Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of The Last Duel, we’re counting down our favorite showdown movies! These are movies where the entire plot revolves around an ultimate mano a mano meeting at the end. Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
If I have one criticism of Lemon Demon’s “The Ultimate Showdown Of Ultimate Destiny,” it would be the lack of inclusion of Rick Deckard in the showdown, who is the lead of this week’s most recent inclusion of the films I’m taking off the list of shame with Blade Runner. While some parts of this film have not aged all that well, the basis and the genesis of this story is one that stands the test of time. The ideas of morality and life, wanting to be something, and wanting to avoid the inevitable weigh heavily in this movie. That coupled with the inevitable collision of the characters of Blade Runner Rick Deckard and replicant Roy Batty gives you a story that keeps you glued to the screen until the dramatic, and honestly downright shocking, conclusion. There are few films that are out there that the lines of one character has left me thinking quite like this movie has. So if you haven’t taken the chance, give this movie a look. (Joseph Davis)
There are a few film scores that are so iconic it’s nearly impossible, regardless of your familiarity with said film, not to immediately recognize. Whether it’s Darth Maul showing off a double-sided light saber (or laser sword for some of us) to the tune of the “Duel of The Fates,” or an aquatic killer with yellow barrels that screams in your ear “Duh Dunah” as it approaches, these scores are what live on as legend nearly as much as the characters they are attached. However, I dare you to find a more chill-inducing, generational influencing, haunting (have I emphasized the active “ing” enough here for how amazingly this film sticks with you?) and amazing score than John Carpenter’s Halloween. Easily the most iconic of my childhood is the one that the moment I hear those chords it makes me look at the sheets drying on the clothesline just outside to see if the boogie man we all know as Michael Myers is out there. This 1978 feature gifted an entire generation with one of the most iconic final girls to ever wield her awesomeness, as we follow the amazing Jamie Lee Curtis as she is thrust into the role of protector and handles it like the badass we all wish we were. Add in the most haunting score that still triggers to me to this day, you have just an all around great way to kick off your October in preparation for that lovely October 31! (Matt Lawson)
Die Hard is an all-time action classic. It’s our introduction to heroic everyman cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he attempts to thwart a terrorist plot at Nakatomi Plaza during his wife’s company Christmas party. It’s packed full of cinematic goodness. There’s great quotes and fun action set pieces galore. However, it’s the mind games between McClane and terrorist mastermind Hans Gruber that puts this one over the top. (Sky point for the late, great Alan Rickman.) McClane has to match brains as much as, if not more than, brawn with Gruber if he wants to win the day. The fact that both hero and villain are putting in iconic performances makes this showdown one for the ages. (Jake Bourgeois)
Robert De Niro… Al Pacino… is there a bigger onscreen combo? It was a dream of cinephiles for years to find these two legendary actors across from one another on screen. Then Michael Mann made our collective dreams come true with one little scene at a diner. Heat finally brought these two powerhouse performers together as they verbally sparred… and thankfully sparred with pistols in the finale as well. Mann’s crime thriller is an epic of the action genre with its visceral stunts and incredible sound design (which just might make you go deaf in the process). This cops and criminals tale is slick and cool in every sense and packs a thematic impact along the way. Strap in and get ready for an unexpected cinematic experience. (Shane Conto)
Every great showdown movie consists of three things: the first part is called “two amazing actors who play off each other.” You see Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians, playing off each other perfectly as they feed off the drive of one-upping each other along the way. Seeing their individual journeys intertwine, you see the story from both sides, how it’s progressing but of course… it probably isn’t. The second part is called “The Director.” Christopher Nolan takes an ordinary tale of rival magicians and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled. When this classic film comes to a show stopping end, you may think it’s over, but you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something end just isn’t enough for Nolan. He wants you to come back for more, to watch it over and over again. That’s why this perfect film has a third part, the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige.” (Frank Kemp)
