There is a scene in the movie "Office Space" in which the characters
beat up a fax machine.  The character Michael is shown in kneeling
over the camera (the camera angle is up from the ground) holding down
and punching the fax machine.  The sky in the background is an almost
perfect bright blue sky with big fluffy white clouds.

In the movie "Super Troopers" there is a nearly identical scene (when
the hog is found in the trailer home) in which the character Mac is
shown in the exact same manner, punching down on another cop, with the
bright blue sky in the background.

I feel like I've seen this scene elsewhere before, and I assume the
scenes from the comedy movies above are paying homage to it.

My question:  What film features the above scene originally? 
(Character shown punching, camera angle shooting up from the ground,
bright blue sky in background)  If I were to guess, it would be from
some gangster or mafia movie.  Any ideas?

I seem to recall a similar scene in a Western as well.  Unfortunately,
I have no clue what movie it might have been.

I am pretty sure that it is the "The Dawn of Man" scene from a well
known science fiction movie... Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space
Odyssey". This is the moment in the movie where then man-ape discovers
the use of animal bones... first as a tool to get food... then as a
weapon!

Here's a link with some pics:

http://www.palantir.net/2001/gallery/dawn.html

This epic scene was replicated, duplicated and lampooned many, many
times after the 1968 release of this movie.

Wow, I forgot all about that.  I think I'll head out and rent 2001; it
will beat watching election coverage.

Reservoir Dogs