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fight or flight
why not both welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we're counting down our picks
for the top 10 aerial movie dogfights
backseat driver for this list we're
counting down those high-flying movie
fights that include any aircraft or
spaceships engaged in close quarters
combat with one another
number 10 ai gone wild stealth if it is
not real why did they implant it in my
brain tin man eddie is a renegade
unmanned combat aviation vehicle piloted
by artificial intelligence so
sophisticated it has its own ego moral
code and taste in music at least it's a
good song
and like most movie ai eddie doesn't
value human life you know what i think i
think you killed henry so that causes
problems do not try to stop me here one
of the human pilots who's experienced
eddie's limitations firsthand is forced
to partner with him you ordered henry to
kill me
it's because you're dangerous you're out
of control so they can both survive
their russian airspace violation and so
eddie's technology won't fall into the
wrong hands this is the way i see it you
got two options you either do what i
tell you or you can crash and burn now
what's it gonna be if the action and
effects aren't amazing enough there's
plenty of drama adding tension to this
airborne encounter
number nine attack of the drones
oblivion we need cover in the not so
distant future a war between
extraterrestrials and man saw the planet
become basically uninhabitable i can't
shake the feeling that earth
in spite of all that's happened
earth is still my home jack harper is
one of the few humans left on earth and
he's there to recover its remaining
resources
his futuristic bubble ship gets to
showcase its combat capabilities and
weapons array in this extraordinary
chase sequence dipping and dodging
through challenging terrain are you okay
with every detail of his craft serving a
function
this ship is impressively practical and
effective in aerial combat
unfortunately for jack the drones have
the same advantage
number eight nazi takedown red tails
the tuskegee airmen were a real-life
group of african-american fighter pilots
in world war ii roger that and this film
tells a fictionalized tale based on this
brave group of soldiers with some
thrilling flight sequences punctuating
the action
one scene hotshot pilot joe lightning
little takes out a german world war ii
aircraft with an ace maneuver that looks
both impossible and impressive
beyond the beautiful animation of the
takedown it's lightning's ability to
laugh in the face of danger that makes
this scene the real airshow thrill it is
junior get out of the plane
junior
number seven the specter of pursuing
helicopters you only live twice
hello base one i'm over the island now
i've seen the fishing village nothing to
report cold war paranoia is at the heart
of this movie where both an american and
a soviet spacecraft go missing this damn
thing could blow up into a full-scale
war and for a 60s era pre-cgi film the
aerial combat in this scene is
spectacular and the proof is in how
difficult it was to film good luck one
son i'll contact you when i get over the
island it took five hours of filming 85
takeoffs and a cameraman's foot was
severed tell him to send little nelly
repeat little nelly bond's plane little
nelly is easy to underestimate for its
size and design but it's a gyro plane
with flamethrowers
missiles rocket launchers
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and aerial mines
these spectre agents are in trouble
hello base one listening little nelly
got a hot reception four big shots made
improper advances towards her but she
defended her honor with great success
heading for home number six seeing red
the red baron
the world war one biopic of german pilot
manfred von richthofen is a wonder to
behold
it spares us any distracting trash talk
and dialogue focusing instead on
realistic aviation skills and
competitive combat techniques
in this british attack over belgium the
open cockpits showcase the actors clear
and necessary expressions
above all one thing's made clear aerial
dogfights were just as wild and
dangerous a century ago as they are
today
number five a family affair iron eagle
you can deal with me doug masters
rejected by the air force young doug
masters aims to prove them wrong and
prove his own worth by rescuing his
father from a death sentence in the
middle east after he's caught
trespassing
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after the dangerous extraction colonel
master's backseat drives his son to help
him take down a squadron of mig fighters
during their escape guess we'll have to
take him on i guess so with six weeks
worth of filming and choreography for
authenticity's sake okay i'm ready iron
eagle transcends its status as a hotshot
rookie movie that doubles as a
father-son film to become an
electrifying flying film
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number four keeping up with the joneses
indiana jones and the last crusade 11
o'clock fire
and here's another father-son duo who
have to make it through a dog fight by
working together
and as we all know one thing that makes
the indiana jones series great is its
comedic timing and wit especially in
urgent adrenaline-filled moments like
these
what happens
as their stolen biplane is being chased
and gunned at by faster and far more
powerful nazi monoplanes the two dr
jones managed to hold their own dad
you're gonna have to use the machine gun
get it ready
henry jones senior even ensures a few
light laughs through all the high-flying
stress
more or less
john i'm sorry
they got us number three welcome to
earth independence day
when malevolent aliens come to earth
intent on destroying everything humans
take to the skies to fight back all
right i think we're gonna have to make a
run for this one here let's get low
let's get fast it's up to will smith's
captain steve hiller to take down one
space invader and he uses the grand
canyon as his battleground to do so
where are you at baby come on come on
hiller takes us all on a rocky ride and
by the end of it the alien is none too
pleased hope you got air back
this scene is nothing without its very
memorable and typically 90s one-liners
welcome to earth of course who can
forget the film's final dogfight which
is pretty epic too
number two millennium falcon versus tie
fighters star wars episode 4 a new hope
the rebel alliance is trying to take
down the galactic empire and their space
station the death star look at the size
of that thing when han chewbacca luke
and leia managed to escape the death
star in the millennium falcon
several tie fighter vessels make chase
and waste no time attacking the ship
with the princess providing tactical
support
han and luke get their fighter pilot on
to save their own asses i got him great
kid don't get cocky the hands-on
desperation with the buttons and gears
adds tons of energy to a scene that's
already exciting and classic that's it
we did it we did it
before we launch our top pick here are
some honorable mentions
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it looks like a
man
shake him up
number one the need for speed top gun
three
two
one bike ride this iconic film's final
dogfight is number one for its
combination of real piloting
pyrotechnics special effects and
relentless fast-paced action god damn it
paris is engaging i knew it [ __ ] god
damn it maverick watching maverick and
iceman take out enough russian fighters
to make the remaining fleet turn tail
sends us soaring right alongside the
boys for their adrenaline-fueled victory
okay let's get in there director tony
scott was fortunate to have the full
endorsement and cooperation of the navy
for the shoot i feel the need
for speed and that realism shows in
every meticulously crafted and
choreographed frame of this scene i got
it good luck firing
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do you agree with our list you owe me a
plan you know that right which aerial
dogfights did we miss
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