powerful blow. It’s quite an iconic, epic moment in an action-packed movie that puts the seats on edge.
7 Gilgamesh in Babylon
There are plenty of great action scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chloe Zhao’s Eternals, however, has some of its most ambitious moments. Centered on a family of immortal aliens sent to Earth to protect it from evolved Deviant monsters, each of the individual Eternals gets their own moment to shine as unstoppable alien warriors.
However, few are as easy to find as Don Lee’s Gilgamesh. During an early flashback scene set in Babylon, the Eternals fight a group of Deviants and protect the citizens of the ancient city. In a moment, Gilgamesh easily sends an enraged Deviant with a casual slap in the face, proving that he is one of the strongest Eternals.
6 Narrator vs Tyler Durden
David Fincher’s 1999 movie fight club contains some pretty raw fight scenes. The film revolves around an unnamed narrator, played by Ed Norton, who starts an underground fight club after meeting an eccentric soap salesman named Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. An early scene in the film finds Tyler coaxing the narrator into a fistfight in a parking lot.
Notoriously, Ed Norton really goes for it and sticks Brad Pitt in the ear. Pitt, in character, wavers from the realistic but painful punch. It’s an iconic, humorous moment in a pretty intense movie, but when it’s later revealed that Tyler Durden is a disconnected personality from the narrator, it begs the question of how the blow happened in the first place.
5 Holly Gennaro vs. News reporter
die hard It may or may not be a Christmas movie, but it’s certainly one of the best action movies of all time. After his wife is kidnapped in a terrorist attack, Bruce Willis’ John McClane doesn’t hold back as he fights to save her. The film features many iconic action scenes that have made McClane one of the greatest action heroes of all time.
However, one particular moment at the end of the film stands out from the rest. After rescuing his wife Holly, played by Bonnie Bedelia, a reporter harasses them as they leave Nakatomi Plaza. Holly Sucker proves she’s not just a damsel in distress and punches the reporter before she and McClane drive off into the sunset.
4 Indiana Jones vs. nazis
The first movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is often considered the best in the series. The film finds Harrison Ford’s iconic archaeologist as he attempts to recover the Ark of the Covenant from a group of Nazis in 1936. The premise of this movie gives Indy more than a few chances to deal some well-deserved damage to Nazis.
In one series, Indy finds herself in a fight with a Nazi mechanic, as his ex-lover Marion. (played by Karen Allen) eliminates Nazi troops with a turret. While the mechanic gets a good pair of socks, Indy takes some satisfying blows, breaking the mechanic’s nose. Fortunately, it is not a blow from Indy that the mechanic takes out, but an airplane propeller.
3 Hermione vs. Draco
The Harry Potter The franchise has no shortage of action, as the series often finds its character in the battle of wizards, casting spells with their wands. A scene in the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanfinds Harry’s friend Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson, who uses a different attack method.
In the scene, Hermione confronts Draco Malfoy after the Slytherin boys harass Hagrid’s Hippogriff. Hermione sticks her wand to Draco’s throat as the arrogant bully cringes in fear. Before letting him go, Hermione punches Draco in the face, and as he runs away, she says to Harry and Ron, “That felt good.”
2 Rocky Beats Apollo
rocky is one of the most iconic sports dramas of all time, but some claim it’s a 1979 sequel, Rocky II, is just as brilliant. After the events of the first film, Rocky is defeated by the legendary Apollo Creed, despite having the girl anyway. In the sequel, the two are involved in a particularly brutal rematch.
In the final round of their climactic fight, they exchange some pretty hard punches. By the end they are bruised, swollen and bloody, but keep going. Rocky finally takes Creed with such a devastating blow that they both fall to the ground. As Creed falls, Rocky can pull himself up before the referee counts to 9, eventually winning the fight.
1 George McFly vs. Biff Tannen
Few movie thrusts are as thrilling as the 1985 climactic moment Back to the future. After playing with his parents’ meet-cute in 1955, time traveler Marty McFly must arrange their own romance. With a school dance coming up, Marty plans on George to slap him in defense of his future wife, Lorraine, and get the girl.
However, when George arrives to mate with Marty, his bully Biff Tannen forces himself on her. It’s a triumphant moment when George’s face falls and the audience can see his fist ball up. He gives Biff a great blow, knocks him out and saves Lorraine, before the two return to the dance and kiss, saving the lives of Marty and his siblings.
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