History CombatPragmatist / Film

** One of the most surprising examples is MartialPacifist ''extraordinaire'' Mr. Miyagi. While he goes out of his way to avoid fights, he is a spectacularly dirty fighter when forced into one, favoring DeadlyDodging, the GroinAttack and the ImprovisedWeapon.

* Lord [[EvilAlbino Shen]], the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', knows that he is too weak to defeat his opponents [[spoiler: and conquer China]] with kung fu alone. [[spoiler: So he uses cannons instead. As well as fight with [[KnifeNut knives]].]] This is evident when he uses the weapon instead of facing Master Thundering Rhino in a kung fu fight which he knows he cannot win. It's specifically mentioned that Master Thundering Rhino's "Horn Defense" is impervious to any attack, and we see it when he casually blocks all of Shen's thrown knives with his horn. Naturally, Shen's not going to fight fair.

* [[ManInWhite Lord]] [[EvilAlbino Shen]], the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', knows that he is too weak to defeat his opponents [[spoiler: and conquer China]] with kung fu alone. [[spoiler: So he uses cannons instead. As well as fight with [[KnifeNut knives]].]] This is evident when he uses the weapon instead of facing Master Thundering Rhino in a kung fu fight which he knows he cannot win. It's specifically mentioned that Master Thundering Rhino's "Horn Defense" is impervious to any attack, and we see it when he casually blocks all of Shen's thrown knives with his horn. Naturally, Shen's not going to fight fair.

* ''Film/TheBourneSeries'''s Jason Bourne is a definite and obvious example - hitting foes with [[ImprovisedWeapon everything]] [[KitchenSinkIncluded almost literally including the kitchen sink]] [[note]]it was actually the bathroom sink[[/note]], preparing traps and ambushes Series/MacGyver style in the heat of combat, and lulling foes into a false sense of security whenever possible (see his escape from the customs officials in the second movie).

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]], and slightly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom Temple of Doom]]'', where Indy is approached by a pair of swordsmen, gives a chuckle, and reaches for his gun to do the same thing, only to realize his holster is empty because [[BrickJoke he dropped his gun at the start of the movie]] and is forced to resort to [[GoodOldFisticuffs hand to hand combat]].

** ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'' gets a dose of this in ''Film/ManOfSteel''. He [[spoiler: smashes Zod's helmet in their fight, knowing that Zod will be overwhelmed when his helmet no longer filters his SuperSenses.]] He also [[spoiler: [[ShootTheDog snaps Zod's neck at the end]], although the whole Metropolis-wrecking fight prior to it is Superman trying to ''not'' be a Combat Pragmatist, as he has no non-lethal means of neutralizing a skilled Kryptonian fighter sworn to kill everyone on Earth]].

** In ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Henri Ducard even hangs a lampshade on this while training Bruce Wayne saying, "This isn't a dance." Ducard is also one himself. "You've sacrificed sure footing for a killing strike (tap, Bruce falls through the ice)." His mantra is "Mind your surroundings.", which Batman is doing by the end of the movie. When Batman confronts the Scarecrow, Crane immediately sprays Batman with fear toxin from a hidden dispenser in his sleeve. He brought chemical weapons to a fistfight.

** ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'': Bane counts as well. To wit, GoodOldFisticuffs, [[UseYourHead headbutting]], [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown kicking them while they are down]], with a good dose of TheBerserker when [[spoiler:Batman cuts off his supply of anesthetics, resulting in RapidfireFisticuffs.]] [[WordOfGod Nolan]] has even stated that he wanted Bane's fighting style to be pragmatic and ruthless. And then [[spoiler:Catwoman just shoots him with an artillery cannon when his back is turned, making her one, too.]]