Long establishing shots. A bunch of bandits, waiting for a train. The train comes. A lot of tension, building up with some quick, but not harsh editing. The train leaves, bandits wondering where “the package” is, almost ready to leave. Then, they hear the harmonica. “You brought two too many,”says Charles Bronson, referring to the number of horses. First out of many shoutouts happen, on his way of finding the one man, who took everything from him. Once Upon a Time in the West definitely ranks among one of a few truly legendary movies in the entire cinematic history. And it has so many things going for it. The masterful direction of Sergio Leone, who is one of my favourite directors of all time; a brilliant piece of music masterclass, delivered by the one and only Ennio Morricone, who was firing on all cylinders; the charismatic Henry Fonda, playing the villain (!) for the very first time in his career; Claudia Cardinale being the ultimate femme fatale; and I could go on like this for another hour. What if I just saved you the time and simply told you to watch it? If you only watch one western in your entire life, please let this be it. Even though it’s almost three hours and there are a lot of long, establishing shots, you will never get bored. This film also contains one of my favourite scenes ever to be put on the film — Jason Robards revealing Charles Bronson’s character in the bar by swinging a lamp towards Bronson’s character. The shadow play, the way the music from harmonica gets intercepted by the epic soundtrack… And it’s all building up to the grand “one on one” finale. The final revelation. The final duel. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the best movies, not just westerns, you will ever see. Plain and simple. (Luke Burian)
Who knew that playing jazz music could be so… stressful? Whiplash is the story of a collegiate drummer who wants to be the best in the world, but he is being taught by a man who believes the best in the world can only be the best after they’re fully broken down. J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller deliver astounding performances in this anxiety-ridden think piece which culminates into one of the greatest standoffs in film. It’s not a fist fight, there are no guns involved, and no one dies. It’s simply a musician marching to the beat of his own drum as a teacher tries to maintain the reins of control. It’s a back-and-forth drum solo that will have you on the edge of your seat as both entities vie for power over one another. It is intense, and it is beautiful. Whiplash is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I highly recommend you watch it soon if you’ve never seen it before. (Heath Lynch)
I love The Dark Knight. Easy statement, I know. It’s the comic book darling. The one to beat. The best comic book movie ever made, yada yada. These are all true, but it’s also a damn good movie and fits this category wonderfully. Coming off a fantastic origin story in Batman Begins, TDK gives us a now full-fledged Batman who has struck fear into the underbelly of Gotham City. The only true opposition is the Joker, who plays the absolute perfect foil to the caped crusader. Here’s the thing: this movie plays as a showdown in many respects. Sure, it’s a showdown between Batman and the Joker. Control versus chaos. But it plays on the morality of humanity itself. The Joker believes in his joker cards of joker cards that people are ugly, terrible people who will eat each other alive given the chance. Batman, through his brawn and force, has to actually rely on people to live up to his ideals that given the chance people will stand up for what is right, even if it means their own downfall. This film pits humanity against itself while shrouding it with a man behind a mask duking it out with a man behind some war paint. Oh! And there’s a whole supporting cast that makes this movie even better. I adore the Dark Knight Trilogy, and this is the best of the crop; it has the greatest current portrayal of Batman with the greatest portrayal of the Joker, (@ me, bring it on on the twitters), and it does so with amazing results. (Evan Lucken)
There is no greater showdown in movie history than that of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Luke enters into the darkened carbon freeze chamber and the silence is broken by a voice declaring, “The Force is with you young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet.” He slowly walks up the stairs to confront the owner of that voice and briefly pauses at the top to gaze upon Vader. He ignites his saber, prepared to face the very fear he was confronted by in the cave on Dagobah. But fear is the path to the dark side, so he continues nonetheless, hoping this time will be different. Then Vader brings his own weapon to bear and with a one handed grip, toys with Luke in a manner that foreshadows exactly how this showdown will end. As they battle through that orange tinted smoke and darkness the viewer is completely enthralled by, the battle between them ensues. When Vader stops going easy on Luke and begins to really unleash, the viewer must watch in horror as their hero is utterly destroyed. At first physically and then emotionally as he learns the horrible truth that Vader reveals! I get chills every time. (Nick Ferro)
Is there a more impactful showdown than one with pure evil? The Coen brothers adapt the incredible and haunting works of Cormac McCarthy in this tense and impactful thriller, No Country for Old Men. When one man’s decision puts him in the crosshairs of the devil on earth, the audience is treated to one of the most well-crafted films in modern cinema. The Academy knew what it was doing when they handed Javier Bardem the Oscar for his committed and unnerving portrayal of assassin Anton Chigurh. When Bardem finally meets his prey in the form of Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss, No Country for Old Men delivers one of the most impeccably crafted and intense cat and mouse chases in cinema. The audience is channeled through Tommy Lee Jones’s Ed Tom Bell who fits perfectly in the world that the Coens created. The lack of score and pitch perfect cinematography brings the stark Texas landscape to life in the deep and resonant thriller that digs into the depths of the human spirit. (Shane Conto)
