best movie sword fight of all time? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTimePost
Unluckylukey

09-04-07, 10:37 AM
I think sword fight in the "Princess Bride" movie is a best ever for me.

Does anyone know of a better one?
Man in the Funny Hat

09-04-07, 10:51 AM
I think sword fight in the "Princess Bride" movie is a best ever for me.

Does anyone know of a better one?Just about anything with Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks. Obi-Wan/Quai-gon vs. Darth Maul. Skywalker vs. Darth Vader in "Empire" or "Jedi". CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow vs. Barbossa in Curse of the Black Pearl. Herger the Joyous vs. Angus in 13th Warrior. ANY sword fight in ANY Akira Kurosawa movie EVER.
Unluckylukey

09-04-07, 11:04 AM
Just about anything with Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks. Obi-Wan/Quai-gon vs. Darth Maul. Skywalker vs. Darth Vader in "Empire" or "Jedi". CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow vs. Barbossa in Curse of the Black Pearl. Herger the Joyous vs. Angus in 13th Warrior. ANY sword fight in ANY Akira Kurosawa movie EVER.

What!?! No way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe the Erroyl Flynn ones but give me a break with the Darth Maul ones and Captain Sparrow... nup
Hsien

09-04-07, 11:22 AM
I think sword fight in the "Princess Bride" movie is a best ever for me.

PB is classic in it's own right, just because of the interaction between Elwes and Patinkin ( I like pretty much everything he does ) but there are many "better" sword fights scenes as far as the actual fighting goes.

How about....Princess Blade, I get a lot of asian movies, so there are several great scenes there and in others like Storm Riders.
Of course there are some main stream ones, Crouching Tiger and Hero which combine fight scenes and visual imagery to amazing effect.

Captain Blood ~E. Flynn is still my favorite all time movie
kimura121

09-04-07, 11:39 AM
michelle yeoh vs Zhang Ziyi in crouching tiger hidden dragon....... the dojo scene where michelle uses every weapon on the wall......... Tim Roth vs Liam Neeson in rob roy was pretty interesing as well.... shows what happens when a swashbuckler fights too close to a barbarian:D
fatal error

09-04-07, 11:42 AM
I like just about every fight in Jet Li's Fearless, although only two would really qualify are sword fights.

Princess Bride is good as far as entertainment, though the actual fighting without the dialog if pretty dry.

Episode 1 is the best Lightsaber fight (in my OPINION).
fatal error

09-04-07, 11:42 AM
Double Post.
Eikre

09-04-07, 01:01 PM
The Princess Bride has pretty much the most cohesive fights you'll ever see in a movie of its caliber.

Is it dry? Yeah, but, well. Consider that Jedi, aside from all their backflips, are actually impeccably terrible swordsmen.

I think the OP has certain qualifications for "Good" sword fighting in mind, and it probably has a bit to do with viscerality.
jacob22

09-04-07, 01:06 PM
Conan the barbarian,
Conan vs Rexor (battleaxe)the last battle.
Salla

09-04-07, 01:25 PM
Optimus Prime vs Megatron (original Transformers movie).

Well, Megatron used a sword for SOME of the fight ...
Dougan Axehammer

09-04-07, 01:26 PM
Yoda vs. Count Dooku (not all Jedi are equal swordsmen)
Mace Windu vs. Palpatine
Just about all of the fights in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (starring Errol Flynn)
While not a "sword fight", Kirk vs. Spock in Star Trek (I forget the name of the episode.
Robin Hood (Costner) Vs. The Sheriff (Rickman) in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
(Also not with swords) Robin Hood vs. John Little in Prince of Thieves
Captain Black vs. Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride
Tom Cruise's character vs. the Boy The Last Samurai
Almost every Chinese martial arts flick where there are swords
The Three Musketeers (the Disney one)
Someone

09-04-07, 01:26 PM
...ANY sword fight in ANY Akira Kurosawa movie EVER.Particularly the one between the swordmaster and the challenger in 7 Samurai. Because its over in one swing.
Shadowhowler

09-04-07, 01:27 PM
I LOVE Princess Bride, it is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Duel between Elwes and Patinkin was very well done... however, mostly for comedic and dramatic effect rather then TRUE Fencing. There were moments of genunely decent fencing in the fight, but some of was pure silliness.

