20 Stunts Across Movie History That Deserved an Oscar

The article celebrates the long-overdue creation of an Oscar category for Best Achievement in Stunt Coordination, which will be introduced at the 2026 Academy Awards. The author argues that stunt work is a foundational, dangerous, and underappreciated art form that has been unjustly overlooked by the Academy for nearly a century.

To illustrate the rich history of work that deserved this recognition, the article presents a "what if" list, highlighting iconic movie stunts that would have surely won an Oscar in their respective years if the category had existed.

Key examples from the list include:

• Buster Keaton's legendary and death-defying house-facade fall in Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928).
• The incredibly dangerous and complex chariot race from Ben-Hur (1959).
• The groundbreaking car chase in Bullitt (1968) that set the standard for all future chase scenes.
• The daring practical stunts of modern stars like Tom Cruise in films such as Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).
• The large-scale, wildly creative "polecat" sequence from Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
• The intricate and brutal "gun-fu" choreography seen in the John Wick series, particularly the Arc de Triomphe scene in Chapter 4 (2023).

Ultimately, the article serves as both a celebration of the stunt community's hard-won victory and a historical showcase of the incredible artistry, danger, and storytelling power that stunts have always brought to cinema.

Visit https://nerdist.com/article/best-stunts-oscar-movie-history/ to read or listen to the article.

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