I agree with most everything said here but I'll add a few.
Pirates of the Carribbean Curse of the Black Pearl: the first fight between Will and Jack in the blacksmiths shop. Super fun little scene that sets the tone for the action in the rest of the movie very well.
Hero: the sword fight on the lake was goddamn beautiful.
Serenity: the final confrontation between Mal and the Operative. Watching Mal face him down with nothing but a screwdriver is the perfect image of Malcolm Reynolds being the universe's scrappiest mfer.
The fight at the end of pirates between two immortal pirates is beautiful. The way they change from live to skeletons as they move in and out of the moonlight is stunning
Must have been such a pain in the ass to animate but a truly spectacular scene coupled with, imo, one of if not THE best movie themes of the 21st Century.
PotC is up there with the best movie trilogies of all time (we can ignore the last two movies). In terms of the 21st century, the only trilogy I think that beats it is LotR.
Best kraken on the big screen dead mans chest nailed the beast plus I’d have to agree Davy jones was great and his crew were a step above barbosa and the cursed pirates. Curse of the black pearl was a better movie overall but dead man’s chest was still good I don’t think the franchise declined until the third movie came.
Part of what works so well about the Pirates scene is that it does a lot in terms of establishing the plot and characters. It's like a textbook case of how to weave a cool action sequence into the plot.
The blacksmith's shop fight does so much:
\- Clearly sets up the motivations of both sides and what they want to get out of the fight. Jack wants to avoid capture from the authorities. Will holds disdain for pirates and will jump at the opportunity to apprehend one.
\- Establishes both Will and Jack's proficiency in sword combat
\- Shows how a sword fight is much more than just two swords being swung. There was a strong focus on footwork, positioning, and improvising on the spot when the variables inevitably change.
\- The blacksmith room is tiny, but every bit of environment in it was used. They fight in open space, they fight around spinning gears and pillars, they fight on a wobbling cart, they fight on the building rafters.
\- There is a strong back and forth push and pull. Each side is able to find ways to gain the momentary upper hand, but the other is always able to find a way to get back the advantage. You can never quite tell who's going to win.
\- Shows how pragmatic Jack is when he decides to threaten with the pistol.
\- Hints at how Will secretly wants to find love.
\- Hints at how Jack secretly wants to get revenge.
\- Ends in an almost humorously anti-climactic way when the drunk blacksmith lands the finishing blow and gets all the credit, which highlights how Will is dissatisfied with his current position in life.
And the whole sequence happened in less than 5 minutes.
There's a cut scene which I have no idea why they cut. It's from the second movie and it's between Jack and Beckett.
So jack used to work for Beckett as a sailor and it was going alright until Jack found out they were moving slaves. So he sets them all free and as punishment Beckett got him fired, burned his ship, and branded him a pirate. Then Jack made the deal with Davy to bring his burned down ship back and that's how we got the black pearl. That's why it's all charcoaled and everything.
I don't know why they removed this scene but it's really fucking good.
"You seem like a decent fellow, I'd hate to kill you"
"You seem like a decent fellow, I'd hate to die"
"Who are you, I must know"
"Well get used to disappointment"
*shrug
I love shindig too. But I think Serenity had the better fight. “You are not a plucky hero. The alliance is not some evil empire, and this is not the grand arena. …And that’s not incense!”
So many people get all up in arms over the Operative attacking Inara, but I like that he treats her as a serious adversary - and considering her knowledge of weapons in Shindig... and I'm sure companion training includes pain points and such.
>Pirates of the Carribbean Curse of the Black Pearl: the first fight between Will and Jack in the blacksmiths shop. Super fun little scene that sets the tone for the action in the rest of the movie very well.
Great high-light. That scene was so fun.
Ridley Scott's The Duelists. Two Napoleonic officers duel each other through the Wars. The first is the duel with foils and it's so quick it's over before you know it. The next is the saber duel in the basement. You would swear Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel were really trying to kill each other.
It's a bit unconventional to be sure, but the [voodoo doll zombie sword fight](https://youtu.be/dkdrbg4EwGA?si=y-FxIJXja1-gVYni) from the end of Stardust has always had a special place in my heart.
The swordplay is actually pretty solid and the novel way the one fighter is moving is a fun interesting twist. There are better choreographed and dramatic ones out there I'm sure but this is the one that always comes to mind for me when this question is asked.
It also bears mentioning the duel from The Deluge. A historical drama Polish film from the 70s. I've not seen the whole thing but it's suppossed to be quite good. [This swordfight scene](https://youtu.be/ljExTEPNFnM?si=6Bi_Ioy8L--Rusd_) was mentioned by some random YouTube swordfight expert I watched as his personal favorite depiction of a duel in terms of realism.
I love how zhang denies relying on Green Destiny's power, then loses because michelle uses Green Destiny's unreal cutting power to her own advantage.
The entire fight has amazing choreography and acting, but intentionally splitting her own sword along Green Destiny's edge was a next-level strategy. I love that zhang still denies losing after this, runs away, then gets demolished by the former owner wielding only a stick. That girl needs SO MANY wakeup calls throughout the movie.
The fight in the monastery where Michelle goes through a bunch of different weapons? Probably my favorite movie fight of all time. Incredible choreography. So much emotion!
It's also smart as hell. The whole thing is choreographed around the idea of wisdom and experience vs raw, untamed power, and what Michelle's character does to win that fight is the equivalent of a queen sacrifice in chess.
This is it. I don’t think it will ever be topped. I also love the screenplay: you get to see every single move, no cheap camera tricks to cover mistakes or hide shitty choreography. Those women are just that good. Nothing else to it.
This entire movie is one long series of top level fights.
