Most Unusual Fighting Films
A list of the most unusual fighting films listing reasons they're unusual in no particular order or rank. These can include tournament fighters, adventure battle royals, man against monster, zombies, vampires, monsters, sports cars, motorcycles, men against women, kids, rich girls, aliens, virtual combat, robots, it's all here. From the strange and bizarre to the weird and creepy this list will sure to introduce you to a few titles you may wish you never heard of or... be glad you did.
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- DirectorGoo-Bi GCStarsChrissie ChauHidy YuDada LoThe story of a group of promiscious yet level-headed women who fall into troubles in the fighting world.Kick Ass Girls features rich girls, often well-groomed, pitted against more alternative culture girls, such as a goth girl. This is a Japanese film that honestly is much better than most Japanese fighters. You'll see what I mean as we go through the list.
- DirectorAndrew StevensStarsDon WilsonMichael BernardoKen McLeodScientist brings virtual reality characters to life. Two are women from the cybersex game site. The third is a warrior who wants to unleash the rest of the bad guys from the virtual reality underworld. A border cop must defeat the virtual reality warrior while learning to relate to one of the cybersex babes.This unusual fighter revolves around virtual reality. About the only thing unusual is the plot... which involves VR sex babes.
- DirectorRandy CheveldaveStarsTimothy BottomsAlfonso QuijadaVince MurdoccoA group of friends are forced to fight to the death in order to gain their freedom.Another captured-and-forced-to-fight film, this film is futuristic yet everyone is human. It has also a cyberpunk feel to it which makes it all around awesome.
- DirectorPeter ManoogianStarsPaul SatterfieldHamilton CampClaudia ChristianA human becomes an unlikely rising star in the biggest fighting tournament in the galaxy that's dominated by alien species.This film is unusual in a good way in that it features a futuristic gladiator fighting monstrous aliens. It was way before its time, way before Mortal Kombat would enter the playing field.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.This Japanese film is unusual all around. Originally banned throughout most of the world, this film stars real life kids playing ninth graders (I believe only one or two were at least 18) forced to fight to the death in a battle royal setting. If they refuse to fight or *beep* up, collars around their neck will blow their heads off. The fight scenes and how the kids behave towards each other makes this one of the most frightening films ever made, listed among the ranks of Lords of the Flies.
- DirectorShawn LevyStarsHugh JackmanEvangeline LillyDakota GoyoIn the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.Not only is this a family film, rare among fighters, but the fighters are all robots that fight until they malfunction and break. It still employs some of the same elements of many fight films - shady promoters, gambling, and involving an undisciplined kid into the mix.
- DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.When this was released critics raved it was stolen from the Japanese film, Battle Royale. Pretty much the same plot, except a lot less violence but still with a strong female lead that overcomes all but one adversary. Nothing like kids fighting to the death to make such a list of unusual fighting movies.
- DirectorJeff WadlowStarsSean FarisDjimon HounsouAmber HeardA frustrated and conflicted teenager arrives at a new high school to discover an underground fight club, and meets a classmate who begins to coerce him into fighting.Released right when MMA developed itself as a household name and women's MMA was beginning to take shape comes this gem. An awesome soundtrack and another plot with kids, mostly rich, this is more a glorified Karate Kid but starring extremely fit and chiseled adults playing as teenagers. Hilariously, only the dude who videotaped the fights really made a career from this movie. The girl lead ran into constant issues in her life while the lead returned for a video game flunk and a female fight club film. It is considered the only low-budget MMA movie to ever make movie.
- DirectorAllan ArkushNicholas NiciphorRoger CormanStarsDavid CarradineClaudia JenningsRichard LynchFuturistic Science Fiction about a sport to the death, using "destructocycles".A Roger Corman classic, this time instead of pitting female gladiators together in his original Arena, it's now killer motorcycles that serve as the main weapon.
