The 10 Best Action Movie Scenes Of 2012

edited January 2013 in Skyfall Posts: 6,601
The 10 Best Action Movie Scenes Of 2012

1. Skyfall | Opening Sequence

James Bond films always open with a spectacular action sequence, and Skyfall’s initial minutes might be the best we’ve seen in ages. Right from the first blast of Thomas Newman’s brassy score, the chase is afoot. Bond (Daniel Craig), in pursuit of a stolen database, tracks a rival spy through Istanbul’s crowded marketplaces, over the city’s rooftops (on a motorcycle, to boot), and – when the villain escapes via a departing train – onto and around the speeding locomotive. It’s not a spoiler to tell you that the sequence finally ends with Bond’s death … but it’s the breakneck thrills leading up to that sniper blast that helps Skyfall live in on infamy as the best action sequence we saw all last year.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/10-Best-Action-Movie-Scenes-2012-34814-p10.html

Comments

  • As cool as it was having Bond back in action after 4 years... had to vote for The Raid. There wasn't a single fight in the film that didn't feel brutal but also lightning fast and exciting. Might be the best action film I've ever seen, definetly one of the best martial arts films.

    Also I reckon they should've had the final battle from Expendables 2 on the list. Everything there, from Van Damme and Sly kicking the crap out of eachother to Willis and Arnie gunning down a million henchmen, was epic.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Agreed while the openingscene of skyfall was perhaps the best the movie had to offer in the action department, the last installment wasn't so much a great actioner as they used to make.

    I prefer the expendables 2 easily as actionmovie, as does the Raid.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    Well I have to admit that I personally thought The Expendables 2 was pretty disappointing as an action film - the first one had better action scenes.

    Skyfall deserves the number one spot for the PTS but any of the hallway fights from The Raid would be worthy too, and The Raid is definitely one of the best action films of the past 20 years.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    Wow...how does SF have nearly half the votes? Did nobody watch 'The Raid'? Every single fight in that film was brutal and entertaining to watch, especially the big showdown at the end. Unbelievable.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    What? Nothing from TDKR? That film had amazing action, from the opening with Bane's plane escape, the many fist fights in the film, Batman fighting Bane and his men at City Hall, the Bat outflying explosives, and more.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    What? Nothing from TDKR? That film had amazing action, from the opening with Bane's plane escape, the many fist fights in the film, Batman fighting Bane and his men at City Hall, the Bat outflying explosives, and more.

    I get insane chills when Batman and Bane are walking toward one another at City Hall. That should have been on there.
  • Creasy47 wrote:
    Wow...how does SF have nearly half the votes? Did nobody watch 'The Raid'? Every single fight in that film was brutal and entertaining to watch, especially the big showdown at the end. Unbelievable.

    Glad to see I'm not the only one to think that. I was worried that people would be pissed off with me for not siding with Bond to be honest.

    I did like the SF PTS but at the end of the day, it's not much we haven't seen before (most of it has been in other Bond films). Gunfight, bike chase, fist fight on train. Strung together it was brilliant, but it can't beat the action in The Raid. Some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in a martial arts film.

    Every fight scene felt inventive and light on it's feet while also being really brutal. The hallway fight alone was more brutal than all the SF fight scenes put together.
    Well I have to admit that I personally thought The Expendables 2 was pretty disappointing as an action film - the first one had better action scenes.

    I prefer the 2nd. I thought the first film took itself too seriously and it was a bit dull during parts. I did like the basketball fight scene and the car chase though.

    The 2nd film I thought was better, it knew what it was and it was much more fun than the first. The opening battle and the final showdown at the airport were the action highlights, but I also like the ambush bit in the village (especially Stathams bit in the church).
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Creasy47 wrote:
    What? Nothing from TDKR? That film had amazing action, from the opening with Bane's plane escape, the many fist fights in the film, Batman fighting Bane and his men at City Hall, the Bat outflying explosives, and more.

    I get insane chills when Batman and Bane are walking toward one another at City Hall. That should have been on there.

