If you’re into action flicks, then you know the iconic hallway action scene. The one versus many. The odds stacked against the protagonist. This would turn out to be one of the best action tropes to come up in recent movie history as it depicts a much more realistic fight choreography.
No more fast cuts, no hidden tricks, all we see is pure carnage. Some shows even dared to pull off the one-shot hallway scenes, which amps up the excitement.
With that, we present to you the best hallway action scenes to exist in modern TV and cinema history.
Raid Redemption
Cop Clears the Building
If you remember the newest Dredd film. Raid Redemption also shares a similar plot. A group of law enforcers enter a building complex filled with criminals and are trapped there with them.
Rama has lost most of his SWAT team from the initial surprise attack. While trying to find a way out of the complex and get help, he encounters a group of criminals. Wielding machetes, the gang corners him into a hallway.
The fight is nerve-wrecking, with the heavy swipes of the machete barely missing Rama from time to time. The choreography is tight, the action is brutal. Rama employs combat skills he’s learned as a specialist, and employs Indonesian martial arts known as Silat.
He manages to survive the encounter with nothing but a few scuffs and scratches.
Daredevil
Russian Mob Beat Down
There’s something about a normal human being doing extraordinary things. Even exciting are the dangerous situations they put themselves in order to bring justice to the oppressed.
Daredevil is one of Marvel’s TV-series that showcases a darker tone relative to its movie franchises. Bloody, dark and depressing at times would be the right keywords describing the series. And the series-defining scene came in Season 1, forever making its mark as one of the best Marvel TV-series so far.
Daredevil enters a room off frame, and all we could hear was struggling people and heavy hits. Then we’re back to the hallway, as he continues to beat down the thugs. Although exhausted and injured, he continued pummeling down every last bad guy till they’re unable to get up.
Oldboy
It’s Hammer Time
Oldboy is where the hallway fight scene was born. This is the movie that gave us the first glimpse of this particular action trope. And it was so good that directors and stunt coordinators are eager to replicate it in their movies.
One man versus a group of gangsters. The odds are against him. But he had nothing to lose. With his trademark hammer, he charges in head first. After taking down a couple of them, he gets stabbed and seemingly taken down.
However, the man is filled with adrenaline and vengeance. He gets up and continues to put the beat down to those that are in his way. The fight is messy, uncoordinated and exhausting. We see the characters taking breaks in between to catch their breaths. The fight scene is a reminiscence of an actual street fight that takes too long to end.
The Matrix
Shower of Bullets
The Matrix is probably the one entry on this list that’s over the top. Guns and gravity-defying stunts. But it makes absolute sense if you know the premise.
Entering a building filled with armed security forces, the pair are on their way to save Morpheus. Immediately after getting flagged by the metal detectors, the chaos starts. Bullets started spewing across the hallway. There’s nothing much to be said, except to ask you to go on check out the clip.
The scene combines gun combat, slow motion and crazy martial arts. The entire sequence was cool as Neo and Trinity used every bit of their virtual training against the unsuspecting guards.
Extraction
Rescue Mission
Chris Hemsworth is a good actor, and it’s a shame that he didn’t flourish as much in the action genre of films. Turns out, casting him as an operative is a great decision as he has the training and build for it. Extraction is the first movie directed by Sam Hargrave, whose resume mostly consists of stunt work for various movies.
After getting recruited to rescue the son of a crime lord, Tyler (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself in an apartment complex. He engages in close combat and takes down the local gangsters one by one.
The action sequence is tight, and the one shot provides a much realistic overview of the entire situation. Sam Hargrave’s experience in stunt work really shines in this particular scene. No abrupt cuts, only pure action from start to end.
Rogue One
The Sith Rampages
Most hallway fight scenes are insurmountable obstacles for most protagonists to overcome. But in the case of Darth Vader, it’s nothing more than lightsaber practice.
After retrieving the plans to the Death Star, the Resistance diminishing forces are now in full retreat. But that’s not before a menacing presence made its way into the ship. Brandishing the signature red lightsaber, everyone knew what’s coming next.
It’s not even a fair fight. Deflecting blaster shots, using the Force to incapacitate hapless rebels. Darth Vader is an opponent that no regular person can take on. An overpowered character just strolling down the hall, taking down pests as he does it.
Kick-Ass
Kid Delivers Serious Ass Kicking
Kick Ass is a quirky movie where no one expected it to be much. In fact, it was thought to be an indie superhero film, such as Super. Turns out, everyone was wrong in a big way.
Hit Girl’s introduction left the audience gasping after seeing the amount of blood she spills in battling bad guys. Chloe Moretz plays Hit Girl, an assassin-in-training superhero who is not afraid to kill or seriously wound her enemies.
Using a small frame to perform acrobatic feats, Hit Girl bounces off walls and obstacles. Using every weapon imaginable, she unleashes her fury on the people who’re responsible for killing her father. By the way, Nicolas Cage was in the movie, playing the ruthless Big Daddy. He portrays what Batman would’ve been like if he had the “no-kill” code.
If you’re looking for more movies to add to your watch list, check this article out!
