4. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) – Ship Crash ($25 million)
The sequel to Speed takes the premise of the original film (a bus that can’t stop or else it will explode), and applies it to a ship. This time, the ship is unable to slow down by itself. To eventually slow the ship down, it ends up crashing into a dock. While much of the film’s action scenes were created using (laughable) CGI, the film’s director wanted the finale of his big film to be as realistic as possible. This meant no miniatures and limited CGI.
To accomplish this fete, the crew built an entire seaside village to be destroyed. This cost $5 million on its own. Next, they created a rail system to move a full-size mock up of the front of the ship through the water and into the dock. The cost of this action sequence exceeded the entire cost of the first film. It may be the only redeeming quality of this otherwise laughable sequel, but that’s still not a good enough reason for so much money to have been spent this way in the first place.
Worth it? No
3. Ben-Hur (1959) – Chariot Race ($34 million)
Finally, it makes sense. One of the most iconic scenes in film is also one of the most expensive ever made. This is a spellbinding and action-packed scene, made even more impressive by the fact that it was made in 1959! The chariot chase in Ben-Hur is a moment in film history that was ahead of its time. It’s a moment in film that sticks with you thanks to the stakes and the scale. For this reason, it probably had a significant impact on the film’s Best Picture win at the Oscars.
This sequence is also one which could not be made today, for better or for worse (no studio would allow the use of horses in the same manner as the original scene). The Ben-Hur remake of a few years utilized CGI and modern effects in order to make this scene again. But even with all of the modern technological advancements available to the filmmakers, it couldn’t hold a candle to the original masterpiece.
Worth it? Yes
2. Matrix: Reloaded – Burly Brawl ($40 million)
The most expensive modern action movie scene is one where the filmmakers literally pushed the envelope. This sequence features the protagonist Neo fighting a seemingly endless mob of Agent Smith duplicates. While much of the first two Matrix films is actually completed without the use of significant CGI, this scene is an exception. To pull off the look of an entire army comprised of the same person, CGI was necessary.
Initially they were planning to use the same bullet-time camera set-up as the original film, but deemed it would be impossible to stitch together the movements of hundreds of extras. Instead, it would have to be done “virtually”, with the aid of CGI. Warner Brothers opened ESC Entertainment to develop the technology necessary to pull this off, and eventually they did.
Their work made it possible to have photo-realistic CGI characters in film and laid the foundations for motion capture. Technically the development of this technology was not for exclusive use on this scene, but nonetheless this scene created a need for it in the first place.
Worth it? Yes
1. War and Peace (Part III – 1967) – Battle of Borodino ($100 million)
The most expensive action scene in movie history (so far) is from a movie most people have not seen or even heard of in the first place. During the beginning of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was looking for opportunities to increase the country’s prestige. As part of this effort, the Ministry of Culture approved and helped to fund a four-part adaptation of Tolstoy’s seminal novel, War and Peace.
The third part of the film was released in 1967 and covered Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. In this segment, there is a significant portion of the story which takes place during the Battle of Borodino. The sequence depicting this battle consumes more than an hour of run time on its own. At the time, War and Peace was agreed to be the most expensive movie ever made.
However, estimates of the total cost of the film vary widely, mainly because the government’s own investments were difficult to confirm. However, in 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records named War and Peace the most expensive movie ever made, with a budget of $96 million in 1979 dollars. Converting $96 million to today’s dollars yields $336 million. There were 4 parts to the film which shared this budget, but the Battle of Borodino was the most expensive and cost-intensive part of the entire production. This observation has lead to many contemporary sources claiming the “scene” could have cost more than $100 million on its own.
Personally, I can’t condone spending this quantity of money on a scene for a film, even if the scene is most of a film and even if the end result is really quite good. Seriously, the battle sequences are excellent, even by 2019 standards. The film would go on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It remains an impressive example of not only bringing an important work of fiction to life, but doing it in a way that is culturally significant.
Worth it? No
Watch a clip of the battle here to decide for yourself:
Ben Hur
