A fight scene, if done properly, will remain in viewers’ minds for years and even decades after they’ve seen it. Everyone remembers the fight scene in The Matrix between Neo and Mr. Smith because it was done flawlessly. What makes these scenes so good? I’ll be using Marvel’s Daredevil (specifically their now famous hallway fight scene from Season 1, Episode Two, “Cut Man”), to answer this question as it is widely regarded by websites like Rotten Tomatoes (92% rating) and IMDB (8.6/10 rating) as one of the best fight scenes in all of film and television. 

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So what makes this scene in particular so good? First of all, it’s all seemingly filmed in one take. I say seemingly because there were actual cuts within the scene, but they were heavily disguised through the use of frames that block the screen (particularly the scene where a door fully closes, leaving a second of pure darkness). This showcases director Phil Abraham’s perfect synchronicity between himself and his writer, Drew Goddard, along with their amazing cooperation with the stunt coordinator, Philip Silvera. Being able to do this entire scene (three minutes is quite a long time for a fight scene, especially with little to no visible cuts) exemplifies the importance of cooperation between stunt coordinator and director. Without their synchronicity, this scene could have been geared more towards what the director wanted to show, rather than what both of them mutually decided on in the final cut. This could have resulted in a choppier version of the scene full of jump-cuts which would have completely changed the visual aesthetic and made it much harder to follow as an audience member.

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Another major aspect that makes this scene work so well is the fact that our hero Matt Murdock is seen progressively wearing down physically. He has already started the fight with visible wounds on his body, and as each fight goes on, we see that he is getting very, very tired. This is made evident with each technique he uses becoming more and more sloppy as the fight goes on. While Murdock is a martial arts expert, proper technique goes out the window when he’s fighting for his life, especially against multiple opponents. Adding to the realism of this scene, there are also plenty of scenes in which Murdock takes a couple seconds to recover his breath because of how exhausting the battle is. This evident fatigue reveals something about our hero that all viewers can relate to, vulnerability. While Murdock is considered a superhero, he’s not your typical Superman or Captain America. He’s strong, and has amplified senses, but he’s still a human being. This relatability is vital to making the audience feel for their protagonist because it leaves us feeling like our hero could be gravely injured or even killed if he’s to make a single wrong move.

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This single fight scene sets up the entire world of Daredevil perfectly. We’re immediately made aware that this isn’t your typical superhero show. It tells its audience that there are real stakes to the life of being a hero and that it’s not as simple as saving the damsel (or in this case, the boy) in distress and being heralded as a champion of the people. I mean, the guy ends up bleeding to death in a dumpster of all places. His reward for fighting off a bunch of murderous thugs is his subjective satisfaction that he’s made a difference in at least one scenario in which he could make one.