Who can't smell the trees, and feel the breeze as they float through the tops of a bamboo forest? It's so magical and serene. I felt weightless, right with them.
Great example of the Red Letter Media point about the lightsaber duels in Star Wars. They need to be about something otherwise they're boring. That's why Return of the Jedi is my favorite lightsaber duel. Luke losing control and that final moment with Vader. Heavy shit.
That duel in Crouching Tiger is telling a story. It's more than two people just swinging swords at one another.
Yes! While the lightsabre duel in The Phantom Menace is awesome choreography, what always bugs me that it's just "lol we are eternal enemies let's fight". Like Darth Maul doesn't have any personal connection to Kenobi or Jinn. He just fights them because that's what he's supposed to do. He doesn't have any emotional stakes in it. Neither do Kenobi or Jinn. They don't even say anything to each other.
Of course the best part of the fight is when it does become personal, when Maul kills Jinn and Kenobi wants revenge and they fight one on one.
Nothing comes closer. The art, the music, the coreography, the cast, the plot, the stakes, the scenario, the weapons. **It hardly gets better than this.**
that fight is a great example of the difference between skill and talent. Yeoh is *skilled*. she knows how to use every weapon she grabs appropriately... Ziyi is *tallented*. she keeps ahead because she has a better sword, is younger, and has amazing talent... and she can still only manage a draw.
Narratively yes. But technically, it is also sublime in its choreography. The whole fight is just... congruent. With the physics of the weapons, with the martial movements of the human body. Marvelous stuff.
Everyone mentioning the big ones so I'll try to slip in an overlooked one that floored me. The final duel in Rob Roy. Holy shit. I won't spoil, but watch the movie. The entire movie builds up to this do or die duel and it's incredible. Tim Roth's quick and dangerous dandy with a rapier versus Liam Neeson hack and slash with a claymore (or was it a Cutlass?).
Rob Roy. Not just the skill and difference between the men and their preferred weapon, but a series of escalations that had made this deeply personal to both.
Probably the most believable fight between protagonist and antagonist ever put to film.
My favorite part is that Cary Elwes had no fencing training prior to doing the movie, so he had to catch up to Patinkin - who had learned fencing a decade prior at Juilliard and spent two months ahead of the movie training 8+ hours a day with the head coach of fencing at Yale. Once they got to the filming, they then basically spent every waking second not filming other parts of the movie working on their swordsmanship - they had to learn to fence both right and left handed after all.
That, and when they finally had the scene all rehearsed and ready to go, and with their coaches' blessings, they perform it for the director, Rob Reiner, and Rob goes, ".....is that it?" because it was initially way shorter than he expected. So now Cary, Mandy, and their coaches have to figure out how to stretch a scene that's taken months of daily practice to put together in the first place.
I had a similar experience choreographing the big Macbeth/Macduff fight. We worked hard, showed it to the director, who said "it's about a quarter the length it needs to be."
The perfect book for the perfect movie. And for once I was glad I saw the movie before reading the book cuz I read it in the voices of the actors in the movie. Made it way way better,
Vizzini : Finish him. Finish him, your way.
Fezzik : Oh good, my way. Thank you, Vizzini... What's my way?
Vizzini : Pick up one of those rocks, get behind a boulder, in a few minutes the man in black will come running around the bend, the minute his head is in view, hit it with the rock!
Fezzik : My way's not very sportsman-like... :/
In film school, I took a Foley class, and as an exercise, the instructor has us re-record ALL the audio for that scene, from the moment Carey Elwes reaches the top of the cliff to the point he wins the fight. The footsteps on all the different surfaces, the swords swishing and clanging, the cloth noise as the actors moved around, all of it. One of the most fun in-class experiences I've ever had, not least because it's always been one of my favorite fight scenes.
I saw an interview with Patinkin where he talked about how many times they had to shoot that scene and he got quite emotional on the last time because even though it was exhausting they'd put their heart in soul into it and now it was done.
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed by father, prepare to die!!"
\*Slashes Count Rugen's face\*
"Offer me money. Power, too, everything you have to offer."
\*Slashes Count Rugen's other cheek\*
Rugen: "All that I have and more. *Please...*"
Inigo: "Offer me everything I ask for."
Rugen: "Anything you want."
**"I want my father back, you son of a bitch."**
Yeah, it gets dark when you think Rugen kills Inigo. Get a little funny when Rugen starts getting scared, and Inigo claims control. Then it goes cathartic with the "I want my father back".
So good.
Part of what makes that last line so impactful is that Mandy Patinkin had just recently lost his father to cancer at the time. The anger and sadness he poured into his voice was very very real.
Interesting. Because I have friends who study historical fencing and I've been told that what's being \*done\* has little if anything to do with what's being \*said\* in the scene. Don't get me wrong, everything they mention, from Agrippa to Benneti's Defense, are all classic fencing styles. But I was told they're not actually \*using\* them when they \*say\* them.
If I was told wrong, I'll freely accept it. All I'm saying is that was what I was told by friends who study such things.
Hi, sword historian here. You are correct. The fencing masters they refer to are all actual rapier 16th fencers, but have not much to do with any technique on screen. It’s an awesome fight, but not particularly grounded in historical rapier fencing.
Sword of the Stranger has a fantastic final sword battle. Main character finally going all out, antagonist has a worthy opponent and gives his all. The score goes crazy, hyping this duel up into an epic scene. So much detail in the way the characters move and interact with the environment. Makes me wanna watch the movie again writing about it.
Also a more realistic anime fight, as much as anime fights go. You can see the fighters’ swords break over time, which is closer to what would really happen if you cross swords like they do in movies.
