10 Hilarious Movie Fight Scenes

Ethan and Joel Coen aren’t known for their fight scenes, but in one of their earliest films — the crime comedy Raising Arizona — they do wonders with a battle in a wood-paneled trailer between the desperate H.I. (Nicolas Cage) and the slick-haired escaped convict Gale (John Goodman). When Gale and Evelle (William Forsythe) learn that H.I.’s “son” is actually Nathan Arizona, whose return commands a hefty reward, the fists start swinging right away. H.I.’s defeat comes quickly, but there’s enough time to enjoy some belly laughs.

It seems almost automatic these days for people to instantly proclaim their dislike for anything Seth Rogen is involved in — and James Franco isn’t exactly the least problematic actor in Hollywood these days — but the stoner action flick Pineapple Express remains comedy gold. One of the most deliciously hilarious peaks of the film is Dale (Rogen) and Saul’s (Franco) strange fight with Red (Danny McBride).

Rightly convinced Red is betraying them, Dale takes away the dealer’s phone, prompting Red to throw a glass ashtray at his head like a frisbee. What follows is a bizarre and brutal melee, complete with some of the strangest choices for weaponry (e.g. glass bongs, dust bunnies) ever.

It’s difficult to be both a Marvel fan and a fan of movies in general while at the same time not regretting the studio missing the opportunity to have Edgar Wright direct Ant-Man. Most of his films, particularly the ones in the so-called Cornetto Trilogy, include gloriously action-packed and funny fight scenes and without a doubt one of the best is in The World’s End when, at The Beehive pub, Andy (Nick Frost) ignites an all-out war with the blue-blooded aliens who now rule the town.

Wright’s signature expert use of music, with Silver Bullet’s “20 Seconds to Comply,” serves him well and the fight blatantly comes off more like a dance for much of the melee. Between Andy’s seemingly superhuman barbarism, and Gary’s (Simon Pegg) hilarious frustration with the difficulty of getting a beer while the world goes crazy around him, you won’t stop laughing while the Beehive battle rages.

Perhaps the most random fight scene on this list is the one that erupts when Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and colleagues are confronted by rival news teams in a ridiculous gang fight in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The fight is filled with surprise cameos from the likes of Ben Stiller and Tim Robbins, along with insane weapons like grenades and tridents. It’s the peak of Anchorman‘s particular blend of silly and stupid that will make you either love or hate this film.

The 1999 superhero parody Mystery Men is an underrated gem and the first fight scene between its heroes and the evil (and wonderfully named) Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is beautifully executed. The only reason any of the heroes survive the early tussle is because they manage to keep the villain and his underlings in their stretch limo. Of course we shouldn’t underestimate the value of The Spleen’s (Paul Reubens) gaseous contribution, which keeps the bad guys floundering for a while.

What makes the ritual fight scene toward the end of Big Trouble in Little China so perfectly funny is exactly what will make Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming remake fail. The running joke of the flick is that Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton is no action hero, even though that’s what he thinks he is and how everyone treats him. Appropriately, as the battle begins he unintentionally knocks himself out, leaving Wang (Dennis Dun), Egg Shen (Victor Wong), and the Chang Sing to do all the heavy lifting.

In this case, you’ll forgive us if we don’t include a clip for you. In what is arguably the single most hilarious scene in Borat in which the titular lead (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his producer Azamat (Ken Davitian) stage a ridiculous fight, both completely naked, while racing through a hotel. You’ll laugh, you’ll stop laughing as it just gets uncomfortable, but you will laugh at least a little.

The World’s End couldn’t be the only Edgar Wright film on a list of hilarious fight scenes. Hot Fuzz offers just as worthy a candidate with Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) and Danny (Nick Frost) facing off against the good people of Sandford with guns blazing.

To make a list of funny fight scenes and to not mention Monty Python and the Holy Grail would be enough of a crime to warrant someone getting sacked. In wonderful Monty Python fashion, the duel does nothing to move the story forward. It’s just bloody, hilarious, and utterly perfect.

It’s fitting that we can honor the late Jerry Springer who died this week with his contribution to the Austin Powers franchise. In The Spy Who Shagged Me, Doctor Evil (Mike Myers) and his son Scott (Seth Green) are guests on The Jerry Springer Show. When white supremacist guests who share the stage start making noise, Doctor Evil perfectly starts the same kind of fight the controversial talk show was known for.

Springer eventually throws into the fight scene himself, hanging on to Evil’s leg while the mad scientist yells “He’s biting me! He’s biting me!”