    And when Batman actually gets beat when he goes in over his head. Unbelievable it wasn't included.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @thelivingroyale, absolutely. While SF was my favorite film of the year, I don't think any fight scene in the movie rivaled what 'The Raid' delivered. Superb martial arts film, and I can't wait for the sequel.

    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7, indeed. It's why I try not to questions survey lists like this, but I do, anyway.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited January 2013 Posts: 8,009
    @thelivingroyale

    I thought they went way too far in the opposite direction in the second, it felt like a fan-made film with too much self referencing. Fun to watch, sure, but a bit too cringey when I think back on it. Plus the Van Damme/Stallone fight was way too short and overall Van Damme was completely under utilised.

    The Raid was great though, but I think the technical skill put into the making of the PTS in Skyfall makes it a winner for me.
  • Posts: 4,762
    My montage of action scenes for 2012 movies:

    Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

    -The hotel skyscraper fight
    -Chasing Hendricks in the sandstorm
    -Ethan vs. Hendricks at the auto plant

    Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

    -Bar fight
    -Fleeing into the woods to reach the get-away train
    -Final fight between Sherlock and the main villain

    Lockdown

    -Snow vs. enemy agents in the apartment room
    -Various gunfights throughout the movie

    The Avengers

    -Loki steals the Tesseract
    -Captain America and Iron Man battle Loki outside of the symphony hall
    -Loki's attack on The Avengers' airplane
    -Loki's attack on NYC

    The Amazing Spider-Man

    -Spider-Man vs. The Lizard at the high school
    -Spider-Man vs. The Lizard at the tower

    SkyFall

    -Bond vs. Patrice on the train
    -Bond vs. Patrice on the skyscraper
    -Bond chases Silva through London
    -Gunfight in the meeting hall
    -Silva's attack on SkyFall Lodge
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    MI4 and Sherlock 2 were late 2011 films.
  • I'm quite amazed at most fan's positive reaction to the PTS in SF. Started out promising with the discovery of the injured agent, but the motorbike chase we've seen in a hundred other films, including Bond. TND, for example. Just saw a similar scene in Bourne Legacy this summer. The manner Bond got on the train was perhaps the most moronic thing he's ever done - why not just leave the bike behind and jump from the bridge??? The entire business with the tractor was slow, clunky and ridiculous, made even worse by the use of the bond theme. That music should be reserved for when he does something cool!! And then the fight on top of the train looked like two stunmen trying to maintain their balance. Nothing compared to the great stuntwork Martin Grace performed in OP. Kind of cool the way the sequence ended with Bond getting shot, and the long silence in London, but this opening sequence is highly disappointing - probably in the bottom five IMO.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I'm quite amazed at most fan's positive reaction to the PTS in SF. Started out promising with the discovery of the injured agent, but the motorbike chase we've seen in a hundred other films, including Bond. TND, for example. Just saw a similar scene in Bourne Legacy this summer. The manner Bond got on the train was perhaps the most moronic thing he's ever done - why not just leave the bike behind and jump from the bridge??? The entire business with the tractor was slow, clunky and ridiculous, made even worse by the use of the bond theme. That music should be reserved for when he does something cool!! And then the fight on top of the train looked like two stunmen trying to maintain their balance. Nothing compared to the great stuntwork Martin Grace performed in OP. Kind of cool the way the sequence ended with Bond getting shot, and the long silence in London, but this opening sequence is highly disappointing - probably in the bottom five IMO.

    Before you critique the scene, understand it. Bond was using the bike to propel himself off the bridge and onto the train because if he had just jumped it would have been too late and he would have missed it entirely. If you watch closely, when Bond lands he is near the very back of the train, having barely made it. His driving the bike towards the bridge gave him the momentum he needed to make the gap. The bike chase was thrilling for me, with a bunch of cool stunts from the rooftops back down to the streets. I think the digger scene is great, and worthy of Bond music playing with it. The combat and all the action is constantly surrounded by the gorgeous Turkey, and that is an added plus. I also think it is cool that we switch from Turkey to London in between the action.
  • edited January 2013 Posts: 12,837
    I also think it is cool that we switch from Turkey to London in between the action.

    Although it made sense in SF because of M ordering Eve to fire, I hope they ditch that in the next one.