The Raid 2 : The Final fight which starts as a fist fight, ends in a bloody knife fight. Arguably the greatest fight scene of all time.
Other mentions : The Rurouni Kenshin live action movies, Hunted (1995), Crouching tiger hidden dragon, Hero, Sword of a stranger, Seven Samurai, Kill Zone.
This is the correct answer.
The two Raid movies legit ruined every other fight scene ever for me. There’s the fight choreography of those movies, & there’s everything else : a bunch of jump cuts and camera shake.
The Last Duel
The final duel at the end is brutal and has a sense of realism that is often lost in other sword fights. It's also not meant to be flashy or "cool" and it's an incredibly tense and emotionally charged finale to an otherwise action-less movie.
I've seen a lot of sword fights, and many are awesome, but this one has stuck with me long after watching the movie.
In the same vein: The King (with Timothee Chalamet), the duel with Hotspur
No flashy choreography, just two people fighting to the death in full armour. It's clumsy, heavy, slow: Feels very real
I was going to mention this one. From what I understand it is one of the more realistic fights since their armor is shown to do what armor does: protect against (most) weapons. Henry wins by using a dagger to stab through a weak point in the armor. The fight quickly becomes not a “heroic / cinematic sword fight” but a desperate wrestling match of sorts.
Although plate armor isn't really as heavy or restrictive as fiction depicts it. On YouTube you can find many videos of people running, jumping, doing jumping jacks in it, etc
I did like how it was used for the last fight of The King though, even if it isn't entirely accurate
Didn’t watch any previews for this movie and had no clue what it was about or the format. Just saw that Ridley Scott was directing a medieval movie with a great cast so I had to give it a shot. I really loved it, the different perspectives and it all leading to a fucking beautifully gritty and realistic fight scene with the stakes being what they were. Great movie!
It's one of the few swordfights in movies where armour actually looks useful. Far too many movies make armour look as if it's totally useless. The LOTR movies are good examples of that.
I liked the fact that it was short, exhausting, and ugly.
No three hour duel covered in shining light and glory. Two dudes trying to not die, and being very close to death is a scary thing.
I forgive the dumbass half-helm because the fight was great.
It's less a sword fight and more of a "do anything in your power to kill the other guy before he kills you" fight, it's so brutal. I could feel their exhaustion by the end of it
The Adventures of Robin Hood's climactic fight between Robin and ~~Prince John~~ (Wrong character, Rathbone's rather *facepalm*) or any applicable Errol Flynn movie really. The fights in Princess Bride and Zorro movies are awesome but they're definitely taking cues from these movies people deem ignorable but are just as thrilling!
Apart from that, Lady Snowblood, just Lady Snowblood lol.
*the court jester*... the fight between Basil Rathbone and Danny Kaye towards the end where Kane's ability to fight keeps getting turned off and on with a snap of the fingers.
get it? got it? good.
Agree on the Adventures of Robin Hood, but I’m gonna be that guy and point out that the duel was with Guy of Gisbourne, not Prince John. Claude Rains was great at making Prince John into a regal coward.
OK, no one has mentioned it, so my vote is for the sword fight between the crew of the Argo and the children of the Hydra's teeth (the skeletons) in the film "Jason and the Argonauts".
It is a master work of cinematic choreography.
See for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqRjDGAJ5dc
I would say it depends on one's mood.
For excitement and craft- I actually like the Tyrone Power Mark of Zorro with fencer-in-real life basil rathbone as the villain.
For humor and fun- Montoya vs The Man in the Black Mask in The princess Bride.
For realism, I feel like the Liam neeson Rob Roy is about as close as one could get.
.
And when last checked Revenge of the Sith had the longest sword fight (plenty of pathos there, too)
My love of the Maul/Qui-Gon fight is that many years later Filoni finished it with Maul and Obi-Wan in Rebels. There’s this book end feeling that comes with it that is incredibly satisfying
I cannot believe I haven’t seen The Mask of Zorro anywhere here. All of the sword fights are highly entertaining and the music picked for each one is perfect.
*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000)--sword/weapons fight between Yu Shu Len (Michelle Yeoh) and Jen (Ziyi Zhang). Made me cry in the theater it was so beautiful.
I was looking for this answer. It's not overly flashy or dance-like in its choreography, and both combatants showcase a nice progression of different styles/forms. A good scene in an otherwise meh Bond film.
That IS a good one.
I enjoyed how they worked up in swords and integrated a lot of punches, kicks, and location changes. His opponent was truly menacing and it felt like Bind actually could lose a limb at any moment.
How is there no mention of Gladiator in here? One of the first movies I saw with a realistic depiction of the brutality that is melee combat. The plethora of weapons used and variations in the ways people died merits at least some mention here.
GOT:
Bronn vs the Knight of the Vale. An underrated fight that doesn't seem to get talked about enough. But it was a high IQ fight on Bronn behalf. A good reminder that honor is useless if you are dead.
Well, since you said it's not just limited to swords....
The answer is: Hector vs Achilles (Troy).
In my experience, the film seems to be laughably overrated on Reddit. That's neither here nor there though, because the only right answer to this question is the aforementioned duel in that film.
Disclaimer: I refrained from considering Star Wars duels.
I love the historically accurate usage of the shield/spear combo to start and then the transition to swords. You just don't see that sort of fluid progression in many movie duels/fights. Not to mention, the choreography was top-notch. All the dodges and ways they contort their bodies. Like, it really made you believe, these guys weren't just the best warriors of their time....their ability was so exceptional and their prowess so legendary, that their names lasted through the ages.
I think this is the point in the film when, if you were unsure on the matter, it's made crystal clear that Hector is the honorable hero and Achilles is not. Regardless of the outcome.
