Worthy Opponent / Live-Action Films

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• Assassin's Creed (2016): McGowen, Abstergo's head of security, claims that while it is his job to destroy the Assassins, he admires their commitment to the Creed. He doubts this applies to the mostly neutral Callum.
• In The Battle of Algiers, Col. Mathieu pays his respects to a fallen foe.
  • "I will say that I had the opportunity to admire the moral strength, intelligence, and unwavering idealism demonstrated by Ben M'Hidi. For these reasons, although remembering the danger he represented, I do not hesitate to pay homage to his memory."
• Becky: Dominick seems genuinely impressed after Becky has killed most of his men, offering her a We Can Rule Together deal. Becky rejects this immediately.
• DC Extended Universe:
  • In Man of Steel, Faora begins to see Colonel Hardy in this light after the battle of Smallville, where after using all his bullets on her (more as an act of defiance in the face of certain death than because he thinks it'll have any effect), Hardy pulls a knife, ready to go down fighting. Faora looks genuinely impressed and pulls a knife of her own. The Worthy Opponent feeling doesn't seem to be mutual.
  • In Zack Snyder's Justice League, Steppenwolf acknowledges Wonder Woman as the most difficult opponent he has to face, and so across their various encounters he often singles her out with a snarling "Amazon!" He also manages to shake her confidence by talking about his attack on Themiscyra.
• The original Dracula, with Bela Lugosi, strongly indicates this relationship between Dracula and Dr. Van Helsing. They are very cordial to each other, and Dracula even goes so far as to say to the good doctor, "For a man who has not yet lived one lifetime...you are a very wise man."
• Konig and Vasily have this dynamic in Enemy at the Gates.
  Konig: He's not dead. And do you know why? Because I haven't killed him yet.
• In the World War II movie The Enemy Below, U-boat captain Von Stolberg (Curt Jurgens) is the honorable and worthy opponent of destroyer escort captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum).
• Er Ist Wieder Da: Hitler laments in the film that the old Social Democratic leaders in his time were charismatic, able men much different from then SDP leader Sigmar Gabriel.
• In The Expendables 2, Jean Vilain views Barney Ross and the rest of his team as fighting men that he can respect... but he also says that respect is something that needs to be taught, and he proves this by killing Billy right in front of them, ensuring that the feeling is in no way mutual for our heroes as they go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
• Falling Down has By-the-Book Cop Prendergast vs. the mysterious vigilante known only as "D-Fens".
• Throughout their encounters in the film The Fast and the Furious 7, the antagonist Deckard Shaw always Specifically target first and foremost Dom Toretto, likewise when Dom's group are discussing their plans and strategies for the finale war in their hometown, Dom says he will take on Shaw. Even Mose Jakande told his men to let Shaw take care of Dom when they spotted him in the helicopter.
• Bill Cutting from Gangs of New York considered Priest Vallon, the leader of the Irish immigrant gang, the last man he could truly respect. After the gang battle in the beginning of the movie ends in Vallon's death, Cutting orders that Vallon's body "will cross over whole", while the other dead are mutilated for trophies, and is himself buried beside Vallon at the end.
• In Goon, Doug and Ross Rhey view each other as this. Rhey was Doug's favourite hockey player growing up; and Rhey tells Doug that he respects him but hat he will also show him no mercy if they meet on the ice. When Doug wins their fight at the end of the movie, Rhey is actually smiling, happy to have finally met his match and passed the torch as the toughest guy in hockey before he retires.
• The Great Waldo Pepper: Ernst Kessler considered the Allied ace Madden to be one, and eventually comes to see Waldo as one as well.
• Hannibal Lecter seems to view Clarice Starling this way, if not as her Evil Mentor, at least in the film versions. (Seriously, in the climax of Hannibal he could have just as easily escaped by severing her hand, but chose to do so to his own for some reason. Clearly he has more respect for her than he does for most people.)
• Detective Lt. Vincent Hanna of the LAPD and master thief Neil McCauley in Michael Mann's Heat are excellent examples of this trope; see especially the scene where Hanna pulls over McCauley's car and suggests they go grab a cup of coffee.