- DirectorJoe ChienStarsAndy OnJessica CambensyMichael WongAfter Jenny's boyfriend is killed in a zombie attack, she faces the challenge of surviving in the face of adversity.Don't get your hopes up. There isn't a whole lot of zombies fighting, I mean, they can't even control themselves from wanting to eat your brains to be disciplined to fight you. But the fact that there is some brief zombies involved and of course the loser is fed to zombies at one point make this a worthy addition.
- DirectorKimani Ray SmithStarsLaci J MaileyTerry ChenAkotene ChanoineA group of young martial artists infiltrate an underground pit fighting ring where the loser is chopped up and served in a Chinese restaurant.Cannibalism has no place in MMA. And if you agree you better win your fight if you were in this film. This is another Japanese film complete with full Japanese gross humor and explicit gore.
- DirectorJosh C. WallerStarsZoë BellRachel NicholsTracie Thoms50 abducted women are forced to fight each other using their bare hands.This is another capture-and-forced-to-fight-to-the-death films, except this time starring female fighters. Nothing but female fighters. This all-star cast fight in an underground lair right below the rich people watching them through the cameras. It originally included a cannibalistic plot but I guess, and for our sake, the filmmakers couldn't stomach it... haha. It is actually the most brutal and gritty fighting film ever made.
- DirectorJames WoodStarsJames MathersJohn F. KearneyDawn Carver KellyDr. Henry Jekyll, the great-grandson and namesake of the original Dr. Henry Jekyll, kidnaps people and experiments on them using the potion created by his dead great-grandfather.This '70s exploitation film serves as one of the most weirdest films ever made. Nothing like being drugged and forced to fight in a creepy lair of a mad scientist studying human anger. Yep, that's why the fighters fight. The fighting isn't too bad, just the whole creepy plot. The guy even brags about his experiments to someone else, that's just stupid.
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsJason StathamJoan AllenTyrese GibsonEx-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world's most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory.A modern prison fight movie, this time the fights are using sports cars. It's like Fast and the Furious but driven by inmates while in prison by order of the warden.
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsChristopher LambertRobin ShouLinden AshbyThree unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.Pretty much a carbon copy of Enter the Dragon but with a few extras and minus the famous "claw", Mortal Kombat is well known to everyone. Why is it so weird? The fatalities are stylized and out-of-this-world, the whole thing happens "in another dimension" which most TV guides at the time just called the villains aliens, and a 4-armed half-human, half-dragon fighter that makes this very unusual. Not to mention if you lose you'll lose your soul to a demon sorcerer. It's a tournament fighter with some of the most exotic fight arenas ever.
- DirectorJesse Thomas CookStarsDave FoleyArt HindleRobert MailletEight classic monsters fight to the death in an explosive wrestling tournament set inside an abandoned and cursed graveyard.This is such an awesome and gimmicky film all around. Definitely for us monster and wrestling nerds. Classic monsters fight to the death inside a wrestling ring that is located within a scary cemetery. Mixed-gender fights occur, not that that matters with non-human entities. One of the most creative ideas ever in film history.
- DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.Likely one of the first reality and even game show fighter films, it's all about convicted felons being forced to fight and broadcasted for the world to see. It's unusual because at the time it was, and it's more like Tron meets every gladiator film ever made.
- DirectorStephen DurhamHenry Kingi Jr.StarsGrace JohnstonJason PadgettTracy KayIn the sticks of Kentucky, a demented family of inbreds begin the process of cleaning up their blood line. Their twisted family is led by Billy Bob Hackford, who in his madness abducts unsuspecting young women. As a sadistic sport, the clan forces the girls to fight, gladiator style to the death, to determine the strongest. Billy Bob then rapes the victor in hopes of a pregnancy and expanding the Hackford family. The Hackford's plan changes when they abduct Amber Strickland, a southern tom boy whose family ties run as deep as her abductors. She's not a victim or prey, but a huntress raised in the backwoods of Alabama. Her brothers, Bear and Brody track her down and a feud of country folks erupt into a massacre, with only the strongest to survive.Rednecks kidnap girls and force them to fight to the death, loser is fed to the mutant redneck brother and the winner gets *beep* by the host so he can breed more family members. Aside from the original plot, it's a women-in-captivity exploitation fighting film for the modern ages and a few good laughs using redneck stereotypes.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsMichael CeraMary Elizabeth WinsteadKieran CulkinIn a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.A very lengthy but fun film for what it is - a gauntlet battle film where one person must beat multiple people to finally beat the boss. A combination of anime and video game fandom, this film is truly epic. The exes do die but in the video game sense and the fights are usually public in some way.
