Last Updated: 11/18/23
Note: It's simple and straightforward: the greatest battles in cinema history.

These battles have made the cut because they contributed brilliance to films in most, if not all, aspects: acting, characters, screenplay, plot, direction, editing, cinematography, and so on. They must also be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Then, I think about cultural phenomenon, uniqueness, famous movie moments, iconic scenes and/or lines, cinematic power, and timelessness.

This list is based on what I have seen so far and is limited to the top 40 with 5 honorable mentions in that order.

1. Blanche DuBois vs. Stanley Kowalski
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

2. Matt Hooper, Martin Brody, and Quint vs. The Shark
Jaws (1975)

3. Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed
Rocky Duology (1976, 1979)

4. Martha vs. George
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

5. Ellen Ripley vs. The Xenomorphs
Alien Duology (1979, 1986)

6. Inspector Harry Callahan vs. Scorpio
Dirty Harry (1971)

7. Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader
Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)

8. Judah Ben-Hur vs. Messala
Ben-Hur (1959)

9. Anne Sullivan vs. Helen Keller
The Miracle Worker (1962)

10. Fathers Merrin and Karras vs. Possessed Regan MacNeil
The Exorcist (1973)

11. Dr. Miles Bennell vs. The Body Snatchers
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

12. Major Dutch's Group vs. Predator
Predator (1987)

13. Sam Spade vs. Joel Cairo, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and Kasper Gutman
The Maltese Falcon (1941)

14. Scotland vs. England
Braveheart (1995)

15. Kyle Reese and Sara Connor vs. The Terminator
The Terminator (1984)

16. Virgil Tibbs vs. Racism
In the Heat of the Night (1967)

17. Juan Dominquez, Nilo, Serrano, and Martinez vs. The South American Jungle
Sorcerer (1977)

18. Richard Hannay vs. The Conspirators
The 39 Steps (1935)

19. Twelve Men Among Themselves
12 Angry Men (1957)

20. The Dancers vs. Fatigue
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

21. Rick Blaine and Victor Laszlo vs. The Germans
Casablanca (1942)

22. John McClaine vs. Hans Gruber
Die Hard (1988)

23. John Rambo vs. The Law Enforcement and Military
First Blood (1982)

24. Terry Malloy vs. His Conscience
On the Waterfront (1954)

25. Rob Roy vs. Archibald Cunningham
Rob Roy (1995)

26. Neal Page and Del Griffith vs. Traveling Barriers
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

27. Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes vs. Sergeant Elias
Platoon (1986)

28. Moses vs. Pharaoh Rameses II
The Ten Commandments (1956)

29. Scarlett O'Hara vs. Rhett Butler
Gone with the Wind (1939)

30. Jim Garrison vs. The Conspirators
JFK (1991)

31. John Rambo vs. the Vietnamese and Russian Soldiers
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

32. Uruguayan Rugby Team vs. The Andes Mountains
Alive (1993)

33. Oliver Rose vs. Barbara Rose
The War of the Roses (1989)

34. Frank Bullitt vs. Walter Chalmers
Bullitt (1968)

35. Frank Serpico vs. The Corrupt New York City Police System
Serpico (1973)

36. Joe Clark vs. The Doubters
Lean on Me (1989)

37. The Escape Artists vs. The Nazis
The Great Escape (1963)

38. Susy Hendrix vs. Mr. Roat
Wait Until Dark (1967)

39. Henri "Papillon" Charriere vs. The French Guinea Penal System
Papillon (1973)

40. Dave Garver vs. Evelyn Draper
Play Misty for Me (1971)

Honorable Mentions: Marty McFly vs. History (Back to the Future, 1985), Ben and the Others vs. The Living Dead (Night of the Living Dead, 1968), The Kids vs. Count Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (The Monster Squad, 1987), Frank Galvin vs. The Corrupt Justice System (The Verdict, 1982), and Andrew Wyke vs. Milo Tindle (Sleuth, 1972)