8. Paula Patton vs Lea Seydoux, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
The most recent entry on our list comes to us from Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol in a showdown between good spy (Paula Patton's Jane Carter) and bad spy (Lea Seydoux's Sabine Moureau). A great fight, to be sure, and not just a throwaway tussle from a generic spy movie. The film itself is wonderful; a great example of director Brad Bird's skills as an animator and how they translate very well to the live-action world. The writing is quick and funny, the cinematography is sound, and the CGI subdued and imaginatively used, but for all the bells and whistles, nothing in the film really comes close to topping the all-out brawl between Jane Carter and Sabine Moureau. Give 'em points for technique first, as these girls don't just rush at each other and then roll around on the floor together. They remember their training and use it intelligently to try and get the upper hand. The fight also has high stakes. It isn't just good spy vs bad spy, but rather a battle for vengeance on the part of Jane Carter whose lover/colleague was killed by master assassin Sabine. As a result, your are invested more than you would be in the average throwaway fight scene and when the payoff comes (guess who wins?), you feel excited and satisfied, not just because you saw a great fight scene, but because you've also witnessed a woman taking vengeance into her own hands and making someone pay for killing a loved one. Usually in an action movie, it's the man doing this to avenge his wife or girlfriend. Kudos for forward thinking Mr. Bird. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10TriEpNeY