- DirectorLen KabasinskiStarsBrian HeffronDarian CaineBrian Anthony1977. A family is murdered in cold blood. The case goes unsolved for decades and remains a mystery. Enter the present day, detective Lee Southward is sent on assignment to infiltrate an illegal underground fighting tournament and bring in the organizers. Lee battles his way to the top of the tournaments in attempts to get closer to the organizers. As Lee draws closer and begins to piece clues together he is brought back to the case closed decades ago. However there is a problem: The organizers are of the undead and crave human blood! Lee must fight his way through all the sex, drugs, and violence of the underground while trying to piece together evidence with the help of an undercover officer and find a way to stop the undead!About as close to a vampire MMA film we'll get for now, except the vampires are the hosts of the fights and not really fighters. Still, this very indie film fits about up there with Evil Feeds, minus all of that film's gore.
- DirectorBill McAdams Jr.StarsJessica SonnebornMichael McLaffertyPaulie RojasAn undercover female cop enters Belmont High as a transfer student, after several girls in the area go missing. While trying to assimilate in the school, she and her new friends are lured into a place where they must fight for their lives.Rednecks kidnap teenage girls and force them to fight to the death for their freedom. There's no *beep* the winner here, it's pretty much just watch the all-female high schoolers (played by adults) kill each other. It uses the collar trick from Battle Royale, only shocking the girls though. It's more of a bore than a lure but with a sinister twist that, if this film were mainstream, would piss off the critics.
- DirectorJonah LoopStarsSamuel L. JacksonKellan LutzJohnny MessnerDavid Lord finds himself forced into the savage world of a modern gladiatorial arena, where men fight to the death for the entertainment of the online masses.It's a slight modern take on The Running Man with modern gladiatorial fights broadcasted. Except this time no one seems to wear any armor throughout the movie.
- DirectorMark DiSalleDavid WorthStarsJean-Claude Van DammeDennis AlexioDennis ChanKurt Sloane must learn the ancient kick boxing art of Muay Thai in order to avenge his brother.What's unusual isn't just the big-ass fighter with the braided ponytail but that Muay Thai is being treated as "ancient" when it was the thing at this time. Though it, to this day, is one of the only films to ever feature glass fists, called Taipei, which is a real style of Muay Thai with ancient roots. Jean Claude would almost in a sense appear in a film similar to the fighting here, and the fighters, in almost a decade later in The Quest.
- DirectorLang ElliottStarsCandra AdamsLou FerrignoRichard ArdiAfter surviving Vietnam and the illegal fighting circuit, one man finds himself facing a whole new set of challenges in this action-drama. Billy Thomas (Lou Ferrigno) is a kind soul who happens to have a colossal body and a remarkable talent for the martial arts. Tim Yum Lin (James Shigeta) is leader of an underground crime syndicate who has dreamed up a way to profit from Billy's size and strength. Tim and his underlings kidnap Billy and hold him captive, telling him that his best friend has been killed and he must obey or he'll be next. Billy is forced to take on a number of brutal, fearless competitors in no-holds-barred cage matches held in an underground arena,Lou Ferringo, known as the original Incredible Hulk, plays a fighter with a low IQ who kicks ass. What's unusual about that? It's illegal and creepy as hell for anyone who lacks an appropriate IQ to enter into fighting. It's pretty much pitting a kid against an adult, mentally anyway.