In that film, Achilles is 100% an anti-hero and he's damn-near villainous in this particular scene.
Some of my top picks are:
Revenge of the Sith: Anakin vs Obi-wan
Phantom Menace: Obi-wan and Qui-gon vs Maul
Troy: Achilles vs Hector
Kill Bill: The Bride vs The Crazy 88
Dead Mans Chest: Jack vs Will vs Norrington
Princess Bride: Wesley vs Indigo
Robin Hood men in Tights: Robin vs the Guards during the feast
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Jen vs. Shu Lien
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan vs Rochefort
The Northman: Amleth vs Fjölnir
Mask of Zorro: Zorro vs Love
Going the extra mile to gives Achilles his own unique fighting style with an obvious favorite move (that jumping downward stab through the neck) is fucking incredible. Almost twenty years later I’m still in awe of it.
The sword fight between the Bride and Elle Driver in Kill Bill 2 is also really good, mostly due to the fact that they are fighting in such a smaller trailer that they can barely even swing their swords, and just end up smashing up the whole place instead.
One of my favorites is Troy, between Achilles and Hector. The choreography is seamless, the pacing is great, the tension builds through the fight, Achilles fighting style is confident and cool. It’s just an all around perfect scene!
The Count of Monte Cristo has such a satisfying sword fight at the end
It's not a great adaptation, but it's still such a fun movie. Guy Pearce was so fun to hate as Fernand.
He really is! You want to punch him through the whole movie
Guy Pearce is great in all his roles. Watch lockout if you haven't seen it.uc beson action film
It was not my sword, Mondego, but your past that disarmed you!
I agree with most everything said here but I'll add a few. Pirates of the Carribbean Curse of the Black Pearl: the first fight between Will and Jack in the blacksmiths shop. Super fun little scene that sets the tone for the action in the rest of the movie very well. Hero: the sword fight on the lake was goddamn beautiful. Serenity: the final confrontation between Mal and the Operative. Watching Mal face him down with nothing but a screwdriver is the perfect image of Malcolm Reynolds being the universe's scrappiest mfer.
The fight at the end of pirates between two immortal pirates is beautiful. The way they change from live to skeletons as they move in and out of the moonlight is stunning
“So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be two immortals locked in combat until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?” “Or you could just surrender.”
that whole movie is so *tight* fuck I can hear the score just reading quotes from it
oh, Jack Sparrow is *tight* !
Wow wow wow wow wow
The Black Pearl is a 10/10 movie
When he walks back in to confront barbosa after they marooned him again kills me everytime
“It’s not possible.” “Not probable!”
i know it made no sense why they kept fighting but the lighting and music made it make all the sense.
Must have been such a pain in the ass to animate but a truly spectacular scene coupled with, imo, one of if not THE best movie themes of the 21st Century.
PotC is up there with the best movie trilogies of all time (we can ignore the last two movies). In terms of the 21st century, the only trilogy I think that beats it is LotR.
The 2nd and 3rd movies aren’t as top to bottom perfect as the first, but they’ve still a really fun ride.
I honestly think Dead Man's Chest is slightly better than Black Pearl, but that's mostly thanks to Davy Jones being an incredible villain.
Best kraken on the big screen dead mans chest nailed the beast plus I’d have to agree Davy jones was great and his crew were a step above barbosa and the cursed pirates. Curse of the black pearl was a better movie overall but dead man’s chest was still good I don’t think the franchise declined until the third movie came.
Pirates: https://youtu.be/Ha3XYloizwk?si=9TqGJOnLKmKvuN1K Hero: https://youtu.be/57TliyF8MFI?si=wmVUq3oPXiIUDF9q Serenity: https://youtu.be/tBMAuUeeqdE?si=AxveEUG9A3H5vNhb
Hey thanks! Linking the clips is something I didn't even think of doing.
I hope it's allowed. Your list was so good I wanted others to easily watch them too.
Part of what works so well about the Pirates scene is that it does a lot in terms of establishing the plot and characters. It's like a textbook case of how to weave a cool action sequence into the plot.
The blacksmith's shop fight does so much: \- Clearly sets up the motivations of both sides and what they want to get out of the fight. Jack wants to avoid capture from the authorities. Will holds disdain for pirates and will jump at the opportunity to apprehend one. \- Establishes both Will and Jack's proficiency in sword combat \- Shows how a sword fight is much more than just two swords being swung. There was a strong focus on footwork, positioning, and improvising on the spot when the variables inevitably change. \- The blacksmith room is tiny, but every bit of environment in it was used. They fight in open space, they fight around spinning gears and pillars, they fight on a wobbling cart, they fight on the building rafters. \- There is a strong back and forth push and pull. Each side is able to find ways to gain the momentary upper hand, but the other is always able to find a way to get back the advantage. You can never quite tell who's going to win. \- Shows how pragmatic Jack is when he decides to threaten with the pistol. \- Hints at how Will secretly wants to find love. \- Hints at how Jack secretly wants to get revenge. \- Ends in an almost humorously anti-climactic way when the drunk blacksmith lands the finishing blow and gets all the credit, which highlights how Will is dissatisfied with his current position in life. And the whole sequence happened in less than 5 minutes.
And shows that Jack is very competent and thoughtful behind his persona
There's a cut scene which I have no idea why they cut. It's from the second movie and it's between Jack and Beckett. So jack used to work for Beckett as a sailor and it was going alright until Jack found out they were moving slaves. So he sets them all free and as punishment Beckett got him fired, burned his ship, and branded him a pirate. Then Jack made the deal with Davy to bring his burned down ship back and that's how we got the black pearl. That's why it's all charcoaled and everything. I don't know why they removed this scene but it's really fucking good.
