# Movie with the best sword fight/s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790 "2002-07-01T06:16:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/1 "2002-07-01T06:16:52Z")
Pardon me for posting, but I was wondering…could anyone here suggest any movies in particular that have good examples of sword fights? And by “good” I mean technically realistic and well filmed, not just “beautiful people” swatting at each other with rejects from the Franklin Mint Fantasy Sword Collection. Any fencers here with a suggestion or two? Well, thanks for your time, Ranchoth (I’m guessing that _Red Sonja_ isn’t going to be very high on anyone’s list) ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/2 "2002-07-01T07:49:22Z")
For an excellent combination of “technically realistic” and “artfully done” (in addition to being cool as hell), I consider the best sword fight in movie history to be in _The Princess Bride_, for the fight between Wesley and Inigo. Two master swordsmen, who have nothing but respect for each other, going at it, playing as fair as possible. Plus, the dual use of the “I am not left-handed” bit was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/3 "2002-07-01T08:11:42Z")
Another great one is an oldie called “Scaramouche” with Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer. It has one of the longest, and most technically perfect sword duels on film, and it’s a pretty entertaining movie to boot. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/4 "2002-07-01T08:13:31Z")
[“The Duellists”](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0075968) , by Ridley Scott, come to mind… ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/5 "2002-07-01T08:14:19Z")
INAFencer but… _The Duellists_ starring Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. Gritty, believeable sword fight when the two first fight. Brutal and exhausting. Their other duels involve a charge on horseback, and pistols, a good film worth seeking out. _Sunshine_ with Ralph Fiennes. One of the characters he plays is an Olympic fencer, I don’t know how well the fencing scenes are done from a realism standpoint, but I did find them exciting and tension filled. If you want lots of brutal, well choreographed swordplay, try the _Lone Wolf And Cub_ series of films from Japan. One man against many in most of the fights, but very well done, and fun to watch. Warning: lots of over the top, gory violence in these six movies. Cartoonishly so in some of the later movies, not for the squemish or easily offended. There was a pretty good thread about swordfights several months ago, with lots of suggestions, you might try a search for it. ---
**Author:** ![RZA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@RZA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RZA)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/6 "2002-07-01T08:25:08Z")
One time when we were really drunk, me and my friend had a penis swordfight. Basically this consisted of us pulling out our erect penises and dueling with thim. What can I say, I was 14. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/7 "2002-07-01T10:07:53Z")
“What can I say, I was 14.” Was that age or length? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/8 "2002-07-01T10:32:34Z")
- The Adventures of Robin Hood. \* Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/9 "2002-07-01T10:36:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bifar \* > \*\*\* The Adventures of Robin Hood. \* Nuff said. \*\* **Not** enough said. The version starring Errol Flynn. With Basil Rathbone as the Sherrif of Nottingham. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/10 "2002-07-01T10:37:33Z")
Look out for Basil Rathbone, in _The Adventures of Robin Hood_ and _The Mark of Zorro_. (Actually, look out for Basil Rathbone in just about anything - but these two are most certainly relevant to the OP). And, then, there’s always _The Court Jester_… ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/11 "2002-07-01T11:41:17Z")
**The Yakuza** (1975, Robert Mitchum) and **The Challenge** (1982 Scott Glenn, Toshiro Mifune), both have excellent katana fights at the end. Don’t know if they are realistic, but they are both damn good. Also, fair enough crack about **Red Sonja** , but **Conan The Barbarian** has some gorgeously-filmed sequences in it, particularly the Battle of the Mounds. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/12 "2002-07-01T12:13:14Z")
**Versus** has some pretty interesting sword fights, especially the final duel. Both the swords are a little hokey, but to see one guy swinging around a six foot long sword with such ease is rather impressive. **Duel** , a Japanese kung-fu movie has a rather impressive one as well. Typical wire fu, yes, but there’s an interesting bit where, after jumping 100 feet in the air and battling all the way, the two fighters place their swords under their feet and use them as springboards to _jump even higher_\*. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/13 "2002-07-01T12:44:48Z")
As a former fencing instructor, I want to echo what has been said about **The Adventures of Robin Hood** definitely (the fight up the staircase has to be one of the best), but I also want to add my applause to **The Princess Bride** and **Scaramouche**. But let me mention another Basil Rathbone and Errol Flynn vehicle, **Captain Blood** (especially the scene where Rathbone and Flynn fight to the death on the beach - not the longest on record, but very good). I’ve often felt that perhaps two of the most realistic fencing scenes ever done were **The Duelists** as has been mentioned before and Zefferelli’s **Romeo and Juliet** in the fight scenes between Mercutio and Tybalt and then Romeo and Tybalt. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/14 "2002-07-01T13:06:07Z")
No-one’s mentioned the sword scenes in _ **Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon** _ yet? I’m not a fan of martial arts movies, but thems some stunning movie sequences. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/15 "2002-07-01T13:29:07Z")
I thought the sword fights in _ **Rob Roy** _ were the best I’d ever seen! ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/16 "2002-07-01T13:36:24Z")
eh, Star Wars? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/17 "2002-07-01T14:03:04Z")
**Rob Roy** ’s fights were well done, accurate, and really showed the disadvantage a broadsword (or Clay Beg, in this case) fighter had when facing a rapier fencer. Eh, other’s have already said better than I can about the other excellent movies. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/18 "2002-07-01T15:18:27Z")
I’ve always thought **Prince Valiant** had a great sword fight between James Mason and Robert Wagner. This was made in the 1950s. It looked like they were really trying to kill each other. You can hear them breathing hard and there’s no music to get in the way. When they drop their shields and Prince Valiant attacks with his Singing Sword, it sure looks real. ---
**Author:** ![Maci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Maci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maci)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/19 "2002-07-01T15:41:52Z")
I vote for the 70’s version of **The Three Musketeers** and its sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790/20 "2002-07-01T15:59:01Z")
The duel of the fates in Phantom Menace. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-with-the-best-sword-fight-s/116790.md?page=2)