- DirectorSteve CarverStarsMargaret MarkovPam GrierLucretia LoveWhen the Romans force a group of sex slaves to become gladiatrices, two such fighters - a Nubian dancer and a Gaulish priestess - form an alliance to lead the others in rebellion.Perhaps the first girl fight movie, it's unusual because it actually went as far as to tell the truth about one of the famous spectator sports in history: there really were female gladiators in Ancient Rome.
- DirectorGeorge MillerGeorge OgilvieStarsMel GibsonTina TurnerBruce SpenceAfter being exiled from the most advanced town in post-apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen.One of the greatest arenas, the fights happen inside a large cage called the Thunderdome.
- DirectorTodd KellsteinStarsStam Sor Con LekPet Chor ChanachaiStamp FairtexTwo eight year old girls fight in rural Thailand's underground child boxing economy to earn money to support their families.The creepiest of all because it's 100% real and actually a documentary of underground girl kickboxing in Thailand as young as 8 years old. Not fighting for sport or fun but to support their families. Heart-warming.
- DirectorDaniel ArmstrongStarsElke BerryMick PrestonJenna DwyerBudding female pro wrestling champion Charlie is faced with a wrestle-pocalypse of homicidal monsters spawned by a wrestling video game.Female wrestlers fight zombies.
- DirectorTyler ShieldsStarsAbigail BreslinWes BentleyLogan HuffmanA man teaches a young woman how to become a complete weapon. Later, she is approached by a group of sadistic teens who kill blonde women for unknown reasons. The hunting season begins.Rich high school boys get absolute pleasure hunting down high school girls they find to be pretty and killing them, making for one he'll of a date night!
- DirectorKelcey CoeStarsBecca ChanayKelly CulbertsonBrianna CulpSinister fatal femme Rachel inVites four unlikely model hopefuls into an underground death fight inside a barbaric steel cage surrounded by razor-sharp barb-wire. An all-female nightmare horror concept short film inspired by true events.A short film, it's most unusual because it pits fashion models against each other in a brutal steel cage to fight to the death for a chance at fame and fortune, where... wait for it... they have to actually fight again for that same fame and fortune. Features really gorey deaths and takes place in a forest.
- DirectorIchirô ItanoStarsShin AomoriDavid ArnoldRalph BrownewellHyoudo Riki is just an ordinary guy who likes to wear a tiger mask while Kung-Fu fighting, which means he fits in real well at BATTLE ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL.
- DirectorSam UmStarsM.G. LeeC.K. KimStacy LundgrenA young girl who competes in Tae Kwon Do has trouble winning tournaments. Fate provides her an opportunity to train with a martial arts master. Will she win her next tournament?
- DirectorTed V. MikelsRay Dennis StecklerStarsJannina PoynterDavid O'HaraMacka FoleyA young woman newly arrived in a small town comes up against a crazed group of survivalists who have killed a party of motorcyclists in the desert. They capture and rape her, but she escapes and makes plans to take her vengeance on them.
- DirectorRussell BrownStarsMiss Mercedes 9AbbyLisa AcostaChaos follows a deadly duo of maniac assassins after they host a brutal, no-holds-barred tournament inside a sinister steel cage surrounded by razor-sharp barb-wire after luring hungry, aspiring models into the backwoods of Columbus, Ohio with a prize too good to be true. Just as they turn the tide on each other, a mysterious and haunting violent vixen, literally with an ax to grind threatens their status as deadly assassins in this blood-soaked, sweat-drenched nightmare you'll never forget. Inspired by shockingly true events. The feature film, Girl Blood Sport presents itself as a cautionary tale about the dangers posed in the freelance modeling world.