Kill Bill Vol. 2
I’m a Kill Bill apologist. I know a lot of people out there do not like the movie, but I remember seeing it in theaters and loving it. What I loved about the series is that although it feels like two very different movies, it’s a great overall story about revenge. Uma Thurman crushes the role of The Bride in one of her most memorable roles. This film is also a nod to a lot of different genres and just an overall great adventure film. Although Kill Bill Vol. 2 is arguably the weaker of the two movies in terms of actions, for me the emotion it brings to the table and the different way they take a final showdown that involves more talking and sorting out of feelings and betrayals versus leading to an all-out brawl really struck a chord. The history between Bill and Beatrix makes what Bill does to her heartbreaking. But then to throw a long lost child into the mix makes the stakes for the final showdown turn up to 11. Is the ending a little anticlimactic? Maybe a little. However, the perspectives they give to one another about the betrayals they’ve suffered from one another shows how the gravity is just larger for this showdown. This is one of cinema’s great “what-if” fight sequences if they had let them fight even for a few minutes longer to see how the choreography, the setting, and the strategy involved for these two fighters would have played out. (Mike Hilty)
Catch Me If You Can
Steven Spielberg is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. However, his 2000s movies are woefully underappreciated compared to his other eras. Catch Me If You Can is one of the best movies from this time. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays real-life world-traveling scam artist Frank Abagnale who tricks, cheats, and charms his way into multiple professions and lifestyles all before his 19th birthday. On his tail is FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who works tirelessly to track Frank down across the country. The film is an intense and endlessly entertaining cat and mouse game between two characters that discover they have more in common than not as their relationship evolves. And of course, the characters being played by two of the greatest actors of our generation doesn’t hurt either. DiCaprio especially gives an Oscar-worthy performance that never got the recognition it deserved. Don’t let this movie pass you by. It’s thrilling, surprisingly funny, and may even make you cry. If you have the chance, take some time to watch this underrated classic. (Jeffery Rahming)
A Few Good Men
There are very few things in film as compelling as an intense, drama-filled, courtroom scene where two individuals verbally spar with one another in a contest of mental superiority and ego. There’s arguably no better film in this regard than A Few Good Men. This movie foreshadows very early on that it will all come down to a battle of wits between Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson). We spend the entire movie wanting to see these narcissistic titans standoff against one another, especially because the result of the standoff will directly influence the verdict of the trial. When that moment finally comes, it is immensely satisfying to watch unfold. So much so that this scene is still heavily quoted in pop culture to this day, almost 30 years later. Led by brilliant performances from Nicholson and Cruise, the end of this movie can go in the highlight reel for all of film history. I absolutely love A Few Good Men. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you’ve never seen it before, you should give it a chance because I have to imagine that you will fall in love with it too. (Heath Lynch)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
What? You thought we were confined to human showdowns? I’ve expressed my love for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes before, but it’s worth talking about again, given the subject of this week’s list. The showdown between Andy Serkis’s Caesar and Toby Kebbell’s Koba is one of the main reasons itis my personal favorite of the trilogy. As with many of the most compelling villains, we understand Koba’s point of view here and the rift that develops between him and Caesar. Serkis was so good here that there was a serious push to get him Oscar consideration for this performance, and Kebbell is right there with him. As much as I love Woody Harrelson, when it comes to the franchise’s top showdown, this one’s not close. (Jake Bourgeois)
Django Unchained
