What Makes a Great Girl-Fight?
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I'm not going to get into the psychology of why dudes love watching girls fight. I would assume it's the same reason us girls get all hot and bothered over half-nekked manly men who duke it out on the big screen (300, anyone?) After all, aggression can be kind of sexy. I know, I know, it sounds twisted, but tell me I'm lying. In a recent interview with MTV, Sienna Miller (aka, The Baroness in this summer's G.I. Joe), fed the dreams of Joe fanboys everywhere when she said, "There's a really, really good girl fight between Rachel Nichols and myself, It's like a proper, violent girl-fight scene. And we both worked so hard for the choreography and the training of it." So Miller got me thinking: just what makes for a great girl-fight? For me it all boils down to two things:
1) It can't be just about looking sexy.
Nothing is lamer than a fight between two lingerie models; hair pulling and ripping dress straps is fun and all (so I've heard), but I need there to be some bloodshed going on for me to be interested. That means split lips, black eyes, and sensible footwear whenever possible (but I'm flexible on that last point). This doesn't mean I only want body builder types throwing down though, because even as a girl with no romantic interest in the ladies, there is something awesome about a butt-kicking coming from the unlikeliest of places (I like to think of it as the Buffy factor).
After the jump find out the second vital ingredient for a great girl fight...
2) It has to be just as violent as a scene between two men.
The one line that stood out in Miller's quote to MTV for me was, "a proper, violent girl-fight scene ..." Well, Amen to that sister! When I watch leading ladies fight, I want it to be a good one. No pulled punches, no last minute saves from a dashing hero, just two bad-ass girls going Mano-a-mano. When two men fight on screen, there is no expense spared to make it as brutal as the MPAA will allow, so isn't it only fair that women get the same treatment?
Just for kicks, I've included my nomination for one of the best girl-fights of all time, but I leave it to floor: tell me what you think makes for a go
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-10-2009 @ 10:23PM
Adam said...
Two that instantly come to mind, both from TV. The first is from the first season of BSG where 6 and Starbuck duked it out on Caprica. They weren't only hot, they threw down better than the guys. The second is from this season of Smallville where Tess and Lana threw down. It was good for the same reasons above, and that Kristen Kreuk showcased some of her Chun Li training.
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3-10-2009 @ 11:47PM
Kate said...
I concur on "no hair pulling". That can tune me out of a good fight in a second. My nomination isn't very original, but in my defense, it's a fucking excellent fight. The Bride vs Gogo. When the movie came out, who wasn't talking about Gogo? Everyone I spoke to had never seen that before. And the thing about fight scenes is they're too often a martial arts ballet. I'm too much of a chickenshit to fight, but from what I've gathered, the point of a fight is to hurt the other person. Not only is the Bride intimidated by the nasty looking flail, but it beats the shit out of her before she can beat the shit out of Gogo. An outstanding fight!
(Otherwise, Jiaolong vs Shu-lien in 'Crouching Tiger' is great stuff.)
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3-14-2009 @ 1:45PM
Jonathan Kuhn said...
Did you see the picture and posted video of the very fight you mentioned? I agree it's a great fight, but you made it sound like the original poster hadn't mentioned it.
3-14-2009 @ 1:58PM
Kate said...
Um, yes? I was just elaborating on what made it a good fight and agreeing?
3-11-2009 @ 12:11AM
Meh said...
"It has to be just as violent as a scene between two men"
but then it would transcend being a great "girl-fight" and just be a great fight.
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3-11-2009 @ 1:06AM
gottacook said...
The best fight scene that meets your criteria: the long, glorious battle between Ripley and the queen at the end of Aliens.
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3-11-2009 @ 9:32AM
NP said...
Perhaps one of the best. Period.
3-11-2009 @ 7:55AM
j said...
I think hair pulling could work, if chick 1 just took chick 2 down and drags her corpse across the floor by the hair. That would work. :)
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3-11-2009 @ 10:03AM
graeme said...
How can you have an article about girl-fight scene without mentioning one of the best fight scenes to ever grace the silver screen!
I'm talking, of course, about the girl scouts in the bar brawl in Airplane.
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3-11-2009 @ 9:36AM
boo1701 said...
One of the best girlfight scences has to be the one in Total Recall between Sharon Stone and whoever that other chick was. That was a rocking fight!
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3-11-2009 @ 11:01AM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Aunjanue Ellis and Denise Richards in Undercover Brother!
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3-11-2009 @ 12:35PM
Wexler said...
Well, I've never been a big fan of Crouching Tiger, but the one part of the movie that I just absolutely loved was watching Michelle Yeoh trying to defeat Ziyi Zhang with weapon after weapon after weapon. Then again I pretty much enjoy michelle yeoh vs. anybody.
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3-11-2009 @ 12:42PM
juwan808@hotmail.com said...
Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang in Crouching tiger Hidden Dragon, and both Kill Bill vol.1 and 2 have awesome girl fights.
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3-16-2009 @ 12:09AM
catfightreport said...
I'm going to do a post on this article at my Catfight Report website.
My favorite movie catfight probably is the one in Total Recall between Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticoten. Generally, I like it when the bad girl wins, though it is rare.
http://www.catfightreport.com
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4-11-2009 @ 5:42AM
Guyy said...
First that comes to my mind is Alias' season 2 final, Jennifer Garner vs Merrin Dungey. That was eye-candy in pure form; a long, brutal as hell face-off. Btw, I'm really happy with that comment from Sienna Miller, sounds like my next most anticipated scene of that kind.
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3-21-2009 @ 4:32PM
joe heath said...
two things that belong on your list. A good girl fight must:
1. end in either nudity or lesbian sex
or
2. end with the women making up, and then cooking or cleaning something for a man
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