Which was GREAT for the movie, the sceen, and the story... but I guess if your talking about a 'great sword fight' on the merits of the sword fighting itself, then it would not be the BEST captured on film.

As to which one is... ugh... hard to say.

I'm going to think about it a bit, and get back to ya.

:P
Ecalsneerg

09-04-07, 01:55 PM
The only good part of Episode 1... Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn barely defeating Darth Maul.

I don't like much of the rest of the film, I'm afraid :P
Transit

09-04-07, 02:10 PM
I'd have to say the swordfight in Raider's of the Lost Ark is a definite classic. It's very short, but very memorable.

:D
Ack

09-04-07, 02:32 PM
How about the ones in Musketeer? :D
DanteApollyon

09-04-07, 02:36 PM
Cloud Vs. Sephiroth in FF7 Advent Children... i just hit my funny bone really really hard.
Illithid_Tentacles

09-04-07, 02:45 PM
My vote goes for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjaWn-pVvI Just watch it and you'll see.
Escef

09-04-07, 03:01 PM
Honestly, if you take most of the pre-90s Hollywood movies with swordfighting you will find that the fight choreography is generally bad. The characters don't even look like they're trying to hit each other. Yes, they swing, but if you watch closely, you will notice that almost every swing that gets blocked wouldn't have connected anyhow. It doesn't look like a real fight, it looks like two guys slapping their blades together.
VulcanStormwrath

09-04-07, 03:58 PM
My vote goes for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjaWn-pVvI Just watch it and you'll see.

Ah physics, why does Asia hate you so??

Sword vs Spear Jet Li/Donnie Yen in Hero
Blacksworddragon

09-04-07, 04:05 PM
I'm partial to Anakin vs. Obi-Wan at the end of Episode 3.
GoriceXII

09-04-07, 04:33 PM
I like the following:

1. The confrontation between the assassin, the general and the slave in "The Promise"

2. The duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in "Empire Strikes Back"

3. The final fight in the original "Highlander"

4. The 'duel on Boston Common' in "Highlander"

5. The fight between Aragorn and the Uruk-Hai commander in "Fellowship of the Ring".

6. The arena fight in "Rome"
Passivearmada

09-04-07, 04:33 PM
Ah physics, why does Asia hate you so??

Sword vs Spear Jet Li/Donnie Yen in Hero

I agree, with both. But still, Asia's ignorance to physics makes them pretty cool.
Tectorman

09-04-07, 06:25 PM
While not a "sword fight", Kirk vs. Spock in Star Trek (I forget the name of the episode.


Amok Time, and they were using lirpas (called monk's spades in D&D {in Secrets of Sarlona}).

My favorite would have to be the two fights between Ryan Wieber and Michael "Dorkman" Scott (I think those are the names). Proof that you can have a good lightsaber duel without all the incessant backflipping.
Divokej

09-04-07, 08:19 PM
Escef, the reason they looked like the blows wouldn't have connected anyways is because, well, they wouldn't have. In stage combat (which movie combat is derived from) the worst thing that could possibly happen is one of the blows being unblocked and hitting an actor. Even if it's supposed to look like it would. Really, even though the sword wouldn't be sharp it would still hurt and completely ruin the concentration of the actors.

Nowadays, they still wouldn't connect if they weren't blocked. Techniques have just been advancing. (Also, movie producers are seeing the benefit of hiring an actual fight coordinator. It used to be that they just made the actor who did most of the fighting the fight director. Sometimes they wouldn't know how to fence.)
CheesieM0nkeys

09-04-07, 08:44 PM
Best sword fight of all time is Principle Skinner vs Bart Simpson
damixmastermike

09-04-07, 11:58 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjaWn-pVvI

Is indeed quite epic.