Two veteran actors, two magnanimous characters — the showdowns that occur in this film are certainly multi-level. Part western, part action, part I-don’t-even-know-what, this film is absolutely, 100% Tarantino at his Tarantino-est. Depicting the journey of outlaw and unlikely hero, Django (Jamie Foxx), we follow his quest to find and save the love of his life. Only catch? She’s currently under service to a charismatic, and psychopathic, slave owner by the name of Calvin Candie (Leo DiCaprio). What’s brilliant about this film is its unapologetic ability to make each and every significant character a scenery chewer — and not just chewer, but devourer. When Foxx is on screen, I want more DiCaprio, and when he’s on screen I’m begging for Foxx to come back. This all comes to a halt in their scenes together, where the tension is palpable, and my heart is hanging on by an exceedingly loose thread. Take all that away, and you still have masterful performances from greats like the magnanimous Christoph Waltz (who won an Oscar for his role), and the foreboding Samuel L. Jackson, as well as all of the entertaining Tarantino-isms that any fan can enjoy. In fact, I think I’m going to pop this bad boy in tonight, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll join me. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
The Raid: Redemption
There are films that reshape a genre through innovation and talent, The Raid: Redemption is that film for martial arts action. When Rama (Iko Uwais) and his fellow S.W.A.T. members are tasked with infiltrating a devious mobster’s apartment complex full of cutthroat killers, it ends up being an all out struggle for survival. Director Gareth Evans brilliantly allows the talented individuals both in front and behind the camera to orchestrate some of the finest fight scenes ever placed on the screen. The team of action choreographers that includes Gareth Evans and stars, Uwais and Yayan Ruhian serve up exhilarating weapon based, hand-to-hand and some ultra-violent combat to the table. When this film came out back in 2011, it placed Indonesia in the forefront of martial arts action, and these players have been seen all around Hollywood and their native Indonesia ever since. The three performers that really stand out in this film are Uwais, Joe Taslim and Ruhian, who are in more of the exciting combat sequences in the film. The climatic two-on-one fight is worth a watch in itself and has a ton of brutality that the viewer will hoop and holler for. If there is going to be one martial arts action film that you watch this year, do yourself and a favor and give The Raid: Redemption a shot. (Joe Vargas)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Imagine the year is 2003. You have just seen a trailer for the worst idea for a movie in the history of movies. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl flashes on the screen along with the not-yet-iconic music. You sit in the theater of the new Mike Meyers movie and laugh at the idea of a movie based on a theme park ride, and then The Cat in the Hat begins to play and you forget the trailer you just watched. Flash forward nearly 20 years later and we are now five movies deep in this franchise and that 2003 “joke of a film” is often regarded as a masterpiece. The showdowns featured in this movie are perfectly put together from start to finish. Jack Sparrow takes on Will Turner in a match up of two foes who are destined to become crewmates. This is bookend by Sparrow taking on Captain Barbossa in an epic climax that features some of the most creative sword fights in cinema, and that barely scratches the surface of the action Curse of the Black Pearl has to offer. Everything about this movie is epic. This movie set the bar for adventure movies in the early 2000s and nothing has come close to matching the wit and charm. If it wasn’t for Marvel Studios, I think we would be seeing a lot more amusement park movies in our summer. (Scott Batchelor)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
It all ends here. It would be the last time we would see the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine battle Lord Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters to save the wizarding and muggle world alike. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the proper sendoff to an era, and many of our adolescence. Part 2 picks up where the last one ended with the trio hunting down and destroying the last of the horcruxes before it’s too late. The finale at Hogwarts was bigger than life with the visuals, the score, amazing performances by the cast (especially the late and great Alan Rickman) and of course, the biggest showdown between The Boy Who Lived and the Dark Lord. One of my favorite scenes was when Neville Longbottom took on Nagini, Voldemort’s pet snake. I honestly get teary-eyed because he showed how much he’s grown since the first film through being fearless. Even though Voldemort’s demise was a bit anticlimactic, the film was still solid and definitely had me in my feelings. The last film was tragically bittersweet but also gave us a perfect send off to one of the best series. All was well. (Chantal Ashford)
Logan
One of the absolute best comic book movies to come out in the last few years is definitely Logan. This film tells the story of old man Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who is one of the only surviving mutants after a senile Professor X (Patrick Stewart) accidentally kills all the others. Together, they try to lead escaped Essex corporation clone mutant Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen) to a utopia of other mutants. Finally after so many movies about Wolverine, Fox gave us the R-rated gore version of Wolverine with the Old Man Logan storyline. Director James Mangold closes Wolverine’s story in one of the best ways possible by building up to epic fights and some truly heartbreaking moments. Wolverine ends up fighting a younger clone version of himself that nearly kills him. Keen is a true light in the movie and being so young, she can definitely hold her own against Jackman and Stewart. Logan just is the perfect movie that goes from a completely broken Logan to someone who would die with his heart in his hands. I cheered, laughed, and cried when I saw this movie, and will always hold it in high esteem. “Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.” (Austen Terry)
