Scott Adkins is a modern legend of martial arts movies, with his best on-screen fights up there with some of the greats in the genre. The British actor and martial artist first got his start in movies in the early 2000s Hong Kong kung fu film scene, getting early opportunities to work with legends like Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. However, it wasn’t until his villainous portrayal of the mad Russian fighter Yuri Boyka in the Undisputed series that he became a regular in some of Hollywood’s greatest unarmed combat sequences.
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Over Scott Adkins’ lengthy filmography, he has crossed fists with some household name actors like Donnie Yen, Keanu Reeves, and Iko Uwais, just to name a few. However, Adkins himself can be just as valuable when fighting hordes of no-name thugs or one-off character performances in lesser-known films as well, a worthy center of the action in his own right. All of Adkins’ greatest fight scenes share a fierce kineticism, energy, and obviously genuine martial arts experience that set him apart from many in the industry.
10 Killa Vs. John Wick
John Wick: Chapter 4
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Though the irreverent John Wick movies began with Keanu Reeves, the franchise was slowly able to add more and more martial arts legends into the fold of its incredible cast. Scott Adkins eventually gets his due in John Wick: Chapter 4, playing the bloodthirsty brute known simply as “Killa”. Another member of the High Table crime boss council, Killa finds himself in John Wick’s sights after setting up a nightclub ambush that fails to put him down, leaving him at the mercy of Baba Yaga himself.
Killa’s fight against John Wick is more of a testament to Scott Adkins’ acting skill skills than anything else. Despite being bogged down by a 100-pound bodysuit that dramatically alters his appearance, Adkins was able to be quite dynamic as Killa, showcasing the character’s reliance on brute force by throwing around John Wick like a ragdoll. However, Killa is far from the most dangerous opponent Wick has ever faced, and goes down quite quickly to the legendary assassin, making this fight notable for its character work, but left wanting in comparison to Adkins’ other movie appearances.
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9 Martin Tillman Vs. Rastignac
Savage Dog
At the point in his career that Savage Dog was released, Scott Adkins was already very comfortable sharing the screen with some other impressive fighters. The 2017 film pits Adkins’ character, Martin Tillman, up against a villain played by the talented Chilean martial arts performer and fellow Undisputed series veteran, Marko Zuror. Zuror enters the fray as Rastignac, a knife-wielding fighter flexing a gargantuan Bowie knife in an egaging moment of pure fanservice.
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Armed with only a small wrench to defend himself, Tillman and Rastignac’s duel plays out very cautiously at first, somewhat limiting the fight early on as a sort of high-stakes game of tag. While both fighters’ movements are swift and impressive, the starting and stopping of the action, revolving around Zuror’s ludicrous edged weapon, struggles to maintain momentum. Once both melee weapons are tossed out of the equation, however, the gloves are off, and Zuror and Adkins are free to show off in a dynamic, frenzied battle that ultimately ends in victory for Martin Tillman.
8 The Pub Battle
Avengement
As great as Scott Adkins is in one-on-one fights, sometimes a full-scale barroom brawl is needed to appreciate the full scope of his martial arts ferocity. Adkins stars in Avengement as Cain Burgess, a ferocious convict who escapes incarceration in order to enact his revenge against the criminals who transformed him into a cold-blooded killer. The film’s flagship action sequence begins when Cain finds himself surrounded by enemies at a local pub, engaging them in a brutal tear-down fight against all odds and somehow coming out on top.
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Nothing is off-limits in this battle, with cricket bats, broken bar stool legs, and even an antique World War II machine gun all being in Adkins’ arsenal of improvised weaponry. As fantastic as the fight is, it does drag out a bit too long, and the character of Cain Burgess, being more of an untrained street brute, doesn’t give Adkins much of a chance to show off his martial arts skills. The lack of music is also an interesting choice, somewhat stifling the energy of the scene, with blows landing and heavy grunting being the only soundtrack.
7 Diran And Mike Nazarian Vs. Vampires
Day Shift
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As far as Netflix original movies go, Day Shift was a largely forgettable star vehicle for Jamie Foxx that revolved around the hunting of vampires. Scott Adkins’ brief fight scene as a vampire-killing mercenary named Diran Nazarian was easily one of the best parts of the film. In his sole fight scene, Diran and his brother, Mike, clear out a whole residence teeming with undead bloodsuckers, using a variety of increasingly creative anti-vampire weapons to get the job done.
The creativity and ingenuity of the brothers’ vampire-slaying implements are a great touch to the tense, close-quarters battle, with sharpened stake nunchaku, a katana with a stake sheath that can stab and slice, hidden shoe blades, and grenades full of holy water mist all being put to impressive use. The teamwork of the Nazarian brothers is also a sight to behold, with Adkins and scene partner Steve Howey working in tandem with an almost psychic level of synchronization. The only things holding the scene back are its brevity and poor lighting, ironic for a movie called Day Shift.
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6 The One-Take Fight Sequence
Close Range
One of Scott Adkins’ more rote appearances leading an action movie, the plot of Close Range isn’t much to write home about. Adkins stars as a rogue soldier who has to defend his younger sister from the wrath of a vengeful cartel working in tandem with corrupt local law enforcement. For what it lacks in narrative originality, the film more than makes up for with some brilliant action beats, including one of the best one-take hallway fights in recent cinematic memory.