I'm not sure what mine would be, but the fight between Lucy Lu and Uma Therma in Kill Bill 1 was gold. Princess Bride was great, but I can't say it's my favourite. The 7 sec. fight scene in the first Indiana Jones is probably the funniest I've ever seen. 2nd funniest is the link in my sig, the barbarian leader has a very impressive yell.

In the end I agree with whomever posted Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There were some good ones in Gladiator aswell.
Unluckylukey

09-05-07, 12:25 AM
Honestly, if you take most of the pre-90s Hollywood movies with swordfighting you will find that the fight choreography is generally bad. The characters don't even look like they're trying to hit each other. Yes, they swing, but if you watch closely, you will notice that almost every swing that gets blocked wouldn't have connected anyhow. It doesn't look like a real fight, it looks like two guys slapping their blades together.

yeah, but maybe they are just so good that they are looking for a genuine opening for the kill. Damn they were good pre 90s :D
Dougan Axehammer

09-05-07, 12:46 AM
Amok Time, and they were using lirpas (called monk's spades in D&D {in Secrets of Sarlona}).

My favorite would have to be the two fights between Ryan Wieber and Michael "Dorkman" Scott (I think those are the names). Proof that you can have a good lightsaber duel without all the incessant backflipping.

There are actually a few films on YouTube that are farily good; the Ryan Wieber/Dorkman factory scenes were great, but there are also a couple of films produced by the Ho Brothers called The Art of the Lightsaber which completely rocked.
Anathema

09-05-07, 12:53 AM
Sword vs Spear Jet Li/Donnie Yen in Hero

I actually came in this thread to post a Sword vs Spear fight.

Wong Fei-Hung vs General Fu Wen-Chi, under the train & train platform, "Legend of the Druken Master".

That fight still amazes me every time I watch it.
Unluckylukey

09-05-07, 12:57 AM
Ah physics, why does Asia hate you so??

Sword vs Spear Jet Li/Donnie Yen in Hero

hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahah
Escef

09-05-07, 02:14 AM
Escef, the reason...

I know the reason, thank you. It is because no one actually knew what they were doing, so instead of making it look good and risking injury, they made it look bad. I don't really blame them, but the fact that they are bad looking fight scenes remains. (Coincidentally, when you don't know what you are doing you are almost as likely to injure yourself as you are the other guy.)
CCS

09-05-07, 02:39 AM
They may or may not be the best sword/fight scenes out there. Regardless though, I find all of the fight sequences in the Pirates of the Caribean movies highly entertaining.
Especially the final melee in PoTC3.
Mad_Mickelson

09-05-07, 07:25 AM
King Arthur vs. The Black Knight (Holy Grail)


[They fight until Arthur cuts off Black Knight's left arm]
King Arthur: Now, stand aside, worthy adversary!
Black Knight: 'Tis but a scratch!
King Arthur: A scratch? Your arm's off!
Black Knight: No, it isn't!
King Arthur: Well, what's that then?
King Arthur: I've had worse.
King Arthur: You liar!
Black Knight: Come on, you pansy!

:duel:

I was ******* myself laughing for hours after watching that the first time that I couldn't seriously watch the rest of the movie, till the giggles had subsided.
TheClance

09-05-07, 07:45 AM
If the swordfights in modern cinema are better it is because they stand on the shoulders of Fred Craven, Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. Craven was the fight coordinator for every decent swashbuckler in the 30s and 40s.

I haven't seen it in decades, but I still have fond memories of the final fight in Sacramouche, still probably the longest in screen history.

Some of the characters Le Bossu (The Hunchback) aka On Guard have a truely devastating finishing move. The fight in which the Duc de Nevers is killed is a classic.