* The film ''Film/{{Hush}}'' sees a deaf novelist, Maddie, living in near-seclusion in the woods with only a nearby married couple as neighbors, pursued by a masked serial killer. Obviously, seeing as to how she has the significant disadvantage of not being able to hear him at all, she has to be very creative when it comes to outsmarting him and staying alive. After a night of the killer toying with Maddie, having already killed the married couple, and trying to get into the house at every turn, she realizes that she can't run, hide, or fight him, so she resolves to kill him. Eventually he does get into the house, where upon his entry, she grabs her specialized smoke detector, designed to be loud enough to cause vibrations for her to feel, and a bright flashing light so she can notice it, and holds it directly in his face, disorientating him. She then blinds him with bug spray during their struggle, and when he has her pinned to the floor and has nearly strangled her to death, she reaches across the floor, grabs a nearby corkscrew, and drives it through his neck, delivering the killing blow.

* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''

** There is also Tarkin. Tarkin, ah, yes; showing [[CombatPragmatist combat pragmatism]] extends to overall strategy, he [[spoiler:extorts a Rebel base location out of Princess Leia on pain of blowing up Alderaan.. then blows it up ''anyway'', for strategic reasons as well as the possibility she was feeding them a line of bull (which she was).]]

** The scene in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith" when Obi-Wan and Anakin are dueling. [[IHaveTheHighGround You know which.]]

*** Later in the same film, Kylo Ren subverts LeaveHimToMe by ''immediately'' ordering his forces to fire upon [[spoiler:Luke Skywalker. It's only when Luke (apparently) [[NoSell No-Sells]] the ludicrous amount of blaster fire rained down upon him that Ren goes to confront him personally.]]

** Budd easily defeats the Bride, by [[ObfuscatingStupidity pretending that he's not aware of her sneaking up on him]], and lying in wait with a shotgun full of rock salt. Unfortunately for Budd, Elle works in the same way, and [[spoiler: kills him with poison, just as she did Pai Mei.]] Despite being a Pragmatist, Elle falls victim to a related trope [[BondVillainStupidity by insisting that Budd make the Bride suffer rather than just kill her]]. It comes back to bite her hard. Oddly enough, Budd's final fate ([[spoiler:a horrible death by concealed Black Mamba]]) shows an inversion or even aversion to this trope: [[JustShootHim just shooting your opponent]] sounds like the smartly pragmatic thing, up until you discover way too late that you pissed off your victim's WorthyOpponent and she decides you need to die like a dog because said victim "deserved [a] better [death than being shot by some trailer-trash slob]".
** O-Ren doesn't use guns, but instead sics her highly trained Yakuza Mooks on the Bride. They die, but it's just to buy time for another few ''dozen'' mooks. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], this may not be just a matter of preference as in other examples in this movie: In Japan guns are nearly impossible to obtain and, even for the Yakuza, and shootouts are almost unheard of, a whole army of armed mooks in a Japanese restaurant would be too much irrealistic.

* ''Film/NineteenFortyOne''.

* Gideon, Pierce Brosnan's character from ''Film/SeraphimFalls'' doles out pragmatism and damage throughout the movie.

--> "[[TheNapoleon No matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on.]] You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And if you beat him with a gun, [[AxeCrazy you better kill him]], because [[TheDeterminator he'll keep comin' back and back]] until one of you is dead."

* ''Film/TheExpendables'': The titular guys completely ignore ANYTHING that might even ''resemble'' fair fighting and instead go for an exquisitely liberal use of [[GroinAttack Groin Attacks]], ganging up on the baddies, and pulling out guns in the middle of CQC/melee confrontations.

* In Creator/GuyRitchie's ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', Holmes and Watson find themselves in a fight with a number of dirt antagonists. Both Watson and Holmes are willing to improvise. Pots, pans, cans, etc abound. In fact each is the quintessential dirty fighter, going so far as to [[GrievousHarmWithABody throw one bad guy into another.]] Holmes at one point uses a live electrode to electrocute one mook through exposed copper piping, effectively launching him into another mook that Watson was fighting. [[AvertedTrope Averted]], in the same fight, when Holmes and his opponent both, at different times, politely request a momentary break in the fight to recover (because, after all, Holmes is an Englishman).
* ''Film/{{Doomsday}}'' has a lot of 'effective combat'. Although this includes eye-gouging, biting and using a gun in a knife fight, it never feels very wrong because there are no friendly characters around in the first place. Partly neutralised by a GrayAndGrayMorality, although the {{Squick}} remains.