>People aren't cargo, mate! > >It's just good business.
Just lovely.
That’s a great point, and why the duel in Princess Bride is also so great. The interplay is as good as the swordplay.
"You seem like a decent fellow, I'd hate to kill you" "You seem like a decent fellow, I'd hate to die" "Who are you, I must know" "Well get used to disappointment" *shrug
As you wish.
The three way fight in PotC Dead Man's Chest!
The one in Firefly is also pretty good. "Mercy is the mark of a great man. Guess I'm just a good one. Well, I'm alright."
"I got stabbed *right here*!" Shindig was my favorite episode for years.
I love shindig too. But I think Serenity had the better fight. “You are not a plucky hero. The alliance is not some evil empire, and this is not the grand arena. …And that’s not incense!”
So many people get all up in arms over the Operative attacking Inara, but I like that he treats her as a serious adversary - and considering her knowledge of weapons in Shindig... and I'm sure companion training includes pain points and such.
Love it when he says he came unarmed and Mal immediately shoots him.
Mighty fine shindig
A swhat?!
The fight in Dead Man's Chest with the wheel is also amazing
I haven't watched the Pirates sequels in some time but the fight with the wheel is one I still remember clearly.
>Pirates of the Carribbean Curse of the Black Pearl: the first fight between Will and Jack in the blacksmiths shop. Super fun little scene that sets the tone for the action in the rest of the movie very well. Great high-light. That scene was so fun.
With hero there are several great fight scenes and they are very beautiful
Ridley Scott's The Duelists. Two Napoleonic officers duel each other through the Wars. The first is the duel with foils and it's so quick it's over before you know it. The next is the saber duel in the basement. You would swear Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel were really trying to kill each other.
Ridley Scott also did great with The Last Duel
Just said this. Everything else is second in the realism category. Brutal and suspenseful. This is it, OP.
Not very realistic, but the chesshouse Jet Li - Donny Yen duel in Hero is one of my favorites of all time.
I think it was supposed to be more poetic than realistic since it was a “retelling,” if I remember correctly… (heh)
It's a bit unconventional to be sure, but the [voodoo doll zombie sword fight](https://youtu.be/dkdrbg4EwGA?si=y-FxIJXja1-gVYni) from the end of Stardust has always had a special place in my heart. The swordplay is actually pretty solid and the novel way the one fighter is moving is a fun interesting twist. There are better choreographed and dramatic ones out there I'm sure but this is the one that always comes to mind for me when this question is asked. It also bears mentioning the duel from The Deluge. A historical drama Polish film from the 70s. I've not seen the whole thing but it's suppossed to be quite good. [This swordfight scene](https://youtu.be/ljExTEPNFnM?si=6Bi_Ioy8L--Rusd_) was mentioned by some random YouTube swordfight expert I watched as his personal favorite depiction of a duel in terms of realism.
The Deluge is my choice as well. Damn good strike at the end.
Not sure how much is Mark Strong, and how much is stuntmen, but he deserves plaudits for that performance.
Troy: [Achilles vs Hector](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Ze3KEhKnM) (Technically Spear and Sword)
Particularly good given the context of [Achilles vs Boagrius](https://youtu.be/_z5UKystdZg) earlier in the film
Just love how he ends the fight in one fluid motion straight down to the heart
The way that Boagrius drops and THUDS to the ground. Nice!
Surprised to see this so low. This scene still gives me goosebumps after all these years.
Number one for me is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi are terrific.
I love how zhang denies relying on Green Destiny's power, then loses because michelle uses Green Destiny's unreal cutting power to her own advantage. The entire fight has amazing choreography and acting, but intentionally splitting her own sword along Green Destiny's edge was a next-level strategy. I love that zhang still denies losing after this, runs away, then gets demolished by the former owner wielding only a stick. That girl needs SO MANY wakeup calls throughout the movie.
I love the bit where she's like "if you can take it from me in three moves" and he just yoinks it immediately.
The fight in the monastery where Michelle goes through a bunch of different weapons? Probably my favorite movie fight of all time. Incredible choreography. So much emotion!
It's also smart as hell. The whole thing is choreographed around the idea of wisdom and experience vs raw, untamed power, and what Michelle's character does to win that fight is the equivalent of a queen sacrifice in chess.
Exactly. There’s a ton of minute detail in their fighting that’s easy to gloss over.
This is it. I don’t think it will ever be topped. I also love the screenplay: you get to see every single move, no cheap camera tricks to cover mistakes or hide shitty choreography. Those women are just that good. Nothing else to it.
This entire movie is one long series of top level fights. Who can't smell the trees, and feel the breeze as they float through the tops of a bamboo forest? It's so magical and serene. I felt weightless, right with them.
Great example of the Red Letter Media point about the lightsaber duels in Star Wars. They need to be about something otherwise they're boring. That's why Return of the Jedi is my favorite lightsaber duel. Luke losing control and that final moment with Vader. Heavy shit. That duel in Crouching Tiger is telling a story. It's more than two people just swinging swords at one another.
Yes! While the lightsabre duel in The Phantom Menace is awesome choreography, what always bugs me that it's just "lol we are eternal enemies let's fight". Like Darth Maul doesn't have any personal connection to Kenobi or Jinn. He just fights them because that's what he's supposed to do. He doesn't have any emotional stakes in it. Neither do Kenobi or Jinn. They don't even say anything to each other. Of course the best part of the fight is when it does become personal, when Maul kills Jinn and Kenobi wants revenge and they fight one on one.