Of course the best cinema swordfight of all time is the final fight in Furyo anego den: Inoshika Ocho. Unfortunantly the code of conduct forbids me from saying why:embarrass
Sajek

09-05-07, 07:58 AM
Screw sword fights! How about a chainsaw duel? (http://youtube.com/watch?v=v8_dY4rpjOc)
ibonet

09-05-07, 08:27 AM
Steward Granger vs. Mel Ferrer in Scaramouche, or Mel Ferrer in Cyrano.
DanteApollyon

09-05-07, 08:59 AM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DkJyjSLUgG4

I mean just look at this fight.
_Jayne_Cobb_

09-05-07, 10:30 AM
Four that haven't been mentioned so far:

Serenity: Mal vs. The Operative.
Kill Bill: The Bride vs. The Crazy 88
Braveheart: Scots vs. English (all of them)
300: Spartans vs. Persians (all of them)
bergillion

09-05-07, 10:39 AM
I really like the fight between Robin and the Sheriff in "Robin and Marian" (Sean Connery as an aged Robin Hood):

It may not be an elegant fight, but it appear quite realistic. I always liked it because it isn´t as "over the top" as all those sword-fights you see these days.
Orchomenos

09-05-07, 11:10 AM
Gladiator has some pretty good sword fights.
VulcanStormwrath

09-05-07, 03:43 PM
Does Achilles beach landing massacre count as a swordfight?
VulcanStormwrath

09-05-07, 03:45 PM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DkJyjSLUgG4

I mean just look at this fight.

This essentially illustrates every fighter feat in the epic level handbook
Infernostrider

09-05-07, 04:37 PM
i just LOVE the battle between Cloud and kadaj' gang in the forgotten city (FF7: Advent Children)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZXLWfo5HJfk
maskimus

09-05-07, 05:17 PM
I'll have to go with Liam Neeson vs. Tim Roth in "Rob Roy."
Dougan Axehammer

09-06-07, 12:01 AM
I just thought of another movie with a cool sword fight: Troy, especially the fight between Achilles and Hector. As classic as Clash of the Titans, or Jason and the Argonauts, or similarly themed movies from the 50s and 60s.
Man in the Funny Hat

09-06-07, 12:13 AM
What!?! No way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe the Erroyl Flynn ones but give me a break with the Darth Maul ones and Captain Sparrow... nupYeah, well... Princess Bride? Be serious, what's your REAL favorite?
kyeudo

09-06-07, 12:17 AM
My personal favorite movies for sword fights is the entire Pirates of the Caribean series, although its more for the epic feel they give than for any fancy swordwork.

I'd say that Princess Bride ranks high on my list as well, but I couldn't nail it down to one place.
Thomar_of_Uointer

09-06-07, 12:23 AM
I'm thinking the autumn scene from Hero, I love the composition in that movie. Pirates of the Carribean 2 gets an honorable mention for the ludicrous 20-minute fight scene that travels across an entire island.
Crash169

09-06-07, 01:12 AM
The choreography in the movie Troy is nothing to laugh at. The fight between Achilles and Hector is one of the best I've seen for sure.

Movies:

Rob Roy - Liam vs Roth, the last fight in the movie.
Equilibrium - Christian bale at the end, both the sword fighting and Gun Kata fighting is intense.
The mask of Zorro - Antonio Banderas shows off some great swashbuckling in that one.
Die another day - Pierce Brosnan and Toby Stephens have a great fencing duel in this one.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Filled with great fighting scenes.

There are more, I just can't think of em at the moment.
wizardguy2003

09-06-07, 01:21 AM
I am not sure about best of all time, but I have to put in another vote for Scaramouche. I just watched it again on Youtube, and at about 8 minutes, it's probably the most realistic fencing duel I have yet to see. With minor stunts and what looks to be real skills on both individuals, the only thing it's missing in a movie sense would be the dramatically time music.
Starcloud

09-06-07, 01:37 AM
The lightsaber fight at the end of Phantom Menace was a classic "two swordsman vs. a quarterstaff/spear man" sequence. It's not exactly a swordfight, but it's pretty good anyway.

Obi-Wan vs. Anakin... well, parts of that fight sequence are very good. Some of it is just silly and, to be honest, the sequence is longer than the actual fighting in it.
Yoda vs. Dooku... sorry, but poor blocking and CGI work make this one substandard, and Mace vs. Sideous... frankly, they should have left out most of the "close up" camera shots and just let the stunt doubles go through it. When Ian and Samuel are the ones actually doing the fighting, the quality of the fight suffers badly.