-->'''Martin''': That Gates is a damn fool. He spent too many years in the British army. Going muzzle-to-muzzle with Redcoats in open field. It's madness.
-->'''Martin''': (Watching the American side begin its retreat) [[OneSidedBattle This battle was over before it began]].

** The film's [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade main villain]], Colonel William Tavington, is a firm believer in this trope but his actions are really more [[SociopathicSoldier out of sadism]] than wanting to win. He's more than willing to [[WouldNotShootACivilian kill civilians]], (including [[WouldHurtAChild children]]), [[LeaveNoSurvivors kill retreating troops]], [[SinkTheLifeBoats execute wounded troops begging for mercy]], burn down the homes of civilians for "harboring the enemy" (meaning they took in and gave care to wounded troops from both sides), and even [[MoralEventHorizon sets fire to a church full of the families of the militia's men after having promised them that if they told him the location of the militia's base, they would be forgiven]]. The only time he shows any restraint is when he orders Gabriel to be hanged rather than just having him shot, and even that is only so his body can be put on display as a warning. As he explains to Cornwallis, "I advance myself only through victory." However, in this case Cornwallis is correct in his disapproval of Tavington's tactics. He explains to Tavington that the Americans "are our bretheren, and when this conflict is over, we will resume commerce with them", and tells him later that it's Tavington's fault that Cornwallis's army is still stuck in South Carolina and hasn't advanced northward; Tavington's brutality has gotten results but has angered the colonists and given more support to the Revolutionary cause. Indeed, it's Tavington killing Martin's son, Thomas, [[NiceJobFixingItVillain that causes Martin, who previously had no interest in the Revolution, to join the Continental Army]]. TruthInTelevision, due to the Continental Army's guerilla tactics, the British sometimes resorted to cruel tactics against American civilians, which ended up causing them to support the revolution.

* During the climactic battle in the ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', [[spoiler:Sentinel Prime has no problem calling for an air attack on Optimus when he starts losing the fight. Shortly thereafter, he is shot in the back by Megatron.]] Throughout the series, both sides tend to be absolutely ruthless, bringing guns into melee fights as their baseline. Also in the third film is [[spoiler:effectively taking America--yes, ''all of it''--hostage in order to force the Autobots off Earth. And while they're leaving, they shoot their ship with a missile, just to be sure.]]

* ''Film/TheRundown'' The film's protagonist, Beck, (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) DoesNotLikeGuns, on account of his past. When asked about his not wanting to use guns, he says, "I pick up guns; bad things happen". He fits this for just about everything else though, including using a herd of cows on the villains. He resists shooting guns for the whole movie (though he's more than willing to use them as blunt weapons) [[spoiler: however, at the film's climax, he's up against way too many armed bad guys and finally gives in and uses guns to defeat them and isn't shown having any regrets about it.]]

* In ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'', when D'Artagnan first challenges Captain Rochefort to a sword fight, Rochefort shoots him in the arm (he was intending to kill him but missed) and schools the idealistic boy about how combat really works when D'Artagnan accuses him of cheating. D'Artagnan pulls this himself when he later [[spoiler: runs Rochefort through during a monologue.]] The protagonists in the [[Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973 1973 version]] of the film display a similar attitude.

* Invoked in ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'', when [[spoiler:the BigBad pulls a knife on Tiger to force him to kill in self-defense, after regular hand-to-hand didn't work.]]