• At the end of Hellraiser: Bloodline, Pinhead notes he relished his centuries-long fight with the Merchant family and wished it could continue.
• Hook feels this way about Peter Pan. A large part of the conflict of the movie is Hook's depression at the fact that he feels that Peter no longer lives up to it, and has to wait for him to remember who he really is. When he finally does and defeats Hook:
  Hook: Well done, Peter. Good form.
• Skinner has this attitude towards Angel in Hot Fuzz. "My, he is tenacious, isn't he".
• Towards the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the bandit Fedora views the teenaged Indy as this. At the very end of the opening sequence, when the Sheriff makes Indy hand over the cross back to Panama Hat, Fedora says "You lost today, but that doesn't mean you have to like it", and he gives him his hat, which becomes Indy's legendary hat.
• In My Country: Brutal enforcer of Apartheid though he was, De Jager says he granted the Last Request of a prisoner he killed, burying him with the ANC flag because the man had been a brave fighter and that obviously earned him this much.
• The 2013 CBC movie Jack shows even Jack Layton's opponents (eventually) admiring his courage and perseverance.
• Jurassic Park:
  • The last words of Robert Muldoon in Jurassic Park (1993) have him acknowledging a Velociraptor as this after she manages to ambush him while he's trying to shoot her comrade.
    Muldoon: Clever girl.
  • A deleted scene from The Lost World: Jurassic Park reveals that Roland Tembo seeks to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex for this reason, as he has gotten so good at hunting traditional big game across the world that he feels it is no longer sportsmanlike.
    Roland Tembo: Somewhere on this island is the greatest predator who ever lived. The second greatest predator must take him down.
  • Jurassic World has T. rex and Blue the Velociraptor share a look after the Indominus rex is ultimately defeated. They nod once and then go their separate ways.
• Elle Driver from Kill Bill considers the Bride one of these, going so far as to murder the Bride's "killer" in revenge for depriving her of her foe. The feeling is not mutual.
  • She does, however, consider O-Ren Ishii a Worthy Opponent, once they're down to one-on-one combat, and likely the only DiVA she honestly respects.
• In King Arthur (2004), after Arthur threatens the Saxon leader, played by Stellan Skarsgård, to his face and rides away, the Saxon leader mutters, "Finally! A man worth killing."
• Kingdom of Heaven features this with the rivalry between King Baldwin of Jerusalem and Saladin of the Muslims. The backstory mentions that they've been warring on and off for at least a decade, with Baldwin winning a smashing victory when he was only 16 before he contracted leprosy. When their armies meet again, after Saladin marches to avenge his sister's death, they meet in the middle of the battlefield and Baldwin promises that Raynald, the knight who raided a caravan under Saladin's protection, will be rightfully punished. Saladin accepts this and offers his physician's services to Baldwin, whose condition drastically worsened due to the forced march. After Baldwin dies and Guy takes over, Guy provokes an open war, marching his army into the middle of the hot desert with no water or supplies, where they are cut to pieces. He is taken captive by Saladin, who asks him, "Were you not in the presence of a great king long enough to learn by his example?" When Saladin reaches Jerusalem, Guy is stripped down, tied to a donkey, and paraded before the city walls to the raucous laughter of the Muslim army. Saladin also shows respect to Balian when they negotiate similar to what he showed Baldwin, suggesting he views Balian this way as well.
• Kingsman: The Secret Service:
  • Gazelle briefly sees Galahad as this during the church massacre. She's clearly enjoying the show and believes in contrast of Valentine that Galahad won't go down easily. She even encourages Valentine to watch some of his kills.
  • Valentine also sees Eggsy as this moments just before his death, complimenting Eggsy for his Pre-Mortem One-Liner that also doubles as Ironic Echo.
• A Knight's Tale: Sir Thomas Colville becomes this to William. Colville is injured during their first match and William agrees not to strike him during the last round so he won't lose his reputation by withdrawing. Before their second match, William learns that Colville is actually the Prince of Wales in disguise. Rather than withdraw like everyone else, William rides out anyway allowing the Prince one last match before his identity is exposed. The Prince appreciates the gesture, and later pays William back by releasing him after he's arrested for posing as a nobleman.