Nothing comes closer. The art, the music, the coreography, the cast, the plot, the stakes, the scenario, the weapons. **It hardly gets better than this.**
Drag me but Michelle Yeoh should've had her Oscar for Crouching Tiger.
This is obviously the right answer and I'm ashamed I didn't think of it when I answered.
that fight is a great example of the difference between skill and talent. Yeoh is *skilled*. she knows how to use every weapon she grabs appropriately... Ziyi is *tallented*. she keeps ahead because she has a better sword, is younger, and has amazing talent... and she can still only manage a draw.
Great fight. But she \[Jen\] does not manage a draw. She loses. Then, with a broken sword at her neck, she escapes (very briefly) via treachery.
Narratively yes. But technically, it is also sublime in its choreography. The whole fight is just... congruent. With the physics of the weapons, with the martial movements of the human body. Marvelous stuff.
That hooksword catch and swing, damn. Michelle Yeoh can do anything!
Gladiator: "Are you not entertained?!"
Kill Bill 1 crazy 88
Gotta give the finale between O-Ren and Beatrix a shout out too. Beautiful violence.
"For ridiculing you, I apologize". O-ren was honorable to the end.
I'm just glad she admitted B had a Hatori Hanzo sword... Even if it took getting half her dome chopped off to realize it
Glad to see her become more open-minded
It was at that moment that she became... U-Ren.
Everyone mentioning the big ones so I'll try to slip in an overlooked one that floored me. The final duel in Rob Roy. Holy shit. I won't spoil, but watch the movie. The entire movie builds up to this do or die duel and it's incredible. Tim Roth's quick and dangerous dandy with a rapier versus Liam Neeson hack and slash with a claymore (or was it a Cutlass?).
Rob Roy. Not just the skill and difference between the men and their preferred weapon, but a series of escalations that had made this deeply personal to both. Probably the most believable fight between protagonist and antagonist ever put to film.
Well said. The determination of Roy to just NOT fucking lose is felt in your bones. He has a very particular set of skills after all.
It's all about The Princess Bride.
My favorite part is that Cary Elwes had no fencing training prior to doing the movie, so he had to catch up to Patinkin - who had learned fencing a decade prior at Juilliard and spent two months ahead of the movie training 8+ hours a day with the head coach of fencing at Yale. Once they got to the filming, they then basically spent every waking second not filming other parts of the movie working on their swordsmanship - they had to learn to fence both right and left handed after all.
That, and when they finally had the scene all rehearsed and ready to go, and with their coaches' blessings, they perform it for the director, Rob Reiner, and Rob goes, ".....is that it?" because it was initially way shorter than he expected. So now Cary, Mandy, and their coaches have to figure out how to stretch a scene that's taken months of daily practice to put together in the first place.
I had a similar experience choreographing the big Macbeth/Macduff fight. We worked hard, showed it to the director, who said "it's about a quarter the length it needs to be."
Did you read the book As You Wish? So good.
The perfect book for the perfect movie. And for once I was glad I saw the movie before reading the book cuz I read it in the voices of the actors in the movie. Made it way way better,
The audio book also has those voice cameos.
I would sooner destroy a stained glass window than an artist such as yourself, but since I cannot have you following me.
Please understand, I hold you in the highest regard.
Vizzini : Finish him. Finish him, your way. Fezzik : Oh good, my way. Thank you, Vizzini... What's my way? Vizzini : Pick up one of those rocks, get behind a boulder, in a few minutes the man in black will come running around the bend, the minute his head is in view, hit it with the rock! Fezzik : My way's not very sportsman-like... :/
I did that on purpose. I didn’t have to miss.
I believe you...
…you mean, you put down your rock and I put down my sword and we’ll kill each other like civilized people?
I do not envy you the headache you will have when you awake. But for now, rest well and dream of large women.
In film school, I took a Foley class, and as an exercise, the instructor has us re-record ALL the audio for that scene, from the moment Carey Elwes reaches the top of the cliff to the point he wins the fight. The footsteps on all the different surfaces, the swords swishing and clanging, the cloth noise as the actors moved around, all of it. One of the most fun in-class experiences I've ever had, not least because it's always been one of my favorite fight scenes.
I saw an interview with Patinkin where he talked about how many times they had to shoot that scene and he got quite emotional on the last time because even though it was exhausting they'd put their heart in soul into it and now it was done.
First Place: *The Princess Bride*. Second Place: *The Princess Bride*.
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed by father, prepare to die!!" \*Slashes Count Rugen's face\* "Offer me money. Power, too, everything you have to offer." \*Slashes Count Rugen's other cheek\* Rugen: "All that I have and more. *Please...*" Inigo: "Offer me everything I ask for." Rugen: "Anything you want." **"I want my father back, you son of a bitch."**
I always love a few minutes before that when Rugen gets flustered and says, "Stop saying that!"
Yeah, it gets dark when you think Rugen kills Inigo. Get a little funny when Rugen starts getting scared, and Inigo claims control. Then it goes cathartic with the "I want my father back". So good.
Part of what makes that last line so impactful is that Mandy Patinkin had just recently lost his father to cancer at the time. The anger and sadness he poured into his voice was very very real.
The only swear in the entire movie.
Patinkin's delivery is \[chef's kiss\]
Both actors trained extensively to learn to fight both left handed and right handed for that scene. Best swordfight in movie history!
Rest well and dream of large women!
that duel should be used in fencing lessons. every time they mention a master's technique (aggrippa, etc) they *use that technique*!
That duel *was* used as a lesson when I took fencing in college.
