Can anyone list those actors that actually have consistently shown off some impressive fighting moves in their movies? It doesn't even matter if they really learned the fighting skills or not - just as long as they looked good doing it on film. And I don't mean those actors associated as being "martial-artist stars" such as Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, or Jackie Chan. I'm refering to actors that may even be martial artists in real life, but the main thing is that they aren't "associated" as being "martial arts stars", rather just actors. I wish I could put Vin Diesel in the list since I like him, but he's been so poorly filmed (quick cuts) and really has no memorable fight scenes (not even in those Riddick films).


Christian Bale: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Equilibrium

Chiwetel Ejiofor: Serenity, Redbelt

Wesley Snipes: Blade Trilogy, Demolition Man

Keanu Reeves: Matrix Trilogy

Milla Jovovich: The Fifth Element, Resident Evil Trilogy, Ultraviolet

Matt Damon: The Bourne Trilogy

Kate Beckinsale: Underworld 1 & 2, Van Helsing

Hugh Jackman: X-Men Trilogy, Van Helsing, The Fountain, Wolverine

Viggo Mortenson: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Alatriste, Eastern Promises

Brad Pitt: Fight Club, Troy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Michael Jai White: Undisputed 2, Exit Wounds, Universal Soldier 2, Spawn, Kill Bill (deleted scene), Silver Hawk

Luke Goss: Blade 2, Hellboy 2, Silver Hawk

Angelina Jolie: Tomb Raiders, Wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Antonio Banderas: Zorros, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Marc Whalberg: The Big Hit, The Corruptor, Planet of the Apes, Shooter, Max Payne

Does Stallone count?

You're very generous with your definition of "actors"

One of the most entertaining fights I thought was the one between George Clooney and Don Cheadle in Out of Sight

Chow Yun-Fat - although famous in some martial arts film roles (like in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), he actually does not know martial arts very well at all.

I thought Snipes and Jai-White had previous Martial Arts Training?

they have.

But.... he knows Kung Fu!

Jason Statham, is actually incredible physically in what he did in the first Transporter film. Although he hasn't lived up to his potential since.

Summer Glau also, physically did some fantastic action in Serenity, hasn't done anything near as good on SCC, or even on Firefly.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Game of Death.

Statham does alright fight scenes but has moved away from the genre a bit outside of Transporter. Guns sell more than Martial Arts these days.

That Summer Glau sequence in Serenity wasn't particularly good, it sound redundant to say it felt staged, but it really stood out on that sequence. Though to her credit, she is really flexible.

I think Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did an excellent job. Especially the scene vs. Michelle Yeoh.

Yeah, but I thought for the sake of this thread, the OP wanted actors that weren't known for Martial Arts films, & Ziyi especially in the US is pretty much only known for them, so she doesn't count.

If we are just talking about actors who don't know martial arts, but do great action, then the last person you named is at the very top of the list, Michelle Yeoh, knew zero martial arts before getting into movies.

But overall, I don't really get what the OP is asking, or his standards. I mean Bradd Pitt & Jolie? Both have been dreadful, near unwatchable IMO in terms of their "action" roles.

And 2 people that have done phenomenal IMO, he didn't even mention in Matt Damon & Danielle Craig/

I must have missed the burly brawl sequence when he fought 100 of his wife-trees with a hatchet...

Valid points all of them. I didn't read the entire OP and feel like a doof for it.

Eric Roberts - Best of the Best

Uma...KBv1 & 2

"What did you just call me?"

"Beat" Takeshi Kitano

Although TV not movies, Robert Conrad on The Wild Wild West

Roddy Piper -- They Live!!

I thought most of Uma's fighting was done by Zoe Bell?

Snipes is a 5th degree black belt

oops!

I mentioned Matt Damon in my original thread...

Daniel Craig is another one, you are right. Besides James Bond films, did he have any fighting scene in the Tomb Raider film?

And Mickey Rourke in Sin City, Double Team, and probably in The Wrestler