Watch the 5 Most Badass ‘Bourne’ Brawls

Here’s a look at our favorite fights from the original trilogy.

Jason Bourne, as evidenced by the fist throwing in the trailer for the new film Jason Bourne, is not someone you should attempt to confront—ever. A fight with this rogue former-CIA agent is unlikely to end well for you, but if you still think you’d have a chance going mano-a-mano with Matt Damon’s character, remind yourself of exactly what you’d be up against by checking out our five favorite Bourne fights.

Bourne vs. The Embassy

Early in the first film, The Bourne Identity, Matt Damon’s character escapes into the American embassy in Zurich to try and get away from local police who are on his tail. When embassy security gets suspicious, we get our first real taste of what this super-assassin can do when backed into a corner. Taking out multiple security guards and avoiding embassy Marines is no easy task, even if Bourne makes it appear to be a cake walk.

Bourne vs. Castel (aka Pen vs. Knife)

Once the CIA realizes that Bourne is still alive, they send three of their top operatives after him. Castel surprises him in a Paris apartment, and seemingly has the advantage of having brought a knife to a fistfight, manages to draw blood and get the upper-hand on Damon’s character. That is, until Bourne turns a regular pen into a deadly weapon, in an amazing example of using whatever’s around to defend yourself.

Bourne vs. Manheim (aka Magazine vs Knife)

Bourne again uses whatever he can lay his hands on to defeat his opponent while getting his ass kicked by the seemingly mild-mannered Manheim. Without a gun or knife nearby, he picks up a magazine (yes, a magazine) and turns this seemingly harmless object into a destructive weapon. Good to know issues of Maxim can also be used for self-defense!

Bourne vs. CIA Mobile Teams (Waterloo Station)

While attempting to help an in-over-his-head journalist escape a CIA “grab-team,” Bourne finds himself vastly outnumbered in the bowels of London’s Waterloo station. When the journalist freezes like a deer-in-headlights, it’s up to Bourne to take out the multiple attackers and protect the innocent civilian. Regardless of whether the journalist survives the rest of the scene, this example of fighting multiple attackers in a confined space is perhaps the best illustration of Bourne’s skills and fighting style.

Bourne vs. Desh

While the most memorable part of this action sequence is probably Damon’s character leaping across an alley and through a window to place himself between an assassin and Nicolette (Julia Styles), it’s the hand-to-hand combat that ensues that makes the scene, and perhaps the entire movie. Bourne is on the losing end for much of the fight, but manages to turn the situation around with his close quarters grappling and, because we know how much Bourne loves fighting with household objects, he manages to kill the attacker with a hand towel. So yes, you can add hand towels to the growing list of items with which this man can kill you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMX-zF5nPro

So those are the best of the original trilogy. But we have a sneaking suspicion after watching the trailer for the new Jason Bourne being released this weekend that this list is going to have some new additions. 

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