    I don't want or need lots of cuts back to HQ while they yell at Bond through his obvious earpiece during the action scenes.

    @rocketgun83 Apart from the earpiece, the PTS was probably my favourite part of the film.
  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    Posts: 578
    Any The Dark Knight Rises on the list? No. Some jerk must've put this list together. So f***ed up.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    I also think it is cool that we switch from Turkey to London in between the action.

    Although it made sense in SF because of M ordering Eve to fire, I hope they ditch that in the next one.

    I don't want or need lots of cuts back to HQ while they yell at Bond through his obvious earpiece during the action scenes.

    This is why I prefer the pacing and structure of the TND PTS. They can see Bond but can't intervene, it's a thrilling sequence that has Bond doing the business. The SF PTS is still a great bit of work that is lensed brilliantly, I just feel a bit like I've seen the component parts before. I'm hoping for 24 we get a great set-peice stunt such as the dam jump in GE. I'd like to see a marquee moment to kick it all off.
  • edited January 2013 Posts: 12,837
    That's something Craigs films haven't had in a PTS, Bond doing a really big stunt. Moore kicked off the tradition with the TSWLM base jump, Dalton had the whole truck sequence in TLD, and then Brosnan had the spectacular bungee jump.
    Any The Dark Knight Rises on the list? No. Some jerk must've put this list together. So f***ed up.

    We all have scenes we wanted to make the list, but that's a bit OTT isn't it?

    Yep, tons of horrible stuff going on in the world but y'know what's REALLY f****d up? The new Batman film didn't make some random action scene list. I'm telling ya, the world we live in....
  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    edited January 2013 Posts: 578
    Any The Dark Knight Rises on the list? No. Some jerk must've put this list together. So f***ed up.

    We all have scenes we wanted to make the list, but that's a bit OTT isn't it?

    Yep, tons of horrible stuff going on in the world but y'know what's REALLY f****d up? The new Batman film didn't make some random action scene list. I'm telling ya, the world we live in....

    Sorry about that.
  • Posts: 1,405
    Thor vs Hulk on the SHIELD helicarrier was the best for me.
  • Posts: 4,762
    MI4 and Sherlock 2 were late 2011 films.

    Were they really? I thought they were 2012 movies, since I saw them in 2012. Granted, MI4 and Sherlock Holmes 2 were both in like January of 2012. I guess I'm thinking of when I saw them. Whoops!
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    00Beast wrote:
    MI4 and Sherlock 2 were late 2011 films.

    Were they really? I thought they were 2012 movies, since I saw them in 2012. Granted, MI4 and Sherlock Holmes 2 were both in like January of 2012. I guess I'm thinking of when I saw them. Whoops!

    Well, in that case they could be 2012 for you at least. I went to see them ASAP when they hit theaters in late December, so that is why I think 2011.
  • Posts: 4,762
    00Beast wrote:
    MI4 and Sherlock 2 were late 2011 films.

    Were they really? I thought they were 2012 movies, since I saw them in 2012. Granted, MI4 and Sherlock Holmes 2 were both in like January of 2012. I guess I'm thinking of when I saw them. Whoops!

    Well, in that case they could be 2012 for you at least. I went to see them ASAP when they hit theaters in late December, so that is why I think 2011.

    Yeah that is what I was thinking, strictly based on when I saw them! I had forgotten that I went to see them later, after they had already been released.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    00Beast wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    MI4 and Sherlock 2 were late 2011 films.

    Were they really? I thought they were 2012 movies, since I saw them in 2012. Granted, MI4 and Sherlock Holmes 2 were both in like January of 2012. I guess I'm thinking of when I saw them. Whoops!

    Well, in that case they could be 2012 for you at least. I went to see them ASAP when they hit theaters in late December, so that is why I think 2011.

    Yeah that is what I was thinking, strictly based on when I saw them! I had forgotten that I went to see them later, after they had already been released.
    Yeah, I guess that for films that come out near the end of a year and the start of the next, the year of its release is listed during what year it first plays in theaters, making Sherlock 2 and MIGP technically 2011 films. But they're so good, why not put them on the 2012 list? ;)
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