Warrior
I only managed to tick Warrior off my list of shame recently, and it is one of those classic occasions where I wished I hadn’t left it so long. Starring our favourite mumbler, Tom Hardy, the enigmatic Joel Edgerton, and the stranger-by-the-hour Nick Nolte, on its surface, Warrior is one of those big cliche movies where the underdog has to jump back into a career he left for his wife and children. Trying to support his family on a teacher’s wage, and with the bank threatening to foreclose on the mortgage, Brendan Conlon (Edgerton) has been fighting in underground MMA events in an attempt to stay afloat. On the other side of town, little does he know that his brother Tommy (Hardy) has returned from active duty to their father’s place to enter a five million dollar, winner-take-all MMA championship. Tommy was a child wrestling prodigy, trained by their father Paddy (Nolte), and Brendan was the one overlooked and left to his own devices. Warrior manages to overcome its cliches by spending enough time on its characters for you to care. The conflict present in Warrior is authentic, unforced, and there are no manipulative plot devices to make you root one way or the other. I hope I don’t need to explain or sell this more for you to watch it, other than saying the inevitable showdown conclusion still managed to leave me an emotional wreck. (Adam Ritchie)
The Bourne Identity
If you look through the catalog of Bourne films, you’re going to find a lot of the mano a mano energy, but I figured we should take it back to where it all started. I think it is easy to forget that without this movie, we may never have gotten a lot of Matt Damon’s future roles. Up until this point, he had kind of always been a scrawny kid from Boston. I imagine the pitch to make the Good Will Hunting guy into the next action star was a bit surprising. What is more surprising? It worked. It has led to one of the most fun and intense action series of the past 20 years, all starting with The Bourne Identity. Damon takes a fairly standard action character on paper, and mixed with fantastic direction from Doug Liman, delivers a truly top notch and riveting performance. While I cannot say for certain, I feel as if this was the movie that also helped usher in a new age of action movies, with people really upping the combat game. Clive Owen as The Professor is also a quiet level of menacing that we don’t often get in these action films. The final fight between the two feels masterfully executed with some top tier performances. I have often cited Ultimatum as my favorite of the original trilogy, but I always forget how fantastic and simple Identity is. It’s a top-tier film that is always worth a revisit. (Nashua Doll)
John Wick
John Wick is a movie that I’ve heard nonstop praise for ever since it’s release back in 2014. It’s been on my list of shame and I knew it was one that I’d eventually get around to, so this week I finally sat down and watched it for the first time. I have to say, this movie more than lived up to the hype for me, which is rare. It’s a simple premise for our leading man of John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who receives a pet dog as a gift from his recently deceased wife. But after a group of gangsters break into his house one night and kill his dog in the process, John reveals himself to be an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to track down those who took the one last thing that meant the world to him. As far as showdown movies go, this one is definitely top notch, and is very deserving of the hype even you might have heard over the past few years since it’s release. John Wick has that kind of action where you can tell it’s choreographed well, and the shots linger on the action long enough before the cuts so you’re able to tell exactly what’s going on. There are multiple scenes in fact where the setting is in a dimly lit area, and you’re still able to follow the action perfectly, something that most action movies fail at when attempting. So if you’re looking for an action packed time or just wanting to get around to something that’s been on your list of shame, then John Wick is definitely a shot worth taking in the dark. (Alex Henderson)
Man of Steel
I liked Superman Returns well enough, but when news broke of a gritty Superman reboot in the same vein as Nolan’s Batman Begins trilogy, I was giddy with excitement. And, for me at least, Man of Steel did not disappoint. I’ll address the skyscraper sized Lryptonian elephant in the room first; yes, the final showdown between Zod and Supes contains a lot of… collateral damage. But it always struck me as odd that as a society we chose THIS movie to be the one we doubled down on in our collective outrage regarding superhero films and civilian casualties. And, even stranger still, that Warner Bros. managed to kill Batman v Superman by ensuring that dealing with the above became a crucial plot point. Oh, I do love irony. Regardless, this head-to-head is one of the strongest superhero movie climaxes I have ever seen. Michael Shannon brought a terrifying cadence to the role of Zod and felt like a true match for Henry Cavill’s more thoughtful Superman. Rather than your standard superhero versus generic evil bad guy, this finale felt more like two brothers fighting on the opposite sides of the same argument. Two flying, nuclear-powered, indestructible brothers, but brothers all the same. The resolution of which comes with a final scream released by Cavill, as Zod forces him to end his life, that gives me chills every time. For me, this battle is up there with the best and will always feel more meaningful than the standard CGI monster beat-down fare. (Ian Whittington)
