When Vulture launched the Stunt Awards three years ago, the goal was simple: If the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences wasn’t going to celebrate one of the largest departments in cinema, then we would. That first year, thanks to our own academy built from filmmakers, performers, visual-effects artists, casting directors, critics, and more, we honored the best of the stunt world across ten categories, spotlighting an array of professionals from the U.S., the U.K., France, Sweden, and India who appeared in or helped bring to life critically beloved films like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Athena as well as direct-to-video gems like Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday. Our first ever award for Best Achievement in Stunts went to actor and martial artist Scott Adkins, a.k.a. The Human Special Effect, and the Best Overall Action Film was awarded to Casey O’Neill, the stunt supervisor of Top Gun: Maverick, and his team.
By the second edition of our awards — which saw a stunning six of our accolades go to the cast and crew of Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 4 — the Oscars still lacked a Best Stunt category. But the Academy had inducted a new casting-directing award into the fold, sparking hope that the institution was not immune to positive change. That same year, the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America introduced the first ever “stunt designer” credit, given to Chris O’Hara to acknowledge his unique work conjuring action sequences for the David Leitch movie The Fall Guy. This new label was seen as an answer to the question of who would receive a Best Stunt Oscar were one to exist.
It’s 2025, and the Best Stunt Oscar remains elusive, but as Jake Gyllenhaal says in previous Stunt Award nominee Ambulance, “We don’t stop.” Our nominating group has more than tripled its size and is back to spotlighting an eclectic group of feature films that released between January 1 and December 31 of the past year, including blockbusters like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Fall Guy as well as international titles like Hong Kong’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, India’s Kill, and the tiny Australian barn burner Life After Fighting. (To be eligible, these films must have been made available to U.S. audiences in that time period, whether in limited screenings, in wide release, or on a streaming platform.) As is now tradition, Best Stunt in a Non-Action Film remains a bright spot of the awards and reflects just how important stuntwork is across genres: Oscar contender The Substance’s raucous fight between Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is here alongside the hyperkinetic final tennis match from Challengers.
Below is the full list of nominees for the third annual Stunt Awards (and yes, June Squibb made the cut). Final voting will continue over the next few weeks, and our 2025 winners will be announced on Vulture and social media on February 27.
Best Stunt in an Action Film
Awarded to a specific sequence in an action film that exemplifies the work of a stunt-coordination team. The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
The Fall Guy (the World Record Car Roll)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Octoboss vs. War Rig)
Life After Fighting (Bren Foster vs. Everyone)
Rebel Ridge (Terry vs. Cops)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (the Grand Finale)
Best Stunt in a Nonaction Film
Awarded to a specific sequence in a nonaction film (defined as a movie not predominantly occupied by physical spectacle in the form of fights, chases, explosions, or other violence). The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
Anora (Keep Ani in the House)
Challengers (the Final Match)
Hundreds of Beavers (the Beaver Brawl)
The Substance (Elizabeth vs. Sue)
Thelma (the Scooter Chase)
Best Fight
Awarded to a hand-to-hand combat sequence that is not a shoot-out, though it can involve weapons. The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
The Beekeeper (Jason Statham vs. Taylor James)
Kill (Lakshya vs. Raghav Juyal)
Life After Fighting (Bren Foster vs. Everyone)
The Shadow Strays (Aurora Ribero vs. Hana Prinatina)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (the Grand Finale)
Best Shoot-out
Awarded to any sequence involving guns at relatively close range. The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (the Gatorland Shootout)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Reggie Unleashed)
Civil War (the White House Raid)
The Killer (the Church Finale)
Rebel Ridge (Terry vs. Cops)
Best Vehicular Stunt
Awarded to any sequence involving motorized vehicles. The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
The Beekeeper (Crypto Bro Is Dragged Into the River)
The Fall Guy (the Garbage Truck Chase)
The Fall Guy (the World Record Car Roll)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Octoboss vs. War Rig)
The Killer (the Bridge Flip)
Best Aerial Stunt
Awarded to any sequence that takes place predominantly in the air. The award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (the Helicopter Hijack)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Axel Steals a Helicopter)
Dune: Part Two (Floating Harkonnens)
The Fall Guy (the Impossible Fall)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Octoboss vs. War Rig)
Best Practical Explosion
Awarded to any sequence that involves any reactive substance that amounts to an explosion. This award will be given to a stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, pyrotechnician, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (the Flaming Van)
The Fall Guy (the Miami Vice Showboat Explosion)
Land of Bad (the Failed Extraction Drone Strike)
The Last Stop in Yuma County (the Tanker Explosion)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (the Dock Explosion)
Best Overall Action Film
Awarded to the best film for stunt work overall. The award will be given to a director, stunt coordinator, stunt choreographer, cinematographer, unit director, and/or any notable stunt professionals. The nominees are:
The Beekeeper
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Life After Fighting
Monkey Man
One More Shot
Rebel Ridge
The Shadow Strays
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Best Achievement in Stunts Overall
Awarded to the best overall stunt professional (or group) in 2024. The nominees are:
Bren Foster
Chris O’Hara
Logan Holladay
Kenji Tanagaki
Hayley Wright
Lifetime Achievement Award
The winner will be announced on February 27, 2025.
*Vulture’s Stunt Awards is led by freelance writer Brandon Streussnig and Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri. Liam O’Donnell, director and writer; Angelica Lisk-Hann, stunt coordinator and second unit director; Todd Vaziri, visual-effects artist; and Jack Gill, action designer, 2nd unit director, stunt coordinator, and stuntman; serve as consultants.
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