Some of the "Gun Kata" stuff I saw in Equilibrium is pretty silly.
"Okay guys, he's got a couple handguns and we've got carbines, so let's all stand close together in a circle around him so that if we miss him we shoot each other and he can shoot us in sequence at will." Spectactular? Maybe. Intense? Yes. Stupid? You bet!
Divyn

09-06-07, 09:44 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned House of Flying Daggers. There are some absolutely incredible fight scenes in that movie.

For some pretty impressive fight scenes I recomend Seven Swords. A long movie, but has some truly impressive swordplay.
williswrath

09-07-07, 12:07 AM
+1 for Arthur vs the Black Knight in Python's Holy Grail.
Unluckylukey

09-07-07, 12:22 AM
I just thought of another movie with a cool sword fight: Troy, especially the fight between Achilles and Hector. As classic as Clash of the Titans, or Jason and the Argonauts, or similarly themed movies from the 50s and 60s.

Yo know I kinda have to agree with you here. This was an awesome fight. I do not think this film got enough kodos.
stargate525

09-07-07, 12:33 AM
My favorites (I know they've been mentioned, but what the hell);
Jack v. Will; POTC-1
Jack v. Barbossa; POTC-1
Jack v. NOrrington v. Will (v. Elizabeth); POTC-2
Mel v. Enforcer; Serenity (nice and dirty, that one)
Cpt. v. Montoya; Princess Bride
Porthos, Athos, Aramis, D'Artagnan v. five Cardinal's Guard; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
D'Artagnan v. Rochefort; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
Musketeers v. Cardinal's Guard; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
Robin's men v. Sheriff's men; Men in Tights
Lone Star v. Dark Helmet; Spaceballs
Man in the Funny Hat

09-07-07, 08:58 PM
Porthos, Athos, Aramis, D'Artagnan v. five Cardinal's Guard; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
D'Artagnan v. Rochefort; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
Musketeers v. Cardinal's Guard; The Three Musketeers (Disney)
Personally I VASTLY prefer the swordplay in the 1970's Three Musketeers (the ones with Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee, Michael Chamberlain, Raquel Welch, Faye Dunaway, and Charleton Heston. Particularly Oliver Reeds fights.

For that matter I vastly prefer those movies in general over the more recent Disney film. I'm actually ashamed that I forgot these movies and left them off my original list. Heck, I've GOT the DVD's...
Toptomcat

09-08-07, 12:15 AM
I actually came in this thread to post a Sword vs Spear fight.

Wong Fei-Hung vs General Fu Wen-Chi, under the train & train platform, "Legend of the Druken Master".

That fight still amazes me every time I watch it.

Seconded. In fact, if you're looking for excellence in fight scenes, mainstream Hollywood flicks are the wrong place to look; check out Hong Kong martial arts flicks, which are (in GENERAL) consistently ahead of Hollywood in the quality of their fight coreagraphy and participants.
pres_man

09-08-07, 12:49 AM
Samwise vs. Shelob (well he had a sword at the time)
Someone

09-08-07, 02:06 AM
Samwise vs. Shelob (well he had a sword at the time)More like the Uruk-hai he beats down a few scenes later- "I am a barefoot, dual-wielding, portly, ticked-off, short-statured god of war!!!"
ArgulFraster

09-08-07, 02:25 AM
My two choices are both POTC. The first one, Jack VS Will, where they're fencing in the swordshop. Mostly it's for Sparrow's verbal jabs, one of them in particular. You can likely guess.

The other is the battle between Sparrow and Jones on the Dutchman. That right there is pure epic-fighting on a yardarm, above a whirlpool, in the middle of a storm. The only way to improve is to (insert lame Pirate Ninjas Chuck Norris joke here.) Seriously, I don't think you can improve on that battle.