• The Last Valley: The mercenary captain considers Mayor Gruber, who opposes the mercenaries' presence, to be a worthy opponent after seeing how scheming and tenacious he can be.
• In Lonely Are the Brave, cowboy Jack Burns spends most of the second half of the film being pursued by the police of Duke City, New Mexico after assaulting a police officer and then breaking out of jail. The sheriff leading the pursuit, Morey Johnson, finds himself admiring Burns' tenacity, not just in somehow avoiding the every attempt by his men to bring him to justice, but in continuing to live the life of an Old West cowboy in 1962, refusing to let anyone or anything tie him down; the fact that Burns is a Korean War veteran who received the Purple Heart deepens his respect. In the final scene, when Burns is struck by an 18-wheeler and has to be taken to hospital, Johnson finally sees Burns up close for the first time and is asked if he is the man they have been pursuing; Johnson feigns uncertainty.
• The Marksman: Mauricio, for all that he's a villainous Mexican cartel hitman, appears to respect Jim somewhat, given his skills as a Marine veteran and being a "fellow soldier". Villain's Dying Grace he returns Jim's medal which he stole right before dying.
• Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • Black Panther (2018): Wakanda has within it five tribes. Four of which submit to the rule of T'Challa's tribe. Upon T'Challa's ascension to the throne, any representative of those tribes may challenge him to rule. M'Baku of the Jabari, the isolationist tribe who does not submit, takes up the challenge to test the mettle of this young would-be king. While M'Baku starts it with throwing insults against T'Challa and his family, T'Challa shows strength and wisdom in the fight, even convincing M'Baku to yield rather than die when T'Challa has him beaten because his tribe needs him.
  • In Captain America: The First Avenger, while the US army is initially intent on keeping Steve as a test subject and/or USO mascot, the Red Skull recognizes him right away as the One-Man Army he is — one sighting of him on the security cameras and the Skull immediately starts setting the base to self-destruct, matter-of-factly explaining to Zola, "Our forces are outmatched." Because of his fixation on Super Soldiers as the next step for humanity, he keeps this up throughout the rest of the movie; his attempts at Breaking Speeches are all villainous Dare to Be Badass stuff about how Steve "could have the power of the gods" and should stop being so humble.
  • Captain America: Civil War: This moment between Captain America and Spider-Man after their skuffle during the airport battle.
  Captain America: You got heart, kid. Where you from?
  Spider-Man: Queens.
  Captain America: [grins] Brooklyn.
  • Avengers: Infinity War: Despite all of them trying to stop him, Thanos never shows any hate or personal malice towards any of the superheroes he fights. He actually has a great deal of respect for them fighting for what they believe, even if it runs contrary to his own ideals. He particularly gains respect for the heroes who fight him on Titan, Iron Man especially.
  Thanos: You have my respect, Stark. When I am done, half of humanity will still be alive... I hope they will remember you.
• The McKenzie Break: Schluter is alarmed and impressed by Connor when he first observes him marching through the compound. Connor, in turn, sizes him up as a resourceful and ruthless enemy. On several occasions, the two have conversations where they size up each other's accomplishments during their Battle of Wits. That being said, Schluter's cruelty and Connor's contempt for Schluter's crimes keep them from being friendly enemies.
• In McLintock!, Running Bull and McLintock were on opposite sides of the Indian wars and in their old age are finding that the West doesn't seem to have room for either of them any more.
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail: King Arthur calls the Black Knight a "worthy adversary" after presumably defeating him by severing his arm. The Black Knight simply refuses to accept defeat, even after all limbs have been cut off.
• Outlaw King: At first Edward I considers the younger Robert the Bruce to be a worthy opponent both for having the courage to stand up to him, then the wisdom to stand down after the Scots were defeated at Falkirk.
• In Patton, is a great example of both this and Patton's Blood Knight status:
  Patton: Rommel, you Magnificent Bastard, I read your book!
  (and later...)
  Patton: You know, Dick, if I had my way, I'd meet Rommel face to face; him in his tank and me in mine. We'd meet out there somewhere... salute each other, maybe drink a toast, then we'd button up and do battle. The winner would decide the outcome of the entire war."
