Favorite Fight Scene

What's your favorite fight scene?

  • Flying Wing (German Mechanic)

    Votes: 33 51.6%
  • Rock Crusher (Thugee)

    Votes: 9 14.1%
  • Tank Fight (Vogel)

    Votes: 15 23.4%
  • Big Damn Ants (Dovchenko)

    Votes: 7 10.9%

  • Total voters
    64

Chewbacca Jones

New member
pellman said:
I don't want to hijack this thread too much but just a couple more words on this.

Opposing the hero is not enough. The hero has to have moral justification to be a hero. But maybe I should start another thread about that.

**I'm not overlooking police, but don't get me started on that.

I think it would make an interesting thread. We can repost are initial comment there. and continue. :hat:
 

Chewbacca Jones

New member
mr.kotcs said:
I just thought of a new reason to put Ants over the flying wing.
In the begining of the fight the mechanic coaxes him down from the wing and wants a fight. Now talk about slow-paced.
In the ant fight however, he gives dovchenko a punch, yells "Get to the river!", and the fight insues.

See, now, to me that's called pacing and set-up. I hate the current tendency in movies to charge into fights, which whiz and whirl like a squirrel on speed. The Mechanic has only one scene, and before the first punch flies, we get a mini-character study and a relationship forms between him and Indy that will inform the rest of the fight. Dovchenko, despite being in the whole movie, comes off as a thug with no personality that just happens to be bigger than the other Russian extras. I'm all for action, but like a little substance with my senseless violence.
 

oki9Sedo

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
Flying wing...great place to stage a fight! What was Indy trying to do with the prayer hands? That was always strange

The same thing he does to Dovchenko in the ant fight....whack him in the face with both hands clenched.
 

JP Jones

New member
Chewbacca Jones said:
See, now, to me that's called pacing and set-up. I hate the current tendency in movies to charge into fights, which whiz and whirl like a squirrel on speed. The Mechanic has only one scene, and before the first punch flies, we get a mini-character study and a relationship forms between him and Indy that will inform the rest of the fight. Dovchenko, despite being in the whole movie, comes off as a thug with no personality that just happens to be bigger than the other Russian extras. I'm all for action, but like a little substance with my senseless violence.
I'm not one to go on an in-depth rant about how I like something better. You are RIGHT in everything you say about the Mini-character study and everything, but IMO those things don't matter when your submerged in a great fight scene.
 

oki9Sedo

New member
pellman said:
The only problem I have with the flying wing scene is ... they didn't establish that he is a bad guy. In fact, he could very well be a good guy.

Here he is, just a regular soldier, responsible for getting a plane ready to fly. And here comes some guy, obviously an enemy of some sort, trying to sabotage the plane. Not only does the mechanic do his duty by stopping the attack but he does so by challenging him to a fair fight. And continues to fight fair when the enemy fights dirty.

I always felt sorry for him.

It is an example of how American films are prejudiced against Germans. If you have a German bad guy, you don't have to establish that he is bad. Being German is enough.

All that aside, I agree that it is a great fight.

Just to be clear, he's not fighting fair to be fair and honourable, he's doing it to patronize Indy. He's like a big bully.

As for whether or not he's a villain, whether he's a nice guy or not, he's fighting on behalf of Nazi Germany. That makes him enough of a villain.
 

The Drifter

New member
oki9Sedo said:
Just to be clear, he's not fighting fair to be fair and honourable, he's doing it to patronize Indy. He's like a big bully.

As for whether or not he's a villain, whether he's a nice guy or not, he's fighting on behalf of Nazi Germany. That makes him enough of a villain.

280.jpg


Look above at those puppy-dog eyes, and that wide-mouthed smile of glee. He thinks he has Indy whipped, but alas the poor chap never knew what was coming for him just a few seconds later.
How can you NOT feel sorry for him?
 

michael

Well-known member
For me it's the Tank fight.

1.) Tank fight
2.) Flying Wing fight
3.) Rock Crusher fight
4.) Big Damn Ants fight

I've always just loved the whole tank fight/sequence. It still has THE best stunt out of all the movies, with the leap onto the tank. So epic. The drama inside the tank with Marcus and Henry, the way Vogel fights so dirty, the way Indy hangs on just by his satchel (and then for his life on the cliff), all the music that accompanies it, just wonderful. And really, does it get any better than Indy just smashing Vogel's face over and over again?
 

Morning Bell

New member
The rock crusher scene takes top spot for me, although the flying wing is a VERY close second. In fact, I liked all of the fights listed in the poll; each one was different and exciting in its own right.
 

Insomniac

New member
FLYING Tank CHASE

Really close one! I love both the tank and the plane.
But I decided that I favored ...
the Flying Tank Chase (y)
Ya know the FTC
 

avidfilmbuff

New member
Now don't get me wrong, I love the fight scenes in the first 3 films, but when I first saw Indy's fight with Dovchenko by the ants, I was just amazed. The fight between Indy and the German mechanic was extremely well done, for it really showed Indy in over his head, and it was in that scene were you can really see the influence that Buster Keaton had in Indy's character. Consequently, it really isn't a fight scene as it is just Indy trying to get away from this guy, this is in no way a criticism as this is what makes the scene unique. The fight with the thugee overseer is also well done, but I was always a little disappointed that Harrison's back injury prevented him from filming the entire fight scene himself. The fight with Vogel isn't really brought into the main focus as the scene has far more emphasis to Indy trying to survive on the tank, not to mention Vogel isn't nearly strong enough to pose a real challenge to Indy. What I really loved about the fight with Dovchenko is that he was far more in the middle between Pat Roach and Vogel when it came to strength. He is obviously much stronger than Vogel and is able to cause an incredible amount of pain and discomfort, but he isn't so strong that Indy isn't able to cause any damage. And consequently, we have a far more frantic and brutal free for all with these two men trading blow after blow. The music playing during the scene really sends chills down one's spine and really caused my heart to beat incessantly. The final blows Indy lays upon Dovchenko holds nothing back, with each blow made even more brutal with Ben Burtt's magnificent punching sound, and a stream of blood dripping out of Dovchenko's mouth. This of course culminates in what has to be one of the most disturbing death scenes in the Indiana Jones films since the scene where Toht's face melts and the scene where the Hindu's heart is ripped out from his chest by Mola Ram, played by a fantastic Amrish Puri. The scene with the German mechanic was a better scene when it comes to portraying Indy in over his head, but the ant fight scene was just a better fight scene overall, and one of Harrison's best action scenes since the Truck Chase in Raiders of The Lost Ark.
 