* ''Film/{{Scream}}'': When pinned down by the killer in [[Film/{{Scream 1996}} the first film]], Sidney doesn't hesitate to do anything to regain the upper hand, up to and including jamming her fingers into a wound she'd inflicted earlier. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite her in [[Film/{{Scream 4}} the fourth film]], when Jill Roberts - the killer - does the exact same thing to her]].

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse

** He defeats Rocket by luring him out into the main room of the refuge centre and then clubbing him with an oil can over the back of the head, [[spoiler:and then [[SummonBiggerFish threatening to sic Buck on him]] if he doesn't back down.]]

** Then in ''Film/DawnOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' he defeats the much more powerful [[spoiler:Koba]] by [[spoiler:defending against his strikes until he tires out and then repeatedly hits the gash in his side when he opens himself.]]

** ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'': After Carol has unlocked her full powers and sent Ronan fleeing, Yon-Rogg challenges her to "put away the light show" and [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen finally prove she can beat him in hand-to-hand combat]], a call-back to a sparring scene early in the movie. She responds by hitting him right in the chest with an energy blast, then tells him, "I don't have to prove anything to you."

* Chon Wang in Shanghai Knights finds himself completely outmatched in a sword fight. Once he realises he can't win he cuts the ropes supporting the platform they are both standing on, throwing his opponent and himself off the top of a tower.

* The 2000's ''[[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga Batman]]'' films saw his fighting style noticeably updated to reflect this, moving away from the flashier style he is usually shown to have in live action media. This was a deliberate choice by Nolan and Bale.

* The film ''Film/{{Hush}}'' sees a deaf novelist, living in near-seclusion in the woods with only a nearby married couple as neighbors, pursued by a masked serial killer. Obviously, seeing as to how she's completely deaf, she has to be very creative when it comes to outsmarting him and staying alive. After a night of him toying with her and trying to get into the house at every turn, she realizes that she can't run, hide, or fight him, so she resolves to kill him. Eventually he does get into the house, where upon his entry, she grabs her specialized smoke detector, designed to be loud enough to cause vibrations for her to feel, and a bright flashing light so she can notice it, and holds it directly in his face, disorientating him. She then blinds him with bug spray during their struggle, and when he has her pinned to the floor and has nearly strangled her to death, she reaches across the floor, grabs a nearby corkscrew, and drives it through his neck, delivering the killing blow.

* The film ''Film/{{Hush''}} sees a deaf novelist, living in near-seclusion in the woods with only a nearby married couple as neighbors, pursued by a masked serial killer. Obviously, seeing as to how she's completely deaf, she has to be very creative when it comes to outsmarting him and staying alive. After a night of him toying with her and trying to get into the house at every turn, she realizes that she can't run, hide, or fight him, so she resolves to kill him. Eventually he does get into the house, where upon his entry, she grabs her specialized smoke detector, designed to be loud enough to cause vibrations for her to feel, and a bright flashing light so she can notice it, and holds it directly in his face, disorientating him. She then blinds him with bug spray during their struggle, and when he has her pinned to the floor and has nearly strangled her to death, she reaches across the floor, grabs a nearby corkscrew, and drives it through his neck, delivering the killing blow.

** The film ''{{Hush''}} sees a deaf novelist, living in near-seclusion in the woods with only a nearby married couple as neighbors, pursued by a masked serial killer. Obviously, seeing as to how she's completely deaf, she has to be very creative when it comes to outsmarting him and staying alive. After a night of him toying with her and trying to get into the house at every turn, she realizes that she can't run, hide, or fight him, so she resolves to kill him. Eventually he does get into the house, where upon his entry, she grabs her specialized smoke detector, designed to be loud enough to cause vibrations for her to feel, and a bright flashing light so she can notice it, and holds it directly in his face, disorientating him. She then blinds him with bug spray during their struggle, and when he has her pinned to the floor and has nearly strangled her to death, she reaches across the floor, grabs a nearby corkscrew, and drives it through his neck, delivering the killing blow.

