Top 10 Real Punches You Actually See in the Movie

Top 10 Real Punches You Actually See in the Movie

These actors took the hits and kept on filming. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 real punches you actually see in the movie.

For this list, we’ll be looking at times where actors really got hit or otherwise physically mauled while the cameras were rolling, whether self-inflicted, by design, or in the heat of the moment.

#10: De Niro & Stallone Trade Blows

“Grudge Match” (2013)
Before Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone were cast as retired boxers, they each starred in legendary boxing films. Both actors couldn’t resist bringing their real fighting experience into the fictional ring during “Grudge Match”. According to director Peter Segal, Stallone and De Niro hit each other several times while filming. Stallone even took things a step further and encouraged De Niro to actually punch him in the face to make the fight look better. Although “Grudge Match” didn’t get the greatest reviews, knowing that the final boxing match featured a few real hits definitely improves the film. The final bout also proved that De Niro and Stallone still have plenty of fight left.

#9: Channing Tatum Takes Painful Hits

“Foxcatcher” (2014)
Channing Tatum is no stranger to physically demanding roles. But his portrayal of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz in “Foxcatcher” may have taken the greatest toll on his body. During an intense hotel scene, Mark Ruffalo burst Tatum’s eardrum with a hard hit. The groan the audience hears after the blow is probably a real cry of pain. But Tatum’s painful ear injury was quickly overshadowed by another famous scene. After losing a match, Shultz punches his own face before hitting a mirror with his head. Both the hits to his face and the head wound from hitting the mirror are real. Knowing that Tatum felt actual pain while shooting the film, makes the grim wrestling drama even more harrowing to watch.

#8: Brad Pitt Gets an Earful

“Fight Club” (1999)
We know, we know, we’re not supposed to talk about fight club. However, there is one hard-hitting scene we can’t resist pointing out. Near the beginning of the film, Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden asks Edward Norton’s narrator to punch him. But the narrator misses and punches him in the ear instead. Norton has revealed that the punch is real. Director David Fincher wanted Pitt to actually get punched during the scene. In a split-second decision, Norton decided to punch his co-star’s ear. Pitt’s genuine reaction to the hit made it into the final film. His hilarious and improvised ear complaints became some of the most memorable lines in a ridiculously quotable movie.

#7: Frank Grillo Doesn’t Hold Back

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most iconic scenes left Chris Evans covered in bruises. In “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, the star-spangled superhero is attacked in an elevator by a group of sinister Hydra agents. The attack is led by Brock Rumlow. According to Evans, Frank Grillo, who played Rumlow (or, Crossbones), went all out during the elevator scene. Grillo insisted that the action looked better if the actors didn’t pull their punches. But Chris Evans wasn't the only one on the receiving end of real hits. Both Anthony Mackie and Scarlett Johansson confirmed that Grillo didn't hold back his punches. So whenever you see Grillo fighting on screen, you can assume his scene partner walks away with a few bruises.

#6: John Leguizamo & Bryan Cranston Get Carried Away

“The Infiltrator” (2016)
It can be difficult for actors to control their emotions during intense scenes. Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo both let their anger get the best of them while shooting a crime drama called “The Infiltrator”. During an intense restaurant scene, Bryan Cranston shoves an actor’s face into a cake without warning. But Leguizamo goes a step further in a scene with his co-star Juan Cely. When Cely’s cartel character threatens to expose Leguizamo’s character as a cop, they both go at each other. Both actors confessed that the fight viewers saw on film was completely real. In later interviews, Cranston and Leguizamo expressed regret that they got carried away while they were filming.

#5: Michael B. Jordan Gets a Serious Blow

“Creed” (2015)
Throughout this film, the titular character takes a number of hard hits. But the worst blow occurs during the climactic final bout. Veteran boxer Ricky Conlan punches Adonis Creed so hard that the boxer is knocked out instantly. Fortunately he recovers and keeps fighting. Unfortunately for Michael B. Jordan, the knockout punch was reputed to be completely real. A behind-the-scenes video shows the actor taking a devastating hit from his co-star Anthony Bellew. Jordan claims that the punch didn't actually knock him out. However, he did admit to seeing stars after the impact. Although the punch looked painful, Jordan had to get hit again, because the first take wasn’t clear. He may not be a professional boxer, but he’s got the heart of a fighter.

#4: Jake Gyllenhaal Takes All the Hits Himself

“Southpaw” (2015)
After months of intense boxing training, Jake Gyllenhaal was fully prepared to take hits in the ring while filming “Southpaw”. Gyllenhaal’s trainer claimed that all the body shots you see in the film are 100 percent real. And since the actor repeatedly refused to use a body double for the boxing scenes, we can assume that he takes nearly every punch to the gut that we see onscreen. “Southpaw” director Antoine Fuqua even joked that Gyllenhaal nearly put his stunt double out of a job, because Gyllenhaal wanted to do it all himself. Given that the actor’s final fights look absolutely mesmerizing, we can’t blame him for wanting to do it all!

#3: Jon Bernthal Decks Jonah Hill

“The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013)
In “Wolf of Wall Street”, Jonah Hill plays an obnoxious stockbroker named Donnie. His attitude constantly pisses off Jon Bernthal’s angry and intimidating Brad. When it came time for Brad to lose control and punch Donnie, director Martin Scorsese asked Jonah Hill if Bernthal could throw a real punch. Once Bernthal was given the go ahead, he threw a pretty devastating blow. The punch partially destroyed the set of prosthetic teeth that Donnie was wearing and caused Hill’s face to swell up. Both the punch and his injured face made it into the film. Although the powerful punch looked painful, Hill complained more about the pain of wearing prosthetic teeth than Bernthal’s blow.

#2: Robert De Niro Breaks Joe Pesci’s Rib

“Raging Bull” (1980)
The relationship between the LaMotta Brothers in “Raging Bull “ is turbulent and violent. In one of their many shared scenes, Jake and Joey LaMotta keep hitting each other in the face. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci really punched each other on camera, to make the scene realistic. But it was a sparring match later in the film that brought Pesci more severe pain. When Jake hit Joey in the side, De Niro didn’t pull the punch. As a result, the blow actually broke one of Joe Pesci's ribs. Director Martin Scorsese left the shot where the rib was broken in the film. While De Niro’s performance is certainly praiseworthy, Pesci deserves a lot of credit for finishing the movie after such a painful injury.

#1: Dolph Lundgren Takes Out Stallone

“Rocky IV” (1985)
During this epic moment from the famed franchise, Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago promises to break Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. His ominous boast almost got too real while the actors were filming. Before the final fight began, Stallone asked Lundgren to punch him for real. After receiving a few blows, Stallone started experiencing chest pains. The actor was later rushed to an ICU. After a few days in the hospital, doctors determined that Stallone had been hit so hard that his heart had bounced against his ribs. The brutal punch can be seen during the first few blows of the film’s final bout. So the next time you’re watching “Rocky IV”, remember that one of Drago’s initial punches had devastating real-life consequences.