3. Oh Dae Su Vs a corridor full of hard guys with sticks and knives (Oldboy)
Two things make the fight scene amazing. Firstly, the amazing performance from Choi Min-sik and the stunt team who pulled off this rather long fight in one flawless take. Secondly, the fact that actually this is a brutally realistic fight scene. Ok, ok so your average guy or gal couldn't beat even 3 people up at once regardless of their martial arts/fighting skills but that is ignoring some key factors. Firstly, Oh Dae Su has been mentally and physically prepared to ignore pain and have no fear of death nor have a sense of self preservation. This is key as it directly informs the second factor, which is fear. These guys are armed with sticks and knives, but this guy with a hammer just keeps on coming, even when he's stabbed. Not only that, he is fast, strong and hits you with a claw hammer. I'm sorry, but this is a s**t pant cocktail. This is reflected in the performances as these guys flinch away and half heartedly attack by the end. Given the circumstances, I think this scene could be achieved. So from a choreography perspective the scene is quite basic in many ways. Boxing and some basic martial arts are used to great effect but the real impact comes from the grounded and realistic nature of the fight. That and it's done in one take which is a huge ordeal in itself. Van Damme made a lovely reference to this sequence in his film JCVD where he says something like "I'm 40 years old, I'm too old to do a fight in one take". Well, Choi Min-Sik is only a couple of years younger than Mr Splits and certainly hasn't practised martial arts for half his life. People often talk about actors like De Niro and Christian Bale in regards to their dedication to a role. I think Min-Sik could give them a lesson or two. Just don't ask him to take a look at a filling or fit a brace.