• Pirates of the Caribbean:
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Naval officer Lt. Groves seems to hold this view of Captain Sparrow. At the least, he openly admires the pirate's ingenuity. "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen!"
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Used on Groves by the Spanish Captain. At a confrontation at the Fountain of Youth, Groves steps forward, brandishing the British flag and claiming the site under the authority of King George. The Spaniard immediately shoots and kills Groves, then tells his aides make note to remember Groves' bravery.
  • Barbossa and Jack, despite everything, are this — the two will screw each other over at every available opportunity, but the two ultimately respect each other enough that Barbossa literally goes to hell to save Jack. And, when Barbossa dies, Jack lowers his hat in respect. They are the only people worthy enough to fuck one another over, as they frequently do.
• Often shown in the Predator films, as the Yautja are a Proud Warrior Race that respects a good hunt.
  • In the first film, the Predator decides to fight Dutch in single combat when he proves himself difficult to kill, shedding his weapons and helmet before engaging him in a final fistfight.
  • In Predator 2, after Harrigan finishes off the Predator that had been haunting Los Angeles, the leader of his hunting party presents him with a prize for his victory: an antique flintlock pistol from a hunt hundreds of years before.
• In The Princess Bride, both Inigo Montoya and Fezzik have become bored with curbstomping opponents in their respective fields. They both go out of their way to give the Man in Black the opportunity to fight them at his full effectiveness. He ultimately bests them both. They're so impressed that they join forces with him. The Man in Black reciprocates, telling Inigo "I hold you in the highest respect", and wishing that an unconscious Fezzik "Sleep well, and dream of large women.". As noted in an analysis of the Inigo/Man In Black duel, The Man in Black says nothing to Inigo about who he is or why he's there, but just from their fight alone Inigo knows that he can trust the Man In Black, and vice versa.
• In Red Dog, this is mentioned as a possible reason as to why Red Dog and Red Cat became friends.
• The Operative from Serenity (2005), who genuinely respects his opponents for their ingenuity and tenacity: "We should have done this as men — not with fire."
• Salvation Boulevard: Blaylock considers Pastor Dan this after their debate, and proposes they write a book together which discussing their views. Pastor Dan is keen on the idea, but unfortunately then the accident happens.
• In the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr., this is Moriarty's fascination with Sherlock.
  • Likewise, it's also implied to be a big part of the reason behind Holmes' and Irene Adler's mutual obsession.
• Near the very end of Smokey and the Bandit, there's a moment where The Bandit and Sheriff Buford T. Justice share a moment of mutual admiration for each-other's tenacity, and Bandit goes so far as to pass up a chance to trick Buford so they can properly continue their chase. It happens again in Smokey And The Bandit 3, with Snow Man/Bandit II explaining that "You can't have a Bandit without a Smokey" as his reason for letting Bufford take the shark. It happens again, at the very end, with Buford giving up the chace to finally arrest Snow Man (who he thinks is the real Bandit) in order to resume the chase, so he won't have to go back into retirement.
• Averted in Star Trek Into Darkness. Harrison clearly gains some respect for Kirk after witnessing Kirk's grit and guts in the space jump the two share. He still considers regular humans to be inferior, however, and delivers a beatdown the moment he has the opportunity to, and he unceremoniously dumps Kirk back into that same cell he was being held in before he tries to destroy the Enterprise.
• Star Trek: Nemesis is about an equal and opposite opponent to Picard, a clone of him who grew up in different circumstances.
• In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, General Chang's introduction is him positively gushing with delight at getting to meet Captain Kirk. While he later tries to get rid of Kirk by framing him for the assassination of the Klingon chancellor and sent to Rura Penthe, he's ecstatic that Kirk escapes and they get to face off in battle at Khitomer. He also calmly accepts his defeat at Kirk's hands with a simple quote of 'To be or not be'.
• In Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Count Dooku views his old mentor Yoda as this even after his fall to the dark side. He shows no respect whatsoever toward Obi Wan or Anakin, casually mocking them for their comparative lack of strength, while he still refers to his old master as "Master Yoda" and actually salutes him before their battle.
