# Best Sword (Or any weapon type) Fights ever?



## Upper_Krust (Sep 19, 2005)

Hi all! 

I finally got to see the movie Troy last night and I must admit I was very impressed by the fight choreography in general, particularly in the scense with Achilles.

It would be great to see that calibre of fight choreography applied to a future D&D movie - one area of Wrath of the Dragon God that I felt let down in was the fight choreography. Surely fight choreographers are not expensive...are they?

So I am just wondering, what movies have great fight scenes in them. If you need to sub-categories, I am thinking:

1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.
2. Favourite Skirmish.
3. Favourite Battle Scene.

My choices:

1. Achilles vs. Hector (Troy)
2. Assault on the Temple of the Blood God (Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain)
3. (Return of the King) The big battle near the end of the movie.

There are probably others I am forgetting at the moment, so I might change or add to the above list.


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## sniffles (Sep 19, 2005)

For the "big battle near the end of the movie" in ROTK, I think you're referring to the battle of Pelennor Field, which is also one of my favorites for a big battle scene.   

Favorite one-on-one fight: Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen, the first fight in "Hero".

Skirmish: The "laundry" duel in "The Three Musketeers" (the 1974 version, starring Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed & Michael York).


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## Endur (Sep 19, 2005)

ROTK and Gladiator have great fights.  

From older movies, you have Spartacus and various Errol Flynn and Kirk Douglas movies from the 40's-60's.


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## Dreeble (Sep 19, 2005)

Heya:

 I liked the fight between Jackie Chan's character and the dual wielding sword guy in Shanghai Knights.  I'm no expert on swordfighting, but I thought the choreography of that fight was well done.  The two swords guy's movements looked graceful and effective.  Also, it really felt like a two swords style, and not a sword-and-parrying-dagger style, if you know what I mean.

Take care,
Dreeble


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## Staffan (Sep 19, 2005)

I'm not sure it's the best fight scene in the history of ever, but Inigo Montoya vs. the Man in Black is certainly one of the best.


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## KenM (Sep 19, 2005)

1. Samwise Gamgee vs. Shelob in The Retrun of the King. 
2. The fight in Balian's (SP?) tome in Fellowship of the Ring.
3. Seige of Minas Tirath(SP?) in The Return of the King.


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## Wombat (Sep 19, 2005)

For sheer length of performance there is _Scaramouche_, which I believe still holds the record for the longest single sword duel in cinematic history

I love most of the Errol Flynn duels, simply because they are so much fun!  

The sword fights in the _Three & Four Musketeers_ are a joy to watch; ditto for _The Princess Bride_.  I also enjoy the fights in _The Duellists_

For big battles, one cannot go far wrong with some of the big scenes by Kurasawa (especially in _Kagemusha_) or the larger battles in _The Lord of the Rings_.

The best?  I dunno.  I just love to watch a good sword fight; I'd be hard pressed to choose a "best"


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## Tarrasque Wrangler (Sep 20, 2005)

One-on-one (well, two-on-one in this case): Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode 1.  'Nuff said.

Skirmish: Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) vs. a whole crapload of gun-wielding baddies in the teahouse scene at the beginning of Hard Boiled.

Battle: A lot of people are going for Pellenor Fields in RotK, but I'm going to give this one to the Battle of Helm's Deep in TTT.  That one had some serious drama, a more rousing (and less "deus ex machina") victory, and a scale that was a little easier for the viewer to follow.


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## Lazybones (Sep 20, 2005)

Staffan said:
			
		

> I'm not sure it's the best fight scene in the history of ever, but Inigo Montoya vs. the Man in Black is certainly one of the best.



Rats, beat me to it. 

"I'm not left handed either."


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## BluWolf (Sep 20, 2005)

Absolutely Inigo & & Wesley. Great fight.

I have not wathed it in while but the young girl that is Jade Fox in "CTHD" and all the guys in the Tea house.

That was just awesome.


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## Aris Dragonborn (Sep 20, 2005)

One-on-One: Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Anakin Skywalker, Revenge of the Sith.

Skirmish: Neo vs. Agent Smiths, Matrix Reloaded.

Battle: It's a tie for me. I was gonna go with the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in Return of the King, but Tarrasque Wrangler has reminded me of the awesomeness that is the Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers.