The Crimson Pirate, an old pirate flick, had some excellent ones, but as I haven't seen it in about eight years, I can't remember any.
Dougan Axehammer

09-08-07, 03:04 AM
Samwise vs. Shelob (well he had a sword at the time)

Hey, if we're using swordplay from LotR, then my favorite is Boromir vs. Merry and Pip.

I also remember the opening scene from Dragonheart, where Bowen is teaching the Prince the old code.
Pippa

09-08-07, 05:50 PM
Thought I'd post this to convince you further:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=azObdhUGyqw&mode=related&search=
Sure, the laws of physics are pushed aside, but I can't help but finding this duel beautiful.

The duel in Rob Roy I liked, too, but the ones from Hero are just very, very pleasing to the eye.
Swashbuckler

09-08-07, 06:33 PM
The fight scenes from Musketeer with TIm Roth are very good

Who can not love the fight scenes from Highlander (they really only made one, and to disagree is sacriliage)

Again the Tim Roth Liam Neeson duel in Rob Roy excellent material

But I do still love the Basil Rathbone - Errol Flynn duels of the classics, Robin Hood, and of course the best of all swashbucklers, Captain Blood.


~Swash~
Anathema

09-08-07, 07:57 PM
Thought I'd post this to convince you further:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=azObdhUGyqw&mode=related&search=

I'll see your Nameless and raise you a Wong Fei-Hung.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgTxnBsJ6wk
Unluckylukey

09-13-07, 08:07 AM
I think you are all right!
Nytmare

09-13-07, 01:05 PM
A couple of American classics I don't think I saw:

The Duellists (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075968/)

The Three Musketeers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/)

The Four Musketeers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073012/)

The Mark of Zorro (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032762/)


For Asian Cinema:

Aragami (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362417/)

Lone Wolf and Cub (http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=lone+wolf+cub)

Any of the old, Zatoichis (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202152/)
maskimus

09-13-07, 01:31 PM
Hawkins/Giacomo v. Ravenhurst in The Court Jester
Nived

09-13-07, 01:40 PM
Hamlet vs Laertes in Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet.

That's what real rapier fighting should look like, not "The Musketeer."
Moblin

09-13-07, 02:54 PM
Always liked this one from Shanghai Knights:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wic_b_s3O00&mode=related&search=
Goon_for_Hire

09-13-07, 03:31 PM
The last swordfight in "Ultraviolet" was a lot of fun. Pitch black except for the burning oil on Milla Jovovichs' sword? Way cool.
Crash169

09-13-07, 05:21 PM
It would be awesome if somebody would break this all down into percentages to see which one wins.
GoriceXII

09-13-07, 06:18 PM
I'd forgotten the Duelists. It is definitey a very good film overall, and has some good sword fighting scenes. One thing I liked about them was that they don't last long--basically someone gains initiative or gets the upper hand and slash, the opponent is down.
n3ro

09-13-07, 06:56 PM
I am pretty sure i spelled this wrong but "Zitoichi: the Blind swordsman" and "The Hidden Blade" had great ones. The Hunted (Christopher Lambert's character wasn't any good but the main swordsman was GREAT). I'll probabally get nailed for saying this but samurai Champloo had a few very well choreographed scenes (especially the episodes with the blind bard-lady).
CheesieM0nkeys

09-13-07, 08:11 PM
Alright. This took a while. I probably missed a few - and it's onyl a rough idea but I tallied up the votes. The tied percentages are for each (both Robinhood and the three musketeers are 5.5%, every 9th place vote is 1.5%

1st. Pirates of the Carribean (15) 13%
2nd. Star Wars (11) 10%
3rd. Princess Bride (9) 8%
4th. Insane Asians on YouTube (8) 6%
5th. Robin Hood (7) and The Three Musketeers (7) 5.5%
6th. Martial Arts Movies (6) 5%7th. Lord of the Rings (5) 4%
8th. Troy and Highlander (3) 2.5 %9th. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Indianna Jones, Adavant Children, Kill Bill, Holy Grail, Serenity, Equilibrium, Mask of Zorro, Hero, Rob Roy, Captain Blood, and Duelists (2) 1.5%
10th. Princess Blade, Conor vs Rexor, Optimus Prime vs Megatron, Star Trek, Last Samurai, The Promise, Rome, 300, Braveheart, House of Flying Daggers, Scaramoude, Die Another Day, Ultra Violet, Seven Swords, Dragon Heart, Gladiator, and Shanghai Knights (1) 0.5%
TheScapegoat

09-14-07, 02:26 AM
Final fight from PoTC1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VEMtZz-Vi4&NR=1), fantastically epic and has the best line of the series if not ever.