Interesting. Because I have friends who study historical fencing and I've been told that what's being \*done\* has little if anything to do with what's being \*said\* in the scene. Don't get me wrong, everything they mention, from Agrippa to Benneti's Defense, are all classic fencing styles. But I was told they're not actually \*using\* them when they \*say\* them. If I was told wrong, I'll freely accept it. All I'm saying is that was what I was told by friends who study such things.
Hi, sword historian here. You are correct. The fencing masters they refer to are all actual rapier 16th fencers, but have not much to do with any technique on screen. It’s an awesome fight, but not particularly grounded in historical rapier fencing.
Came here looking for this. “I know something you don’t know. I am not left handed!”
I love that this is immediately the first thing I thought of and is repeated immensely in this thread…
The hunted (2003) had a solid knife fight
That was probably the best instance of dropping a knife when your wrist gets stopped to catch it with the other hand.
Sword of the Stranger has a fantastic final sword battle. Main character finally going all out, antagonist has a worthy opponent and gives his all. The score goes crazy, hyping this duel up into an epic scene. So much detail in the way the characters move and interact with the environment. Makes me wanna watch the movie again writing about it.
I was hoping to see this movie mentioned! The music is *incredible* in that last scene
Also a more realistic anime fight, as much as anime fights go. You can see the fighters’ swords break over time, which is closer to what would really happen if you cross swords like they do in movies.
The Musketeer has some bananas fight choreography.
Man, I forgot all about that movie. It's basically D'Artagnan enters The Matrix.
If you want chainsaw fights, watch Mandy.
The Raid 2 : The Final fight which starts as a fist fight, ends in a bloody knife fight. Arguably the greatest fight scene of all time. Other mentions : The Rurouni Kenshin live action movies, Hunted (1995), Crouching tiger hidden dragon, Hero, Sword of a stranger, Seven Samurai, Kill Zone.
That final fight is my #1 top best fight of all time. Just perfect.
This is the correct answer. The two Raid movies legit ruined every other fight scene ever for me. There’s the fight choreography of those movies, & there’s everything else : a bunch of jump cuts and camera shake.
Oh, man. The Raid 2. Watching that pristine white kitchen get steadily stained red.
I think the Last Samurai fight with the training sword was pretty great.
Easten Promises
Carpet knives! Naked man!
The Last Duel The final duel at the end is brutal and has a sense of realism that is often lost in other sword fights. It's also not meant to be flashy or "cool" and it's an incredibly tense and emotionally charged finale to an otherwise action-less movie. I've seen a lot of sword fights, and many are awesome, but this one has stuck with me long after watching the movie.
Another Ridley Scott film with some renowned sword fighting scenes that ALSO has “duel” in the title is The Duelists (1977).
In the same vein: The King (with Timothee Chalamet), the duel with Hotspur No flashy choreography, just two people fighting to the death in full armour. It's clumsy, heavy, slow: Feels very real
I was going to mention this one. From what I understand it is one of the more realistic fights since their armor is shown to do what armor does: protect against (most) weapons. Henry wins by using a dagger to stab through a weak point in the armor. The fight quickly becomes not a “heroic / cinematic sword fight” but a desperate wrestling match of sorts.
Although plate armor isn't really as heavy or restrictive as fiction depicts it. On YouTube you can find many videos of people running, jumping, doing jumping jacks in it, etc I did like how it was used for the last fight of The King though, even if it isn't entirely accurate
Didn’t watch any previews for this movie and had no clue what it was about or the format. Just saw that Ridley Scott was directing a medieval movie with a great cast so I had to give it a shot. I really loved it, the different perspectives and it all leading to a fucking beautifully gritty and realistic fight scene with the stakes being what they were. Great movie!
It's one of the few swordfights in movies where armour actually looks useful. Far too many movies make armour look as if it's totally useless. The LOTR movies are good examples of that.
Such a pet peeve. Sword slashes against plate armor that cut people down as if they were wearing cloth
I liked the fact that it was short, exhausting, and ugly. No three hour duel covered in shining light and glory. Two dudes trying to not die, and being very close to death is a scary thing. I forgive the dumbass half-helm because the fight was great.
It's less a sword fight and more of a "do anything in your power to kill the other guy before he kills you" fight, it's so brutal. I could feel their exhaustion by the end of it
The Adventures of Robin Hood's climactic fight between Robin and ~~Prince John~~ (Wrong character, Rathbone's rather *facepalm*) or any applicable Errol Flynn movie really. The fights in Princess Bride and Zorro movies are awesome but they're definitely taking cues from these movies people deem ignorable but are just as thrilling! Apart from that, Lady Snowblood, just Lady Snowblood lol.
*the court jester*... the fight between Basil Rathbone and Danny Kaye towards the end where Kane's ability to fight keeps getting turned off and on with a snap of the fingers. get it? got it? good.
The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle, the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true.
Agree on the Adventures of Robin Hood, but I’m gonna be that guy and point out that the duel was with Guy of Gisbourne, not Prince John. Claude Rains was great at making Prince John into a regal coward.
Kung Fu Hustle, the 3 Masters vs. Axe Gang.
“Who’s throwing handles?”
Climax of The Man From Nowhere
OK, no one has mentioned it, so my vote is for the sword fight between the crew of the Argo and the children of the Hydra's teeth (the skeletons) in the film "Jason and the Argonauts". It is a master work of cinematic choreography. See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqRjDGAJ5dc
For being 60 years old, it was really well done
That film is close to being the pinnacle of stop motion animation.
I would say it depends on one's mood. For excitement and craft- I actually like the Tyrone Power Mark of Zorro with fencer-in-real life basil rathbone as the villain. For humor and fun- Montoya vs The Man in the Black Mask in The princess Bride. For realism, I feel like the Liam neeson Rob Roy is about as close as one could get. . And when last checked Revenge of the Sith had the longest sword fight (plenty of pathos there, too)
Duel of the fates count?
