Best Film Rivalries

[IrishCanadian25]

The best part of a good movie is the existance of strong characters. And when those characters have an epic conflict, well, much like a pro wrestling storyline, it tends to enthrall the audience. I am only looking for single characters vs single characters, so "Indiana Jones vs The Nazis" is out.

So let's look at and decide on the greatest film rivalries of all time.

#1 - Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Annakin Skywalker. The sci-fi version of The Rockers splitting up. Two men who were much like brothers, when one was lured away by ego and power. The rivalry between Ben and Darth Vader really did spam all 6 films, and these two characters, save for 3-P.O. and D2 were the only characters to my knowledge to appear in all 6 films. The battles at the end of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope remain epic to this very day.

#2 - Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed. These two men had two amazing battles in the ring, and never could get the other out of their head. Apollo became consumed by the idea of defeating Rocky to prove he was far superior. Rocky was motivated by a passion to win as the underdog. Even when they were friends at the end of the third film, Apollo still couldn't drop the rivalry, and had a sparring fight with Rocky to close the film.

#3 - Michael Corleone vs Hyman Roth. In Godfather 2, Roth and Corleone play what amounts to a chess match, or a game of chicken. Roth gets the better of Michael much of the time - turning his brother on him, the use of Frank Pentangelli in the investigation, etc. But eventually, Michael defeats his foe by killing him, a move little more than a ceremonial victory given Roth's terminal illness.

#4 - Nancy Thompson vs Freddy Kreuger. The original Nightmare on Elm Street, the excellent 3rd installment, and New Nightmare all feature this rivalry between the strong female and the man in her nightmares. And Nancy doesn't always win - Freddy kills her at the end of Part 3.

I could go on, but I want to hear some of the thoughts from all of you. What are YOUR greatest film rivalries of all time, and why?

 

[crapamaniac]

#1-McMurphy vs Nurse Ratched. two excellent performances that make the film and leave us with a great if not tragic finale
#2-Blondie vs Tuco vs Angel Eyes. I know its a trio but Clint and Eli are on the same side for much of the film and the ending is 100% cinematic gold

 

[NSL]

I like the Rocky v. Apollo mention, but I prefer Rocky v. Drago. There was so much more backstory to it, and it was on a much more personal level. The only time the feud with Apollo got personal, was for the rematch. The fight was also a lot better against Drago.

I also like the rivalry between Hulk Hogan and Zeus from No Holds Barred. The movie is under-rated, and the final fight between the two is great. It alone makes the whole movie worth watching.

Bloodsport also has a great rivalry, between Van Damme and the guy that killed his friend. I haven't seen it in forever, so I don't know the names offhand, but it was a great fued for the length of the movie.

 

[jmt225]

I'll start off with a cool 80's teen movie called Vision Quest. IC, have you seen this? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it. I know you are a big fan of Amateur wrestling and actually wrestled in high school yourself and well... this is the only film I think you'll find about high school amateur wrestling. And you'll be extremely proud of the way the sport is portrayed in the picture. Anyway, the rivalry in the movie is between the main character Louden Swain (played by Matthew Modine, who you all should know from Full Metal Jacket) and Brian Shute. And what makes their rivalry so great, in my opinion, is that there is no hatred between the two. Shute is just the best wrestler out there, and Swain wants to cut an unbelievable amount of weight just to face him, so he can have a shot at going one on one against the best. And Shute likes the competition. He's a bit arrogant about it of course, but the film doesn't overdue it and they don't make him out to be some huge assholes, like most films do about people competing against one another in a sports competition.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day of course has a classic rivalry between the Terminator and T-1000. I don't really need to go into much detail, because everyone should know how great the scenes between these two are. No action sequences have ever been as intense and awesome as the ones in this movie, as far as I'm concerned. And the fact that they’re robots that are very hard to kill, makes them do shit that other movies can't accomplish, without people shaking their heads since it's not believable in the slightest bit.

And also... there's this little movie called Angus about this fat, smart, talented football player kid, who grows up with having this hatred for a kid named Rick Sandford (played by James Van Der Beek, in his big screen debut). What makes this rivalry so good is A) Angus is an offensive lineman and Sandford is his quarterback, aka the guy his has to protect every single time he's on the football field, and B) this is a movie where the 'bully' kicks his ass kicked way more then the fat kid who gets picked on. I always found those two factors very interesting. Plus, Angus' infatuation for Stanford's girlfriend is a good piece to the story as well.

I might come back and post more if they come to mind, but I'll leave it at this for now.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I was really hoping to see a few more thrown out here, so I'll again attempt to jump start this thread with a few more I am a fan of.