I liked the Dovchenko fight but I can't help but obsess on Harrison "mouthing" his own sound effects:

Bam bam bam bam...

It's as though the used cuts from rehersal footage.
 

avidfilmbuff

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
I liked the Dovchenko fight but I can't help but obsess on Harrison "mouthing" his own sound effects:

Bam bam bam bam...

It's as though the used cuts from rehersal footage.

I've never noticed this before, at what point can you tell he does this?
 
avidfilmbuff said:
I've never noticed this before, at what point can you tell he does this?

Before he goes down to the ants, it's not to hard to find/notice, (now that you're looking for it) be carefull you'll never be able to go back!
 

Montana Smith

Active member
avidfilmbuff said:
The fight between Indy and the German mechanic was extremely well done, for it really showed Indy in over his head, and it was in that scene were you can really see the influence that Buster Keaton had in Indy's character. Consequently, it really isn't a fight scene as it is just Indy trying to get away from this guy, this is in no way a criticism as this is what makes the scene unique.

I'd pick the German Mechanic fight because it does have that comedic, character building aspect. Indy's in grave danger, he's fighting for his life, yet it's also funny. I love the moment Indy gets hit and he just falls back on his butt with a look of complete shock on his face. This is vulnerable Indy, rather that super-hero Indy, but then he's always using his intelligence to overcome greater odds.
 

Peru1936

New member
pellman said:
The only problem I have with the flying wing scene is ... they didn't establish that he is a bad guy. In fact, he could very well be a good guy.

Here he is, just a regular soldier, responsible for getting a plane ready to fly. And here comes some guy, obviously an enemy of some sort, trying to sabotage the plane. Not only does the mechanic do his duty by stopping the attack but he does so by challenging him to a fair fight. And continues to fight fair when the enemy fights dirty.

I always felt sorry for him.

It is an example of how American films are prejudiced against Germans. If you have a German bad guy, you don't have to establish that he is bad. Being German is enough.

All that aside, I agree that it is a great fight.

I think you're confusing German bad guys with Nazi bad guys.

Anyway, I also went with the flying wing fight. It's great. There's the element of imperative timing involved where Indy has to get to the Ark. That whole scene had me on the edge of my seat as a kid. And then it leads right into one of the greatest chase scenes of all time. Brilliant. Only the rock crusher fight scene has a respectable follow up scene that challanges it.

With that said, I like the atmosphere of the rock crusher fight, especially with Shorty's involvement in taking out the prince and his doll (I refuse to call it a voodoo doll; there are no voodoo dolls in India!:mad:).

The big damn ants scene is good stuff, too. I love it when Indy gets a double up on Dovchenko and spins himself back on to him; he looks both ways, disoriented (in such a charmingly hilarious way that only Indy can deliver) and turns to give Dovenchko a right cross, when Dovchenko falls on his arse. Great Indy. Just the same, I think they're first fight, though be it shorter, is better.

The only thing that has always bothered me about the tank fight scene is when Indy gets his strap caught on the cannon. It would have been physically impossible for that to happen the way it is shown (I love suspending my disbelief for the plots, but something like that is just lazy writing). Even if it was possible, the way he's hanging there, "trapped" in his bag, he could have easily lifted himself up, pulled his left arm over, and gotten out.
 
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Montana Smith

Active member
Peru1936 said:
I think you're confusing German bad guys with Nazi bad guys.

There were only a few 'Nazis' shown on screen in Raiders: Toht and probably his suited henchmen. Toht displays his party membership by wearing the little enamel pin badge on his jacket.

Dietrich and the other German soldiers were all regular army, and thus forbidden by their Wehrmacht high command to join the National Socialist German Workers Party. This concession/denial to the army was only overturned after the Stauffenberg bomb plot of 1944.

However, that doesn't prevent the soldiers from being Nazi sympathizers.

All the Germans in Raiders are fair game for Indy purely because in following Dietrich's orders they will bring the Ark to the Fuehrer. And that will spell disaster for the free world.

It is obvious that Pat Roach's mechanic takes great pleasure in giving Indy a beating. He wasn't enacting an arrest of an intruder, there is sheer delight in his eyes. He's the sort of guy who will pick fights for the fun of it, and is likely given a fair amount of respect by his comrades (who might also feel the weight of his fists).

What I like about the fight is that Indy is so outclassed in weight and strength. He's like the comedy boxer that runs round the ring in order to tire out his opponent. He resorts to every dirty trick in order to survive, and who wouldn't?

Dovchenko was also a much stronger opponent. He might not have been as bulky as Pat Roach, but the actor was a former member of the Cirque du Soleil, and they know how to use their strength. On the rocket sled Indy is all but strangled to death, but was saved by starting the rocket, just as he was saved by the flying wing's propellers. It's much more fun to have this sort of hero, than a Schwazenegger-style superman who simply bulldozes his way through legions of enemies.
 
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