In honour of John Wick's return to the big screen in the spin-off film Ballerina, we’re trading words for fists, falling through cinema’s saloon doors and giving our eye witness accounts of the most bone-crunching, chair-smashing fight scenes of all time.

From the elegance of Chinese Wuxia to the grit of an old school brawl, the power of martial arts legends to the visual timing of a comedy icon, we explore how the on-screen punch up has evolved and what makes great big screen fisticuffs.

Tighten your kung-fu pyjamas, it's gonna get messy.

"Before we get started, does anyone wanna get out?" - Steve Rogers

Links to watch all featured fights:

Captain America - Elevator Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYATf2A5GCQ&t=1s

Game of Death - Bruce Lee vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT-RfY2H23o

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Jen vs. Shu Lien Sword Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzkhVVFRIIg&t=15s

They Live - Really Long Fight - Rowdy Roddy Piper vs Keith David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhr3TzEknzY

City Lights - Boxing Match - Charlie Chaplin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NfXIXzgnA&t=5s

Undefeatable - Final Fight Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqvuGqr-u2Y&t=28s

Nobody - Bus Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2un1aU7mT0&t=7s

Top Secret! - Underwater Barfight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfRi-a8hPh0&t=1s

The Raid 2 - The Kitchen Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rp86b3CUMU&t=24s

Police Story - Mall fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B215g-Evv0U&t=2s

Follow the show:

Instagram @moviemambopodcast

TikTok - @moviemambo

Letterboxd - MovieMambo

BlueSky - @moviemambo.bsky.social

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.