Michael Myers vs Laurie Strode. In the original Halloween 1 & 2, Michael returns after a long while in a sanitarium to attack his sister, Laurie, who was adopted after Michael killed his older sister. The ending sequences of Halloween, followed up by the continued stalking of Laurie by Michael in the hospital, made for a great one-two punch in horror. You factor in H20 and Resurrection, and even the remake, and you've got the makings of one of the greatest on-screen film rivalries ever.

Harry Potter vs Lord Voldemort. They may have started as books, but no matter. Daniel Radcliffe and Ralph Feinnes have brought these characters to life on the big screen, and the tension is palpable. Feinnes is such a strong villain (Red Dragon, Schindler's List) that you can't help but fear for the Potter character, even if you have read the books and know the outcome.

 

[NSL]

If I went with Rocky v. Thunderlips for the cheap pop, would it work? I really do think it was an interesting angle for a movie, but I wouldn't put it amongst the greatest feuds ever in a movie.

I'm also going for the cheap pop, a la Mick Foley, by naming The Dark Knight v. Heath Ledger's Joker. No, it was not an original feud. We've seen it done a million times over. But, this one worked the best out of all of them. Batman was personified the best, and Joker was portrayed better than ever before.

 

[Dave]

Peter Griffin vs The giant Chicken in Family Guy is my favourite feud of all time. The first one is brilliant and the second and third ones top it superbly.

Obi wan vs Anakin is a brilliant feud though.

Also I realise that Family Guy isn't a movie but they have had straight to DVD movie release so I dunno if that counts or not.

 

[D-Man]

I'll start off with a cool 80's teen movie called Vision Quest. IC, have you seen this? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it. I know you are a big fan of Amateur wrestling and actually wrestled in high school yourself and well... this is the only film I think you'll find about high school amateur wrestling. And you'll be extremely proud of the way the sport is portrayed in the picture. Anyway, the rivalry in the movie is between the main character Louden Swain (played by Matthew Modine, who you all should know from Full Metal Jacket) and Brian Shute. And what makes their rivalry so great, in my opinion, is that there is no hatred between the two. Shute is just the best wrestler out there, and Swain wants to cut an unbelievable amount of weight just to face him, so he can have a shot at going one on one against the best. And Shute likes the competition. He's a bit arrogant about it of course, but the film doesn't overdue it and they don't make him out to be some huge assholes, like most films do about people competing against one another in a sports competition.

First of all, HOLY GOOD GOD... I am extremely impressed with this choice. I was an amateur wrestler for 13 years and I would watch this movie the day of my matches for motivation. It exemplifies determination. Bravo, jmt.

Now, onto my choices:

Broken Arrow - John Travolta vs. Christian Slater
This mid-90's action flick portrays Travolta and Slater as air force pilots that are supposed to transport nuclear weapons from one US base to another. During the flight, Slater's character notices that Travolta intends to steal the nuclear weapons to sell them on the black market, which is where this epic battle begins. The film turns into a cat and mouse scenerio as each party gains and loses control of the nuclear weapons throughout the movie.

I'm not sure how many of you have see this movie, but I couldn't believe how EVIL Travolta's character was in this film. For a man that has played a dancing disco-inferno and a taxicab-driving babysitter to a talking child, it's amazing how well he pulls off an evil villain. He makes his character in face/off look like a girl scout. But, you can see the tension building throughout the movie as Slater and Travolta can't wait to get their hands on each other. Once they have their epic battle at the end of the movie, they bet $20 to see who can kick who's ass. Now THAT'S testosterone, people.

Star Wars - Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader

Do I even need to explain this? It is simply known as the ultimate good vs. evil. I can completely understand the choice of Anakin vs. Obi Wan (considering that technically this feud came first), but in our world, it was the O.G. The epic battles between these two characters became the basis of the Star Wars phenomenon and culture that continues to this day through wifeless/husbandless, light saber-obsessed nerds everywhere.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Bumpage.

Gordon Bombay vs Jack Reilly. LOVED this. The original Mighty Ducks film brought us the story of Gordon Bombay, once a hockey prospect and now a lawyer, being forced to coach a pile of crap. In his first game, he gets stuck coaching against HIS old coach, the man who'd won every single State Pee Wee title save for ONE, Jack Reilly. In this rivalry, we see Reilly as an ego-centric jerk who only wants to win. "It's not worth playing if you can't win. It's not worth winning if you can't win big." And we begin to realize that it was Reilly, who acted as a father figure to Gordon after his father died one season, who gave Bombay this ridiculous win-at-all-costs streak. Prior to the finals, we also see Reilly as a man who tried to USE the death of Gordon's father as a tool to motivate him to victory. This rivalry was intense, had a back story, and played itself out in the form of some funny and charming kid actors (including Joshua Jackson! Yay!) playing the best sport there is - Hockey.

Awesome rivalry.

 

[The Rob]

Jack Traven v.s Howard Payne, Speed.