- DirectorKelcey CoeStarsChelsea AlexandriaBecca ChanayTorri ChanelChaos embodies the turbulent life of an assassin - from a murder-for-hire plot as a kid to an organizer in a deadly all-female martial arts tournament, all while fighting an all-female assassin squad and psychotic wife along the way.
- StarsChelsea AlexandriaHayley HomicideLindsey McCombGet an inside look behind the babes of Girlfight as they dance, laugh, trip, and go wild and crazy in this behind the scenes B-Roll feature. The smoking hot, sexiest girls of Girlfight can be found on this limited edition disc. Warning: These girls are so hot they'll kill you. Sexy girls include: Chelsea Alexandria, Hayley Homicide, Lindsey McComb, Miss Molly, and Brittany Rose.
- StarsTorri ChanelLois MinnisGirlfight's Girls Gone Wild is back. Time to get freaky and geeky with this behind the scenes look into the most psychotic and wild girls from Girlfight. See the famous sex scene made in front of your eyes or Rachel zazzle and dazzle you in a wild bikini and as a schoolgirl. Finally see the sinister and diabolical Raven in brutal action.
- StarsYôko HikasaKana UedaAi KakumaWhen darkness threatens the world, four heroines hold the only hope for salvation - if they can even manage to get out of the first town, that is.
- DirectorSimon EdwardsStarsJessica MessengerOliver MalamSabine CrossenA body conscious photographer, Adrian, concocts a scenario in which he attempts to project his insecurities onto those who mock him. Hired by Adrian, his professed muse Mira and five other girls begin to question who is using who when it becomes clear that the not so normal mind of the photographer himself isn't all the girls have to worry about.
- DirectorDallas KingStarsTamra DaeJulia FaeMariam SarajSet in the post-apocalypse, a group of fighters believe they're fighting for their freedom, until they realize they're in a comic book.
- StarsAudrina FoxJaden StarrModel Combat is the story of a crazed assassin willing to do anything to please his wife; so, with her suggestion, he organizes a tournament forcing models to fight to the death so they won't interfere with his wife's chances of becoming Florida's next top model. After enlisting the help of St. William, a preacher by day and pimp by night, Ryan, a redneck mechanic addicted to prostitutes, and Big Tony, a ghetto pimp and thug, led by crazed government assassin, Russell Brown, organizes a deadly tournament to eliminate anyone who gets in his wife's way of becoming the state's next top model. The fights are streamed globally throughout Pay-Per-View and viewers are encouraged to place bets. Who will win this coveted tournament using the art of war? How far will they go to be the best? This six-disc Blu-ray Ultimate Fan Edition set contains: promos, pitches, short fight films, book cover galleries, 18+ photo galleries, and audio-visual drafts of many scripts.
- DirectorZoë BellStarsZoë BellLucy LawlessTara MackenAt home and bored during the pandemic lockdown, Zoë Bell picks a fight with her Boss Bitch friends. Glorious mayhem ensues.
- DirectorVirginie DespentesCoralie Trinh ThiStarsRaffaëla AndersonKaren LancaumeCéline BeugnotTwo young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men - and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences.
- DirectorAndrew Thomas HuntStarsKathryn KohutMichelle ArgyrisEmily AlataloWhile travelling on their first American tour, Ms. 45, an all-girl punk band, is drugged and kidnapped. They awaken to find their limbs removed and replaced with crude weaponry, and are forced to fight as Gladiators for a sadistic town.
- DirectorMarc MorgensternStarsSarah BoesAdrian M. PryceRon MazorFive strangers are abducted by a 250 year-old vampire, and placed into a deadly game of wits and endurance.
- DirectorScott ChambersBecca HiraniStarsSarah T. CohenRyan DaviesSerhat MetinA fallen MMA fighter must win a netherworld no-holds-barred death tournament against man, beast and demon to save her soul.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsAl CliverLaura GemserGeorge EastmanA telepathic mutant recruits a post-World War III TV game-show warrior to lead her band of mutants to safety.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverJake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.