• In Superman: The Movie, Lex Luthor has a totally and completely one-sided respect for Superman this way, treating him genially and musing about a great challenge for the world's greatest criminal mind; Superman detests him.
• Surrounded: Tommy is glad it's Mo who kills him after he tries to draw on her near the end, praising her.
• In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Shredder was actually impressed by Splinter's skill during their fight, although he didn't think much of his students.
• In Tora! Tora! Tora!, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto knows that America will be a far more powerful foe than his comrades seem to think. He knows this because he spent a lot of time in America, so he has first-hand experience on his side. (This is mostly true to real life; he tried and failed to warn his superiors that attacking America would ultimately doom Japan.)
• In Troy, Achilles eventually comes to feel this way about his nemesis Hector, despite having already killed and desecrated him in vengeance for the death of his cousin. Also, Hector's father, King Priam's attitude towards Achilles himself ("We are still enemies tonight. But even enemies can show respect.").
• True Believer: District Attorney Robert Reynard considers Eddie Dodd this, speaking admiringly of how he once defeated an entire team of prosecutors that included Reynard while defending members of the Black Panther Party.
• In Valdez is Coming, Valdez and Noble Top Enforcer El Segundo come to regard each other as this as they play cat-and-mouse through the mountains. So much so, that when Tanner commands El Segundo to gun down the helpless Valdez, he refuses and orders his men not to fire as well. If Tanner wants Valdez dead, he will have to do his own dirty work.
• Virus (1980): The President tells an infected Senator Barkley (a rival politician who helps bring the origins of The Plague to light) that "You were my opponent in every political battle, but you were never my enemy."
• In the Bruce Lee film Way of the Dragon, Tang vs. Colt in their fight in the Colosseum. Tang wins, and drapes Colt's gi over his lifeless body as a last gesture of respect.
• X-Men Film Series
  • Magneto and Professor X have this relationship; it helps that they were friends first, and only became opponents because they had different philosophies regarding the future of mutants.
    Magneto: Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you will ever know. My single greatest regret is that he had to die for our dream to live.
  • X-Men: First Class: Downplayed with regards to how Shaw views Xavier. They never have a face-to-face confrontation, but Sebastian recognizes that Charles is a formidable foe, hence Shaw's commission of the telepathy-blocking helmet and his hope to recruit Xavier when he infiltrates the CIA facility. Moreover, after Charles mind-controls a Soviet officer to fire upon the Aral Sea to avert World War III, Sebastian utters in admiration, "That telepath is powerful," which implies that Emma Frost's psychic ability isn't as sophisticated as Xavier's.
  • The Wolverine: Viper is rather impressed by Logan.
• The White Orchid: Jessica tells Claire she's this in their meeting near the end, congratulating her then on being a worthy adversary. Her boss The White Orchid seems to think so too, and leaves Claire her namesake flower at the beach before waving goodbye from a car in the distance.
• In Yamato Takeru, Prince Ousu is sent to kill the enemy warlord Kumaso Takeru. Even though the two engage in a fight to the death they still express their respect for each others' bravery, cunning, and strength, and it is the latter who gives the former his more famous moniker Yamato Takeru (Brave One of Yamato).
• Zatoichi has met several in his long career, but a notable one is the Rōnin Hirate from the first film. Ichi sheds tears after their inevitable duel to the death, pays for Hirate's funeral and returns to visit his grave later.
• The Zulu Army in Zulu. They are a Proud Warrior Race who follow The Spartan Way. And in the movies, the Zulus sing their war chants and the Welsh Redshirt Army sing "Men of Harlech", which is a Welsh war song. Thus, they show that "all warriors are brothers." One of the commanders starts to scream at the Zulus after they come back near the end, believing that they are taunting them, only to have an Afrikaaner local inform him, while laughing, that 'they salute fellow braves'.
  • This was also the case concerning the Real Life battle of Rorke's Drift, with the Welsh being impressed by the Zulus charging at them through murderous fire, and the Zulus impressed by the Welsh standing their ground against them, in spite of being cut off, undersupplied and outnumbered.

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