** The scene between Greedo and Han Solo, where Han shoots Greedo from beneath the table. [[TheDogShotFirst We have to mention it in as many pages as possible.]] Han's still got it thirty years later, during a memorable scene in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' when he's escaping from the Kanjiklub gangsters ''and'' pursuing Rathtars, Han sucker punches a Kanjiklub mook and then ''throws him into the Rathtar's mouth.'' Two birds with one stone, that move.

* ''Film/PacificRim'' brings some dirty, ''dirty'' fighting to the mix of {{Kaiju}} vs Mecha. Double-teaming, flares to the eyeball, oil tankers, watchtowers and storage containers getting swung around, feigned deaths, faces pushed into volcanic vents, everyone has their share of filthy tricks, but Gypsy Danger in particular brings most of these to the table,

* In ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', depending on the situation Harry Hart will either quickly disable/incapacitate his opponents or directly go for the kill.
** The Freebird/Church scene is a great example; in the middle of a rage induced massacre, Harry uses literally everything given to him to kill anyone around him; his gun, his gun without bullets, small explosives, knives, other peoples knives, other peoples guns, knives he himself has been stabbed with, church incense, emergency ax, broken poles to skewer three people, smaller broken poles, pens, pews, windows, bare hands, literally everything that can kill a person in that scene is used to kill a person.
** And with that, when the rage is induced world-wide, we see many an example of ordinary people using any and all means to murder whoever is in closest proximity.

** O-Ren doesn't use guns, but instead sics her highly trained Yakuza Mooks on the Bride. They die, but it's just to buy time for another few ''dozen'' mooks. [[JustifiedTrope]], this may not be just a matter of preference as in other examples in this movie: In Japan guns are nearly impossible to obtain and, even for the Yakuza, and shootouts are almost unheard of, a whole army of armed mooks in a Japanese restaurant would be too much irrealistic.

** O-Ren doesn't use guns, but instead sics her highly trained Yakuza Mooks on the Bride. They die, but it's just to buy time for another few ''dozen'' mooks.

* Zig-zagged by [[TheBalladOfBusterScruggs Buster Scruggs]]. He never attacks anyone who doesn't reach for their gun first, and fights fair if someone challenges him to a duel. But if someone threatens him outside of the rules, he doesn't hesitate to use whatever tactics it takes (and then lead a rousing song about the person he just killed).

* ''Film/TheWildGeese''. As neither the mercenaries nor the soldiers they are fighting have signed the Hague Convention, the former used DeadlyGas and cyanide-tipped crossbow bolts to take out the guards.

** One of the most surprising examples is MartialPacifist ''extraordinaire'' Mr. Miyagi. While he doesn't pick fights, he is a spectacularly dirty fighter when forced into one, favoring the DeadlyDodge, the GroinAttack and the ImprovisedWeapon.

** In ''Film/Shazam2019'', when Dr. Sivana learns that Billy can transform [[ByThePowerOfGrayskull by saying "Shazam"]], he captures Billy when in his normal, non-powered self and submerges Billy's head underwater to drown him while not allowing him to transform. It's a good thing for Billy that his foster siblings, in turn, know how to distract Sivana and give Billy the instant he needs to re-power up.

* Used ironically in ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid''. When [[ChallengingTheChief challenged to a knife fight by a mutinous crew member]], Butch starts walking towards his opponent, insisting that they first go over the rules. As the other man scoffs, "There are no rules in a knife fight!" Butch delivers a swift GroinAttack, having gotten close enough and taken the man off guard. Only then does Butch "start" the fight, with his opponent rolling on the ground in pain. Furthermore, Butch never intended to let his opponent profit from the whole thing, as he essentially told Sundance "If he wins, shoot him" before accepting the challenge.

** Lampshaded in ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' when Indy warns Mutt about the dangers of [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight bringing a knife to a gunfight]].