These films hit us where it hurts.

10 high-adrenaline fighting movies that pull no punches

These films hit us where it hurts.

By Declan Gallagher

March 23, 2026 5:00 p.m. ET

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Brad Pitt, Zhang Ziyi, and Robert De Niro put their dukes up. Credit:

Peacock; Sony Pictures Classics; Courtesy: Everett Collection

Fight movies elicit a primal thrill, one that only comes from watching characters push their bodies to the limit. The genre spans several decades and styles, from the balletic brutality of *Enter the Dragon* to the stylish, blood-red vengeance of *Kill Bill* and the emotional resurrection of *Creed*.

These films aren't just about throwing punches; they're about identity, discipline, and the battles we choose (or don't choose) to fight. Whether the action is delivered through martial arts mastery, razor-sharp swordplay, or the raw power of fists in the boxing ring, the best fighting movies combine choreography with character, turning every hit into pure storytelling power.

Each of these movies makes combat feel electric, meaningful, and impossible to look away from. These are **'s picks for the 10 best fighting movies that you can watch right now.

Creed (2015)

Michael B. Jordan carries on Carl Weathers' legacy in 'Creed'. Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros

Sylvester Stallone spearheaded the *Rocky *films, and four decades later he passed it on. His championship years behind him, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is sought out by Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), son of his fallen friend, Apollo Creed. Donnie asks our aging hero to train him as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of the father he never knew.

Ryan Coogler's vibrant, visceral resuscitation of a beloved franchise is easily one of its best installments. More than just a sports movie, *Creed* is an uplifting portrait of using your talent to overcome all the bad breaks and bad decisions that held you back (and made you who you are).

Where to watch *Creed*: Amazon Prime (to rent)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Zhang Ziyi is about to do something super badass in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.

Sony Pictures Classics

A quarter-century after Ang Lee's sumptuous epic took home four Academy Awards, the movie is every bit as breathtaking. After his beloved sword, the Green Destiny, is stolen, a Qing Dynasty-era warrior (Chow-Yun Fat) embarks with his star-crossed beloved (Michelle Yeoh) on a quest to see its safe return.

*Crouching Tiger* revolutionized the way action films were shot, particularly for Western audiences less familiar with its wuxia legacy. Along with *The Matrix*, it's one of the most influential genre movies of the last 30 years. The gravity-defying, balletic action sequences are some of the most exquisite ever lensed.

Where to watch *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*: Amazon Prime (to rent)

How the 'Oldboy' hallway fight influenced a generation of action

Edward Norton defends the bloodlust in ''Fight Club''

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Bruce Lee wins one of his best fights in arguably his best movie, 'Enter the Dragon'.

Courtesy Everett Collection

In what remains his most iconic and enduring role, Bruce Lee commands the screen in Robert Clouse's thundering tale of martial arts and espionage. Mild-mannered instructor Lee is recruited by British intelligence to travel to the private island of villainous Khan (Shih Kien) to expose his dirty deeds.

Lee's skill set — both as an actor and martial artist — was never put to better use than in this brutal exploitation picture. *Enter the Dragon* features two of the most exciting combat sequences ever put to film: the epic dungeon nunchuck battle and the final duel between Lee and Han in a house of mirrors.

Where to watch *Enter the Dragon*: Amazon Prime (to rent)

Fight Club (1999)

Edward Norton is about to do terrible things to Jared Leto's face in 'Fight Club'.

David Fincher's iconic satire flopped on its initial run but quickly developed a cult following in the ensuing years. Edward Norton is "the Narrator," a corporate drone whose life is enlivened when he meets live-wire Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). This not-so-mild-mannered soap salesman and budding anarchist decides to start an underground club where men get their aggression out by pummeling one another.

*Fight Club* could only have been made in the '90s, but it's surprising how well the movie holds up almost 30 years later. In many ways, it plays even better: sharper and more incisive, with a prognostication of what society was to become that's chilling in its accuracy.

Where to watch *Fight Club*: Hulu

The Fighter (2010)

Mark Wahlberg having a wicked tough night in the ring in 'The FIghter'.