Captain Jack: "Well, yes mate. See, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you need to watch out for, because you never know when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid."

Though admittedly the series has tons of fantastic lines.
Otto the Bugbear

09-14-07, 12:28 PM
I’m not going to put a single favorite, as I like many of these for different reasons. This is just a list in no particular order.

Princess Bride
Obi-Wan v. Anakin/Darth in Episode III
Obi-Wan / QuiGon v. Darth Maul in Episode I
Conan v. Rexor
Uma v. Lucy in Kill Bill I
Uma v. Darryl in Kill Bill II
Captain Jack v. Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribean I
Highlander duel on the Boston Common
Three Musketeers (several fights; Disney)
Tristan v. Cerdic (the Saxon) in King Arthur
Achillies v. Hector in Troy
Antonio v. the Bad Guy (name?) in Mask of Zorro
Liam v. Tim in Rob Roy
Last Samurai when he fights unarmed v. the assassins (well, to start the fight anyway) and when ninja attack during the stage performance
300
Braveheart
Maximus v. Tigris in Gladiator
Maximus v. Ceasar in Gladiator
King Arthur v. Black Knight in Holy Grail
Lancelot v. the Wedding in Holy Grail
Jackie Chan (ok, not sword fights, but ladder, rope, duct tape, yogurt container, etc.)
Aragorn v. Uruk-Hai in Fellowship of the Rings


And one I’m really surprised hasn’t been mentioned yet…

Chingachgook v. Magua in Last of the Mohicans
VulcanStormwrath

09-14-07, 03:56 PM
I’m not going to put a single favorite, as I like many of these for different reasons. This is just a list in no particular order.

Last Samurai when he fights unarmed v. the assassins (well, to start the fight anyway) and when ninja attack during the stage performance


I actually reference this when I'm teaching my sword class to my students. It's the best movie mainsteram application of the No Mind concept in combat that I've seen and it gives them all a great understanding of it.
Ace_of_time

09-14-07, 04:00 PM
How about the ones in Musketeer? :DI would have to say this one too. The ladder scene was the best I have seen. Also the chronicle of Ridick at the end of the movie.
Nytmare

09-14-07, 04:36 PM
I might be misremembering, but weren't all the fights scenes in The Musketeer stolen part and parcel from various Jackie Chan films?
Escef

09-14-07, 04:55 PM
I might be misremembering, but weren't all the fights scenes in The Musketeer stolen part and parcel from various Jackie Chan films?

Wouldn't surprise me, Disney is known for presentation, not originality.
Passivearmada

09-14-07, 05:33 PM
I actually reference this when I'm teaching my sword class to my students. It's the best movie mainsteram application of the No Mind concept in combat that I've seen and it gives them all a great understanding of it.

I'm not wuite sure what you're saying- is it that you should lose yourself and rely completely on instinct during combat?
Ace_of_time

09-14-07, 07:16 PM
I might be misremembering, but weren't all the fights scenes in The Musketeer stolen part and parcel from various Jackie Chan films?
They combined western style combat with Asian fight style. I think they had the same fight coordinators. I like how it show the balance checks during combat instead of it looking perfect like most fight scenes. The musketeer was not a Disney film. That was the three musketeer. Two Different films.
chuff80

09-14-07, 07:45 PM
I can't believe no one has mentioned the last fight in The Scarlet Pimpernel (the newer one, not the old B&W one). Great fencing.

