Mission Impossible: Fallout is moving ever closer to release and the trailers include an incredible bathroom fight scene, featuring Henry Cavill apparently reloading his muscly arms! Due to this much anticipated washroom-centric brawl we thought it would be a great time to celebrate some of the all-time greatest cinematic bathroom fight scenes! From B-movies to Oscar bait and classic action to blockbuster comedy, there are a lot more amazing fights in bathrooms/bathhouses than you might first imagine.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
Never seen this outrageously bad Street Fighter prequel starring Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk? Well, it’s a true experience, and it features some seriously bad wire work including this now notorious fight bathroom scene that sees Kruek’s Chun-Li seducing and then fighting M. Bison’s handler Cantana in a fancy dance club toilet.
The Karate Kid (1984)
This iconic fight scene starts in a bathroom and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso is wearing a shower costume, so it definitely counts! After pranking the no good Cobra Kai bully Johnny Lawrence in the school bathroom, Daniel heads into the wilds of Reseda where he gets attacked by Johnny and his gang before Mr Miagi saves the day.
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Though it arguably takes place in more of a bathhouse than a bathroom, this is still a radical fight scene full of half naked dudes tussling with the G.O.A.T. Jackie Chan. After attempting to pick up Ricky Tan in a bathhouse, Chris Tucker finds himself at the mercy of Tan’s henchmen. Luckily, he has Jackie Chan on hand to help as they run through those bathhouse boys like it’s nothing.
Blood and Bone (2009)
Michael Jai White is often criminally overlooked when it comes to classic martial arts movies. Blood and Bone is possibly the greatest exhibition of his amazing skills, and this film kicks off with a brutal bathroom beatdown in prison as Isaiah Bone tangles with a crew of disgruntled inmates using only a wet shirt and his incomparable strength.
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Easily the bloodiest of our bathroom battles, this beloved 2009 entry saw South Korean pop icon Rain shake off his shiny image and brutalize some bad guys, in a formerly pristine washroom. The fight choreography in Ninja Assassin is amazing, and this scene doesn’t disappoint as Rain demolishes a henchman with a knife, his fists, and, of course, a urinal.
True Romance (1993)
Patricia Arquette is singular in True Romance, and in this blistering scene she kills James Gandolfini’s gangster utilizing nothing more than you’d find in your average bathroom. This viscerally violent scene won’t be for everyone, but there is something cathartic about seeing a woman fight back and eventually triumph over a brutal and awful man.
Naked Gun 2.5 (1991)
Like True Romance, common bathroom items are weaponized in this early ’90s flick. But it’s all played for laughs here as Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley tangle with an assassin who loves Barbra Streisand tunes. Whether it’s an electric toothbrush, a hair dryer, or a towel, Nielsen’s Frank Drebin makes sure every moment is filled with maximum absurdity.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Prefaced by possibly the greatest moment in X-movie history–Wolverine running naked through a farm–this is the most unconventional yet literal fight scene in our list. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine simply fights a bathroom. He demolishes a lovely old farmer’s nice bathroom shelf and cuts his sink in half.
Eastern Promises (2007)
Including what may be the best bathroom fight scene of all time, Cronenberg’s bleak look at Russian mobs and sexual exploitation is a tough watch, but has an absolutely killer performance from Viggo Mortensen at its center. Mortensen is also at the center of this nude bathhouse brawl. It’s incredibly choreographed, stunningly violent, and a wonder to watch.
Do you have a fave bathroom brawl we missed? Love seeing Mortensen stabbing people whilst naked? Is Legend of Chun-Li actually underrated? Let us know below!
Images: 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, Paramount, Warner Bros., Sony, Columbia, New Line Pictures
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