Gonna go ahead and pick a couple of brutes for my next two.
There are films which contain fights, and films that are all about the fights. These next two choices fall unequivocally into the latter section and they stand out because they have the most VORP of any fights within that section.
Round 3 Pick 7:
The Raid: Mad Dog vs the brothers
(FAIR WARNING: Scene contains a particularly graphic throat slit which you might not want to watch)
I always think that there’s something slightly absurd about long, convoluted martial arts choreography. This lends itself well to Jackie Chan style movies but often seems comically out of place when taken too seriously.
This fight takes itself seriously.
Even so, the scene is so brilliantly executed that it approaches a level of realism which makes it utterly compelling throughout. It’s still at its best when the guys are just brutally thumping lumps out of each other though and there’s well…plenty of that.
I myself am particularly fond of Mad Dog’s head. He’s just a fantastically menacing villain and here he’s at his most menacing.
Basic scene setup: Bloke in Chains is our fresh faced hero’s brother. Mad Dog is obviously the torturer. That’s all you need to know really.