I also happen to like the fight in First Knight between Mordegan and Lancelot, back when Richard Gere wasn't old.
VulcanStormwrath

09-14-07, 08:31 PM
I'm not wuite sure what you're saying- is it that you should lose yourself and rely completely on instinct during combat?

At the moment before the attack, Algren whispers to himself "No Mind" and sets into a fighting stance.

The principle of No Mind is that the body is trained to respond automatically. Our conscious thoughts often get in the way as we second guess our reactive instincts to make decisions. The No Mind principle is the act of turning off conscious thought in order to allow the body to do what it does best. React. The subconscious mind monitors the action and replays the details in the back ground after the crisis allowing the mind to note errors or details, such at the one person he didn't mortally wound, in order to prepare for any subsequent out come, or rectify any mistakes.
MacrossSD

09-14-07, 08:49 PM
1) as others have said, the final duel between Robin Hood (Erroll Flynn) and Sir Guy d'Guisbourne (Basil Rathbone) in "The Adventures of Robin Hood. (As a little known fact, of all the sword-fighting actors in Hollywood, Basil Rathbone was by far the best among them for the time -- in competition, he could have easily beaten any of his co-stars. Sadly, he was allowed to win only one on-screen fight.)
2) The duels between Zorro/Don Diego Vega (Tyrone Power) and Capitaine Esteban Pasquale (the aforementioned Rathbone) in "The Mark of Zorro"
3) The duel between Sanjuro Kuwabatake and the thugs at the beginning of "Yojimbo"
4) The fight between Lupin III and the Count of Cagliostro in "Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro" (so, only the Count was using a sword, and Lupin was using a big wrench. sue me... :P)
5) The fight between "Red" Ned Lynch (Robert Shaw) and Governor Durant (Peter Boyle -- yes, that Peter Boyle) in "Swashbuckler"
6) again, as mentioned, the duel between The Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) and Inigio Montoya (Mandy Pantinkin) in "the Princess Bride"
Honorable Mention) The duel between Char Aznable and Amuro Rey in the final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam
bloodtalon

09-14-07, 08:54 PM
CONAN THE DESTROYER towards the end conan vs, bambatoo (spelled wrong) played by wilt chamberlian that mace vs the bastard sword.

SERENITY no swords but a nice fight River in the bar cleaning house and then kicks Jane's butt.
Ace_of_time

09-14-07, 09:19 PM
What about Robin Hood: men in tights?
Mandarbgrim

09-14-07, 09:24 PM
Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford and nameless Whirling Dervish. I'm sure some will protest that it doesn't qualify, but seems to be the best demonstration of a realistic swordfight in the 20th century.

I really want to watch Yojimbo. I'm waiting to find it on the cheap.
JasonOrlandoHawk

09-14-07, 09:33 PM
All time favorite:

Leonardo vs. Raphael in TMNT (That movie rocked for more reasons than I can possibly list, but that fight scene made TMNT my favorite movie last year.)
snakeman830

09-14-07, 10:44 PM
Best sword fights?

Ignoring human capabilities (but still amazingly follwing the laws of physics until Omnislash): Got to be FFVII Advent Children. Those fights were amazing.

More realistic: Any lightsaber fights from Star Wars episodes 1-3. Definitley Pirates of the Caribbean for staging to make the fights more amazing.

Rush Hour 3 has a pretty good sword fight as well.
Relic

09-15-07, 09:20 AM
Don't recall the names... but the fight scene in Fearless where Jet Li is using the three-piece-rod vs. the katana-wielding samurai. That is the most memorable fight scene in the movie to me and showed how diverse the three-piece-rod really is.

Big Trouble in Little China should probably get mentioned just for entertainment value of the sword-fighting scenes in the movie.
FnordBear

09-15-07, 10:10 AM
Surprised no one has mentioned Brotherhood of the Wolf

The fight with a dual shortsword wielding angry frenchman vs. a creepy insane angry frenchman with a sword/whip/unrealistic exotic weapon was absolutely win.
Otto the Bugbear

09-16-07, 07:58 AM
Count of Monte Cristo didn't get a mention either...