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The festivities begin with Adkins effortlessly taking down two goons in an elevator with only a small switchblade. Once the doors open, the single-take fun begins, as Adkins continues on his rampage, effortlessly tearing through opponent after opponent with some high-flying rolls, counters, and stabs. The camera feels like another fighter in the action as it revolves around the carnage, which then continues to another room to interrupt a party. As impressive as the delicate dance of both stunt performers and camerawork is, the bland cinematography and muted color palette do unfortunately limit the visual spectacle.
5 Mike Fallon Vs. Oyumi The Ninja
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday
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The Undisputed series isn’t the only franchise arguably carried by Scott Adkins’ talent, with the lesser-known but still great Accident Man duology also propping up the British martial artist’s ability to hold the screen. The sequel includes one of Adkins’ best fights as the character, an assassin who is targeted by other assassins, much like John Wick. The best combatant Adkins’ Mike Fallon goes up against in Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday is the shinobi killer Oyumi, played by Andreas Nguyen.
Mike quickly learns why Oyumi was so feared when the two come to blows, with the swordsman being blindingly fast with his movements. Oyumi’s rain of blows is almost too speedy for Mike to keep up with, struggling to parry the unrelenting offense against the driving beat of the blaring techno soundtrack. Oyumi’s theatrical flair and showboating is also quite entertaining, making it all the more alarming when he nearly manages to kill Mike. What holds the fight back is the anticlimactic ending, as Oyumi is blown away by Mike’s Mentor, Big Ray, in a burst of cheap-looking blood squibs.
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4 Barton Geddes Vs. Ip Man
Ip Man 4: The Finale
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Amazingly, Scott Adkins was able to count himself among the lucky few martial arts movie stars able to cross fists with Donnie Yen’s legendary Ip Man. The Ip Man movies are no stranger to big names, with Scott Adkins being given the privilege of the last major villain to give Donnie Yen some trouble. Adkins stars as Barton Geddes, a racist U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant looking to discredit Ip Man’s Wing Chun by defeating it with his own honed karate skills in front of a cadre of his troops.
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In the film’s final fight, Yen and Adkins engage in a lengthy duel that demands the best of both of their acting and choreography abilities. Geddes’ brutal clinches, grabs, and spin kicks blow through Ip Man’s delicate and graceful Wing Chun, forcing him to summon his strength like never before. However, in the end, Donnie Yen is able to land a devastating strike to the throat that decisively debilitates Adkins’ character, putting to rest all questions of Wing Chun’s efficacy once and for all. A solid battle, nothing stands out as sharply as Adkins’ top three performances.
3 George “The Iceman” Chambers Vs. Yuri Boyka
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing
Being Scott Adkins’ true breakthrough appearance, it figures that Undisputed II: Last Man Standing would contain one of his greatest fight scenes ever. The Undisputed sequel made the wise decision to recast George “The Iceman” Chambers with very real martial arts master Michael Jai White, finding a worthy opponent for him in Scott Adkins’ Yuri Boyka. Forced to fight the dangerous cirminal after being interned within a Russian prison, Michael Jai White’s George Chambers demands a rematch after his first bout with Boyka is ruined by cheating.
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In the fair and square rematch, both fighters pull out all the stops for a heart-pounding fight scene. The deftness with which Boyka is able to dodge Chambers’ punches and Chambers is able to dodge Boyka’s kicks is astonishing, with the two peak athletes largely being evenly matched. The momentum of victory ebbs and flows between both combatants, but once Michael Jai White manages to land a devastating blow to Scott Adkins’ legs, the fight is his. If it weren’t for the cheesy black-and-white flashbacks peppered into the editing, this fight would be essentially perfect.
2 Collins Vs. Payu And Jaka
Triple Threat
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Undisputed II: Last Man Standing wouldn’t be the only time Scott Adkins shared a marquee with Michael Jai White. The two starred in the same film recently with 2019’s Triple Threat, a who’s who of modern martial arts movie stars. In one of Tony Jaa’s best movies, his character Payu, an ex-special forces soldier, teams up with Iko Uwais’ Jaka, who seeks to avenge his wife, in a brawl against Scott Adkins’ Collins, a heartless terrorist.
The exciting battle begins with Scott Adkins almost overwhelming Tony Jaa, countering his every move with increasingly elaborate reversals, blocks, and thundering strikes of his own. Just as it seems to be lights out for Payu, Tony Jaa’s Jaka joins the fray. Amazingly, Collins still manages to overpower both opponents at once, sending them through balconies and brick walls with his overwhelmingly powerful signature kicks. With beautiful lighting, choreography, and three incredibly talented martial artsists, it’s hard to top Triple Threat‘s penultimate fight.
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1 Yuri Boyka Vs. The Ozerov Twins
Boyka: Undisputed
It’s fitting that the only battle in Scott Adkins’ career that could hope to outdo his performance in Triple Threat is another two-on-one victory as his most iconic character. Popular enough in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing to get his own spin-off movie, Boyka: Undisputed picks up on Scott Adkins’ lovable slavic villain following his defeat at the hands of Michael Jai White’s George “The Iceman” Chambers. Though it isn’t the film’s most climactic fight, the most impressive action sequence is easily Yuri’s defeat of the twin Ozerov twins.
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Unlike many martial arts movies, the Ozerov brothers have no reservations against attacking at the same time, forcing Boyka to impressively block from different angles at once. As intense as the double beatdown gets, Boyka manages to find an answer, alternating his blows between both opponents in a stunning display of martial arts mastery. Taking out both twins at once with a combination dropkick bodyslam, Scott Adkins’ work in Boyka: Undisputed is easily his most impressive martial arts movie appearance.
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