Paramount+

David O. Russell's drama about real-life boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) put the filmmaker back on the map after an extended wilderness period. Micky's career is something of a family operation — his manager is his tough-as-nails mother (an Oscar-winning Melissa Leo), and his trainer is hid drug-addict brother, Dicky (an Oscar-winning Christian Bale). Finally connecting with an outsider, a spirited local bartender named Charlene (Amy Adams), helps him put his mind right and seize the courage to chase his bigger dreams.

*The Fighter* is hysterical and tragic, often in equal measure, and perhaps the best representation of O'Russell's ability to imbue fringe ne'er-do-wells with genuine heart.

Where to watch *The Fighter*: Paramount+

Gladiator (2000)

Russell Crowe wields the sword of vengeance in 'Gladiator'.

Paramount+

Ridley Scott's epic of loyalty and deceit stars Russell Crowe as Maximus Meridius, a Roman general hand-picked by Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) to succeed him as emperor. Then all of a sudden, Marcus Aurelius is dead and his bitter son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) has taken the crown for himself — and quickly kills Maximus' whole family. Maximus miraculously survives, reinvents himself as a vengeful gladiator, and fights his way up to the Colosseum, where he's eventually face to face with the object of his righteous fury.

The Best Picture winner remains a stunning sword-and-sandal epic, a rare modern example that can stand alongside 20th century cinematic greats.

Where to watch *Gladiator*: Paramount+

Hero (2002)

Donnie Yen takes out two foes at once in 'Hero'.

Zhang Yimou helmed this beguiling wuxia epic set in ancient China about a nameless assassin (Jet Li) who is, shall we say, an unreliable narrator. He insists he's killed three fellow assassins who wished to assassinate the king, and proceeds to explain how. We see multiple competing versions of what may (or may not) have happened, each told in its own distinct style.

Zhang's epic is short in length but massive in scope. The swordplay is swaggering and old-fashioned while the tone and structure are closer to poetry. If that's not enough, the three rival assassins are none other than Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen, and Tony Leung.

Where to watch *Hero*: Pluto TV

Kill Bill (2003–2004)

The Bride vs. The Crazy 88 in 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' is no contest. Advantage Beatrix. Miramax/Everett

Quentin Tarantino's magnum opus, best seen back to back or in the recently released *Whole Bloody Affair* cut, finds The Bride (Uma Thurman) awakening from a years-long coma and setting out on a mission of revenge for those who put her there. Her saga takes her to the Japanese underworld, the Mojave Desert, and even the American suburbs. And yes, ultimately, to Bill's (David Carradine) doorstep.

Tarantino's epic is a slam-dunk homage to genre filmmaking. The blood-splattered chop-socky thrills of the first volume segue into slower neo-Western rhythms of* Vol. 2*, which providing a long-expected payoff and a well-earned emotional catharsis.

Where to watch *Kill Bill*: Amazon Prime (to rent)

Raging Bull (1980)

Robert De Niro in his second Oscar-winning role, Jake LaMotta in 'Raging Bull.'.

Martin Scorsese's masterful biopic about hot-tempered (to put it mildly) boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) stands as one of the filmmaker's most vital works. Scorsese, in what he called his "suicide film," uses the broad strokes of LaMotta's life — his pursuit of the middleweight title, his bouts against Sugar Ray Robinson, his volatile relationships with wife Vicky (Cathy Moriarty) and his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) — to craft an alarmingly intimate psychological portrait.

The borderline-surreal boxing scenes are unlike any put to film before or since. Never have cinematic fight sequences felt more like punishment than these. And self-punishment is, ultimately, what this immortalized version of LaMotta sought after all.

Where to watch *Raging Bull*: Amazon Prime

Warrior (2011)

Tom Hardy gets into the cage (for noble reasons) in 'Warrior'.

Gavin O'Connor's exceptional MMA picture centers around estranged brothers Tom and Brendan (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, respectively) who enter the same tournament, each for their own noble reasons. Nick Nolte earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the boys' recovering alcoholic father, who knows he has years of sins to make up for.

*Warrior* is genuinely one of the best modern underdog-sports movies. Big-hearted and brutal in equal measure, it does the seemingly impossible by indulging every melodramatic sports-movie trick in the book and landing every one of them. Oh, and the fights are great, too.

Where to watch *Warrior*: Paramount+

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Source: “EW Action”