10 Amazing TV Action Set-Pieces That Rivalled Cinema

1. Game Of Thrones - Battle Of The Bastards

Game of Thrones Battle of the Bastards
HBO

Surprisingly, this pop-culture phenomenon had low-key beginnings when it came to action. That changed with The Watchers On The Wall; a stand-alone episode that played like an hour-long slice of cinema, executed with incredible flavour by genre director Neil Marshall.

Still, for the high-bar it set, the makers managed to top it with Battle Of The Bastards. A satisfying culmination to several plot points that led to the comeuppance of evil incarnate Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) against hero Jon Snow (Kit Harrington).

It starts off with a nail-biting opener of Snow’s brother used as a moving target - then things erupt into utter chaos with a stunning one-take shot as Snow attempts to survive the sudden battle in a whirlwind of horses, limbs and arrows.

A hill of bodies, one pissed off giant and the cavalry coming to a last-minute rescue all followed in exciting style - before Snow and Bolton have a Western-style face-off (with a crossbow of course).

The entire thing still stands as one of the most bloody and impressive action scenes in general, let alone on the small screen - Thrones' final season has a high bar to top.

Agree with this list? Which other set-pieces rivalled cinema? Let us know down in the comments.

Contributor

is a working dad by day and a determined gamer by night. He’s paid his dues in both the gaming and film industries, and this year his first feature film as screenwriter, the Polish slasher flick "13 Days Till Summer", played at Fantastic Fest and Sitges Film Festival.