The 25 most Oscar-worthy stunts of the 2000s: From Ethan Hunt and the ‘Fast and Furious’ to James Bond and John Wick
April 23, 2025
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The Academy has officially (finally!) announced the creation of a Best Stunt Design category, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Oscars in 2028. To many, the award is long overdue — after all, how many of our favorite scenes in film history stick out thanks to harrowing, entertaining, or mind-bending stunt work? Whether it’s Douglas Fairbanks coolly sliding down a pirate sail, Indiana Jones running from a boulder, or Buster Keaton surviving a house fall, manners may maketh man (at least according to the Kingsmen), but stunts maketh the movie.
It’s a new era for stunt recognition, coming off an exceptional era of top-shelf stunt work in Hollywood as long-storied directors insist on practical effects-driven stunt work, and seasoned stunt performers such as Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, and Sam Hargrave have taken turns in the director’s chair to widespread acclaim. There is one relevant caveat in the list to follow. While there are plenty of examples of high-octane moments in exceptional CGI-driven action sequences, this list prioritizes scenes accomplished primarily through practical stunt work.
With that in mind, here are the 25 best stunts of the past 25 years.
25. Scorpion kick, The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix tetralogy is full of some of cinema’s coolest and most innovative fight sequences, but one particular scene contributed new moves to combat history. The first fight scene in the series’ second film sees Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) in combat against security guards. She blocks the final guard’s baton with a helmet, and he changes attack direction when she ducks under the blow, then whips her left leg up over her back to kick him squarely in the face. Moss spent six months mastering the unconventional kick, which was invented for the film by choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. It isn’t every day that a film’s stunt design is so great that it contributes brand new kicks to martial arts history!