50 Greatest Movie Rivalries

Hector vs. Achilles (Troy)

The Rivalry: A personal vendetta is sparked amidst a forthcoming battle between Troy and Sparta when Trojan hero Hector leads a surprise ambush on a Greek encampment.

Darkest Moment: Hector faces off against Achilles and defeats him, slitting his throat and taking off his helmet to reveal that (*gasp*) it’s really Achilles’ cousin Patroclus that has been killed.

Kiss & Make Up? Nah. Instead the two fight to the death, with Achilles slaying Hector and dragging his body from the back of his chariot.

Chazz Michael Michaels vs. Jimmy MacElroy (Blades Of Glory)

The Rivalry: At the 2002 World Winter Sport Games, Chazz and Jimmy tie for gold, but end up fighting on the podium resulting in them both being stripped of their medals and banned for life from men’s singles competitions.

Darkest Moment: Chazz headbutts Jimmy during the medla ceremony, knocking over the torch in the process, which then sets fire to the World Games mascot.

Kiss & Make Up? It’s a rocky road, but the pair spend almost the entire film developing a professional working relationship and a friendship. Awww.

Billy Hoyle vs. Sidney Deane (White Men Cant Jump)

The Rivalry: Billy initially hustles Sidney, who picks him to play in a street basketball game, assuming he’d be terrible because he is white. In return, Sidney cons Billy out of money by tricking him into gambling in a match that he fixes. Therein starts a ongoing battle of basketball one-upmanship.

Darkest Moment: Sidney goads Billy into betting away his recent $5,000 share of their winnings by accusing him of not being able to perform a slamdunk.

Kiss & Make Up? The pair go through significant hardships, and Billy may lose long-suffering girlfriend Gloria in the process, but they end the film as friends, fast-talking their way through another one-on-one match.

Herbert West vs. Carl Hill (Re-Animator)

The Rivalry: There’s an instant dislike between West and Hill when the former arrives at Miskatonic University and soon declares that Hill stole his theory of ‘brain death’ from West’s own mentor.

Darkest Moment: Hill learns of West’s reagent (the formula that can bring the dead back to life) and threatens to blackmail him and take credit for the serum. West responds by promptly decapitating him with a shovel.

Kiss & Make Up? Sadly not. Instead, Hill’s head and body are separately re-animated and he becomes a headless monster trying to kill West and his friends.

David Murphy vs. John Gage (Indecent Proposal)

The Rivalry: After accepting an offer from Gage of $1 million dollars for a night with his wife, Diana, David succumbs to insecurity and jealousy over the pair’s subsequent relationship.

Darkest Moment: As David’s can’t overcome his paranoia, his marriage to Diana breaks down and she, of course, develops a relationship with Gage soon after.

Kiss & Make Up? Pretty much. Gage realises that he is standing in the way of true love and pushes Diana away, back to her husband and the couple reconcile. Aww – who would have guessed that the mega-rich philanderer was really a nice guy after all?

Howard Langston vs. Myron Larabee (Jingle All The Way)

The Rivalry: Both are fathers trying to find a highly sought after Turbo-Man action figure for their sons.

Darkest Moment: Myron ends up chasing Howard's son, who has just been given the toy figure, while wearing a costume of Turbo-Man's arch-nemesis Dementor.

Kiss & Make Up? Perhaps the two men would put aside their differences after the holiday the season but the only real resolution here occurs when Howard's son gives up his Turbo-Man figure and hands it to Myron's son, essentially showing that he is more mature than his own father.

Ricky Bobby vs, Jean Girard (Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby)

The Rivalry: NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby challenges French Formula 1 driver Jean Girard, who outperforms him in every way on the track, sparking an ongoing feud between them.

Darkest Moment: On the final lap of their showdown race, the pair collide with each other and end up somersaulting towards the finishing line.

Kiss & Make Up? Well, unable to leave things be, both drivers exit their cars and attempt to finish the race on foot... only to be disqualified for leaving their vehicles.

Captain Jack Sparrow vs. Captain Barbossa (The Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise)

The Rivalry: In Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl , Jack seeks revenge on Barbossa, his former first mate, who stole his ship and left him on an island.

Darkest Moment: In a final showdown in the first film, Barbossa fights and stabs Sparrow... but luckily the hapless captain has a magical coin in his possession that prevents him from dying.

Kiss & Make Up? Kind of. The pair team up in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to defeat Blackbeard and they go their separate ways with Barbossa once against embracing a career in piracy. Maybe we’ll get a better sense of their frenemy status in the fifth film.

The Greasers vs. The Socs (The Outsiders)

The Rivalry: Two street gangs involved in a bitter feud.

Darkest Moment: When the Socs attack Greaser Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny defends him by pulling out a knife and fatally stabbing Soc Bob.

Kiss & Make Up? The death results in a mass rumble, which the Greasers win, but tragedy strikes in subsequent events, causing the Greasers to fall apart and for Ponyboy to realise the meaninglessness of their gang war.

Armand dHubert vs. Gabriel Feraud (The Duellists)

The Rivalry: Lieutenant d’Hubert is initially called to arrest Feraud and resulting altercation leads to them engaging in several duels across a span of decades.

Darkest Moment: During one duel, taking place with swords on horseback, d’Hubert cuts Feraud across the face, halting the fight because he is unable to continue with blood streaming into his eyes.

Kiss & Make Up? One final pistol duel sees d’Hubert win, but spare Feraud’s life and telling him to live forevermore in exile. So, not kissing and making up, but not killing each other either. Somewhere in between?