The Green Knight
Most movies pitting one character against another — or indeed one force against another — slowly build the tension towards the fact that this showdown is inevitable. The Green Knight tells you right away that this showdown is coming. It’s less interested in the showdown itself, and much more geared towards the reason for it. Why must Gawain face the Green Knight? It’s a much more philosophical movie than it is an action film, as you might expect from the source material being a chivalric poem about the court of King Arthur and his knights. Dev Patel’s Gawain is not yet a knight, but a young man hoping to prove his worth to Arthur. As such, he gleefully strikes down the Green Knight (or so he thinks) when he offers a free blow to a warrior on the condition that this warrior accepts the same blow a year to the day later. Gawain’s journey to find the Green Knight again to indeed accept the strike is one of introspection and lessons in honor that culminate into Gawain’s actual showdown with the ideals of the knighthood he so desired: exactly what value does his word have? (Chris Bakker)
First Blood
“They drew first blood, not me,” says Sylvester Stallone as the titular character Rambo, towards the end of this film. He’s distraught, covered in blood, but planning his final attack, or better, his final stand. He’s got everyone out there coming after him. And all he wanted was to be left alone. First Blood is a great movie. But people often forget about that, as the name “Rambo” became such a punchline for over-the-top action shootouts, one guy with muscles made of steel, who will take out armies just with his machine gun, knife, and bow and arrows. But that’s not First Blood. No, this movie is a much more nuanced case about the Vietnam War, about veterans coming back home. But unlike other war veterans, they weren’t celebrated. This movie showcases how war never really ends and it’s not something you “just turn off.” It also shows us Stallone acting. Dare I say this is one of his best performances to this day? Yes, I dare say so. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not perfect, but his rawness, the imperfections that make Stallone, well, Stallone are the reason it works here so beautifully. We understand where he is coming from. That is why we can watch this “one man against the many” on a smaller scale here, enjoy the action and then be caught breathless by the final speech, delivered with such a passion, it’s hard not to break down. We feel with this broken, distraught man, who’s just been through hell (again), and he’s ready to fight (again), because that is the only thing he knows how to do properly. If you haven’t seen this movie in a while, give it a re-watch and I think you will be surprised how nuanced this film is, and how little to no blood and violence is in this movie, as again, that all came in the sequels. This is a thriller/drama about one man going up against the sheriff, then a police, then an army. Because they didn’t want to let him be, he had to go back to the only thing he hates, but what he knows to do. And unfortunately, he does it well. (Luke Burian)
The Patriot
The British Empire versus the American colonies isn’t the only showdown portrayed in this Revolutionary War epic. While The Patriot does tell the tale of the war at large, at the center is the very personal rivalry between the Continental Army militia leader Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) and the ruthless Col. Tavington (Jason Isaacs). The list of villains more hatable in my eyes is very short. Tavington’s tactics are unapologetically abhorrent. The result is a cathartic release during their climactic (if not slightly over-the-top) final showdown. To quote Gen. Lord Cornwallis, “Damn him. Damn that man.” (Jake Bourgeois)
A Knight’s Tale
If we are counting down the best showdown movies in preparation for The Last Duel, then we have to talk about another medieval showdown in A Knight’s Tale. Though the tone is entirely different being that it is a quirky romantic comedy, A Knight’s Tale is a silly and fun adventure. It weaves contemporary pop culture references and songs into a tale from the past. It’s all about a peasant who wants to break through the class system to become a knight. How does he do that? Well, he obviously enters a tournament to become the world’s greatest jouster, duh. This builds to a climactic jousting duel that is immensely fun to watch. When you have fun performances from Heath ledger, Alan Tudyk, and Paul Bethany to anchor this movie you’re definitely in for a good time. Just remember that you have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting to watch A Knight’s Tale. (Heath Lynch)
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