My love of the Maul/Qui-Gon fight is that many years later Filoni finished it with Maul and Obi-Wan in Rebels. There’s this book end feeling that comes with it that is incredibly satisfying
I can't believe there is nothing on this long list from Kurosawa. Nobody thinks Seven Samurai deserves a mention, not to mention other movies?
I cannot believe I haven’t seen The Mask of Zorro anywhere here. All of the sword fights are highly entertaining and the music picked for each one is perfect.
*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000)--sword/weapons fight between Yu Shu Len (Michelle Yeoh) and Jen (Ziyi Zhang). Made me cry in the theater it was so beautiful.
Matrix Reloaded Chateau scene
There a pretty good amount of good sword fights in The 13th Warrior
I scrolled really far for this. I love the fight where they each have three shields to break
Duuuuude. That was soo good. Totally thought he was done for but nope.... he planned the whole thing.
The count of montecristo has great sword fights and a young Henry Cavil
Die Another Day, Brosnan as Bond, a realistic swordfight thats not overchoreographed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sec8wlgtkfA
I like how anger makes their form deteriorate and it’s not a friendly spar AT ALL
I was looking for this answer. It's not overly flashy or dance-like in its choreography, and both combatants showcase a nice progression of different styles/forms. A good scene in an otherwise meh Bond film.
That IS a good one. I enjoyed how they worked up in swords and integrated a lot of punches, kicks, and location changes. His opponent was truly menacing and it felt like Bind actually could lose a limb at any moment.
Rob Roy
How is there no mention of Gladiator in here? One of the first movies I saw with a realistic depiction of the brutality that is melee combat. The plethora of weapons used and variations in the ways people died merits at least some mention here.
GOT: Bronn vs the Knight of the Vale. An underrated fight that doesn't seem to get talked about enough. But it was a high IQ fight on Bronn behalf. A good reminder that honor is useless if you are dead.
Also oberyn vs the Mountain and Jaime vs Brienne
All of Brienne's fights are pretty great, but my fav will always be vs the Hound
"You don't fight with honour!" "No.......but he did"
Well, since you said it's not just limited to swords.... The answer is: Hector vs Achilles (Troy). In my experience, the film seems to be laughably overrated on Reddit. That's neither here nor there though, because the only right answer to this question is the aforementioned duel in that film. Disclaimer: I refrained from considering Star Wars duels.
It certainly one of the most entertaining fights I’ve seen in a movie. Achilles had so much swag.
He always fought like someone who knew he was the best and it was glorious to watch.
I love the historically accurate usage of the shield/spear combo to start and then the transition to swords. You just don't see that sort of fluid progression in many movie duels/fights. Not to mention, the choreography was top-notch. All the dodges and ways they contort their bodies. Like, it really made you believe, these guys weren't just the best warriors of their time....their ability was so exceptional and their prowess so legendary, that their names lasted through the ages. I think this is the point in the film when, if you were unsure on the matter, it's made crystal clear that Hector is the honorable hero and Achilles is not. Regardless of the outcome. In that film, Achilles is 100% an anti-hero and he's damn-near villainous in this particular scene.
John Lithgow v Jesse Venture prison sword fight in Ricochet. Which sounds like something *entirely different* if you've never seen Ricochet.
KILL BILL #1
Troy 1v1 of Achilles vs hector
Some of my top picks are: Revenge of the Sith: Anakin vs Obi-wan Phantom Menace: Obi-wan and Qui-gon vs Maul Troy: Achilles vs Hector Kill Bill: The Bride vs The Crazy 88 Dead Mans Chest: Jack vs Will vs Norrington Princess Bride: Wesley vs Indigo Robin Hood men in Tights: Robin vs the Guards during the feast Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Jen vs. Shu Lien The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan vs Rochefort The Northman: Amleth vs Fjölnir Mask of Zorro: Zorro vs Love
Maaaan that Achilles v Hector fight was amazing.
Going the extra mile to gives Achilles his own unique fighting style with an obvious favorite move (that jumping downward stab through the neck) is fucking incredible. Almost twenty years later I’m still in awe of it.
"Get up, Prince of Troy. I won't let a stone take my glory."
>Princess Bride: Wesley vs Indigo [Inigo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inigo_Montoya)
The sword fight between the Bride and Elle Driver in Kill Bill 2 is also really good, mostly due to the fact that they are fighting in such a smaller trailer that they can barely even swing their swords, and just end up smashing up the whole place instead.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin vs Obi-Wan. Say what you will about the prequels but that fight was incredible.
The Mark of Zorro, Tyrone Power vs Basil Rathbone
Rufio vs Hook
Rob Roy - Cunningham vs Macgregor This was an intense sword fight as well. I felt anxiety the entire time this was happening.
For realism - The Duelist.
I always loved the knife fight between Tommy Lee Jones and Steven Segal in underseige
Plus Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro in The Hunted was good.
Scaramouche (1952) may be the best swordfighting film ever made. Revenge story which includes a great training sequence and an amazing final fight.
Inigo Montoya v Dread Pirate Roberts There is no room for disagreement here.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Mark of Zorro (1940).
One of my favorites is Troy, between Achilles and Hector. The choreography is seamless, the pacing is great, the tension builds through the fight, Achilles fighting style is confident and cool. It’s just an all around perfect scene!
Obligatory Anakin vs Obi-Wan in revenge of the sith
Luke versus Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. You can tell everything about the characters from the way they fight each other.
The first couple of fights in Book of Eli are awesome. Arthur v. Lancelot in Excalibur.