These two had a short yet highly intense feud which involved Traven saving alot of people's lives (including his own), thanks to Payne trying to:

1) Get shit loads of money
2) Get revenge on Traven for fucking up his elevator plan which he put alot of time and money into.

Through-out the film, Payne is in total control and has Traven right where he wants him. There is only one moment where Jack is in control of the situation when it comes to Payne, when Payne is seconds away from being decapitated on top of an underground train. The rivarly gets very personal when Payne leads Jack's fellow officer and close friend Harry to his death and when he has Annie held hostage in the train.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well JMT was on the right path, but I would like to change it up a little. I would say The Connor Family from Terminator vs A future controlled by Skynet, or Skynet itself. What other movie pits one faction against another so fiercely that they try and send people and machines back in time to eliminate one another?

Terminator 1 pits the T-800 vs Sarah Connor in hopes of killing her before she can give birth to her son, whom is not even conceived at the time. This causes the Resistance, which in the future is led by Sarah's son, John, to send back a man who becomes his own father, to save his mother, to impregnate her, thus giving him the ability to fight Skynet.

Terminator 2 now pits an adolescent John Connor against Skynet, with the help of a T-800, who was sent back in time by John, to fight against a T-1000 sent to kill John well before he can start the Resistance, and before Skynet ever has control. The major twist in this movie is the Connor's fight against Skynet before it is ever operational, and the hope that by destroying it, with the help of its creator, the future would change, and there would be no need for a Resistance, and no need for John Connor to even be killed.

 

[Shocky]

The Rock Solid choices so far have been the Connor Family vs. Skynet. Honestly, we're going to get the backstory, which is actually the future story, oh mind breaker, in the next three films that's going to wrap it up all nicely, if not confusingly. John Connor is such a tragic hero it's depressing at this point. This is a guy that has been guided by fate to his role, and no matter howm uch he wants to, or tries to change it, he simply can't.

Obi-Wan vs. Anakin: Pretty much the rivalry that encompasses the most succesful movie franchise of all time. It starts off as pety jealousy, and boils into blind rage, and ultimately forgiveness. It's a great story to be told, and the Immolation Scene is one of the best scenes of any movie I've seen.

Lt. Ripley vs. the Alien: I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. The first dominate Female action hero against one of the nastiest looking creatures ever created. From the pulse pounding terror created by the first one, to the nonstop action of the second with the climax with the queen, and finally, her death by the Alien in Alien 3. This rivalry comes full circle (fuck Resurrection).

Neo vs. Agent Smith: These fight scenes are stuff of legend. Forgot all of the nonsensical ramblings of the last two movies, and focus in on what the movie should have been about, Neo and Smith. Every scene with these two are gold, and push the limits of technology with the fight scenes.

 

[supersayian]

Anakin vs Obi Wan was the greatest of two friends turned against each other in movies ever like said it was Jealousy turned to rage and it told a great story with the ultimate battle.

Freddy vs Jason these two could have had a sequel but it was not to be. the ending leaves you hanging and both are out to kill each other and out kill the other for most kills.

Charles Exavier vs Magnito or Eric this X-Men feud really brought comics to life. these two were always friends but shared diffrent views on humans.

Joker vs Batman this was the greatest of all the comics and the remake in 2008 was the best good vs Evil as you can get. to bad we get no sequel with Ledger.

 

[Razor]

Batman vs. Penguin/Catwoman/Max Shrek. It was the first Batman movie I really loved, and this conflict really personified what Batman was all about. The first Joker/Batman rivalry was good, no doubt. But this rivalry surpassed Joker's passion and insanity with the Penguin, plus it surpassed the "personal" factor with the woman who was Catwoman also being Bruce Wayne's newest love interest.

Batman vs. Joker 2008. I'm a Batman fanboy, as if you couldn't tell. This is what I believe the first Batman movie should have been, even when I factor in my love of Tim Burton's directing. Batman has always been the man who fought evil and never gave in to his own lurking insanity, while Joker has been the personification of that evil, and what could happen if Batman gave in to his demons. This film aimed to prove that point, and did so with Two-Face. You could see the hatred of Joker in Batman's eyes, and you could feel Joker's cold determination to prove that the only difference between the two of them was "one bad day."

To venture out of Batman territory, I would go with Jack Torrance vs. The Overlook Hotel. The Shining shows what every man fears, loosing his mind and somehow hurting his family. Plus, the rivalry is so dynamic. At first Jack fights it with every ounce of himself. Then, when he finally looses himself, the feud shifts to Jack and The Overlook Hotel vs. Jack's Family. It sucks for Jack, because he looses both feuds, haha. However, the feud is still the perfect showing of homicidal mania (Jack) against innocence and pure survival (Wendy and Danny).