Nothing in a movie is quite as exciting as a good fight scene. Whether livening up a comedy (“Happy Gilmore”) or distracting the viewer from a really stupid plot (every Steven Seagal movie ever made), fight scenes make every movie better. Can you imagine how great “Citizen Kane” would have been if Boss Jim Gettys had broken Rosebud over Charles Foster Kane’s head? Exactly. Then without further ado, the top five fight scenes of all time.

5. Dragon vs. Colt
“Way of the Dragon”
Did you know that Chuck Norris was once Bruce Lee’s student and that they fought on film? And that during the fight the director repeatedly cut to and zoomed in on, I kid you not, a kitten? This is truly a showdown for the ages. The only challenge in constructing this list was not putting Bruce Lee at every spot. Unfortunately, Bruce died before his time. Chuck went on to become Walker, Texas Ranger and an Internet phenomenon.

Memorable Quote/Exchange:
This scene has nearly zero dialogue, so.
“Hi-Ya!”

Winner: Dragon. While it may be true that Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is in hiding, it doesn’t change the fact that Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee. Enough said.

4. Spartans vs. Persians
“300”
This movie was basically one long fight scene. If it wasn’t for the occasional “Meanwhile, back in Sparta.” scenes, this thing would have been nothing but battles. The surreal colors and creatures made “300” a perfect combination of history and wild exaggeration. And the brilliant fight scenes didn’t hurt either.

Memorable Quote/Exchange:
“A thousand nations of the Persian empire descend upon you. Our arrows will blot out the sun!”
“Then we will fight in the shade.”

Winner: Well. the Persians in the short run. But the rest of Greece was so inspired by the 300 Spartans that they fielded a full-sized army against the invaders and wiped them out.

3.The Man in Black vs. Inigo Montoya
“The Princess Bride”
For being a borderline chick flick, “The Princess Bride” has some great duels and a really well-written script. Both of these guys were experts with swords and witty banter. The fight starts out pretty evenly until Montoya reveals his secret weapon — “I am not left-handed” — and gains an edge with his strong hand. Then the Man in Black one-ups him with a secret of his own – “I’m not left-handed either” – and knocks out the Spaniard.

Memorable Quote/Exchange:
“You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.”
“You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.”

Winner: The Man in Black. But Montoya would later redeem himself by killing Count Rugan, the dastardly Six-Fingered Man.

2. Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader
“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”
No list would be complete without at least one lightsaber duel, and this might be the most important scene in all of “Star Wars,” if you’re into that sort of thing. Luke comes in underprepared and plays Michigan to Vader’s Appalachian State, losing his hand in the process. Vader then delivers one of the most memorable (and mis-quoted) lines in movie history.

Memorable Quote/Exchange:
“No. I am your father.”

Winner: Vader in a landslide. But Luke rebounded to win his next fight, thereby shattering the Michigan analogy.

1. William Munny vs. Big Whiskey
“Unforgiven”
“Unforgiven” might be Clint Eastwood’s best movie, and that’s really saying something. At any rate, William Munny is pretty much the baddest man who ever lived, having killed “just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another.” After years of trying to bury his violent past, Will returns to Big Whiskey as an avenger on a dark, rain-soaked night. It’s Eastwood at his best.

Memorable Quote/Exchange:
“You just shot an unarmed man!
“Well, he should have armed himself.”

Winner: William Munny. And the viewer, as this is the greatest fight scene of all-time.