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## CCamfield (Sep 20, 2005)

I'm just going to give my $0.02 on one-on-one fights.

Swordfights:

I'd actually have to pick the fight in the forge in Pirates of the Caribbean.  A beautiful merger of fencing and Hong Kong style stunts and changing conditions.


General fighting:

One on one, it would have to be one of the fights in Fist of Legend (w. Jet Li).  The one in which he fights against the karateka in the wind, possibly, or his final match against the general.


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## Cthulhudrew (Sep 20, 2005)

Not a swordfight per se, but to me, one of the most standout skirmishes between swordsmen is in Braveheart, when the Scots charge into combat against the English army. Brutal and probably just about exactly how such things went- no finesse or skill involved (nor room or time to do so)- just charge at the enemy, swing and hack at whatever is around you, hopefully make it to the other side, then charge back in again. Whoever's got the most men standing at the end wins.


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## Dracomeander (Sep 20, 2005)

I have to flip a coin to decide which duel I like better. The forge fight in Pirates of the Carribean or Inigo vs. Wesley in Princess Bride. Both of them draw my whole attention no matter how many times I've seen them.

My favorite skirmish scene has to be Hawkeye's run through the Redcoats in Last of the Mohicans

The Battle for Helm's Deep is definitely my pick of the LotR battle scenes, but my vote has to go to the Battle of Mount Badon at the end of King Arthur.


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## Testament (Sep 20, 2005)

BluWolf said:
			
		

> I have not wathed it in while but the young girl that is Jade Fox in "CTHD" and all the guys in the Tea house.




Just a nitpick, Jen was Fox's student, not Jade Fox herself.  All the same, that is an awesome fight scene, although I think the fights in Hero are better, particularly the opening duel between Nameless and Cloud, and Snow and Moon's battle in the garden.


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## Joker (Sep 20, 2005)

Wombat said:
			
		

> For big battles, one cannot go far wrong with some of the big scenes by Kurasawa (especially in _Kagemusha_) or the larger battles in _The Lord of the Rings_.




Also, Seven Samurai had a couple of good sword scenes, especially the one in the beginning that was done in slow-mo.

Kitano's Zatoichi is just freaking awesome.  If I'm not mistaken (and I'm not) throughout the whole movie only one person blocks an attack by Zatoichi.  But the next blow he dies.  Quick and easy.

That one scene in Disney's the Lion King where Mustafa is training his son Simba to fight with with a Holy Avenger (a wooden training version) is...mind-boggling.  It's a long-ass fight (about 25 minutes) but the moves and special effects are spectular.

"Dad, you're too fast and too strong."
"Do you think that in this place my muscles determine how fast and how strong I am?  Hmm?"
"Aah, I see.  There is no Pumbaa."

The Twilight Samurai has only two fight scenes but they're quite intense.


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## Hand of Evil (Sep 20, 2005)

There are a lot of ANIME and Asian Action Flick movie fights that are outstanding but the best mainstream has to be Inigo vs. Wesley in Princess Bride, this was great because of the dilog of the characters, the fight in Pirates of the Carribean looks to have been formed along the same lines.  

Die Hard and Predator were great on-going fights and hold special places in my heart.


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## Sado (Sep 20, 2005)

I'll have to think about the best battle and skirmish, but the duel at the end of _Rob Roy _ is my all time favorite one-on-one.


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## Steverooo (Sep 20, 2005)

This is in a more comedic vein, but I love the swordfight near the end of Court Jester, where Danny Kaye's character is under the _Suggestion_ that he is the greatest swordsman in the world, but comes out of it every time he (or someone else) snaps his/their fingers!  Hilarious!  DK is quite an actor, and can make you believe that his character is an expert swordsman AND a bumbling Bard, switching from one roll to the other at the snap of a finger! 

And who could forget the attack of the midgets, from the same movie?!?    Now THAT was a skirmish!


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Sep 20, 2005)

Well I am torn so I'll just say my favorites. 
(the first assume that laser swords count)
Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader - The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi
Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan Kenobi - Revenge Of The Sith
The first large army clash in Braveheart, so many excellent shots in that one. 
The often noted duel in Princess Bride.
The Shaoulin Monk wailng on the thugs with an umbrella in Iron Monkey
The battle in Moria in FOTR, easily my favorite fight in the LOTR flicks. 
Bruce Lee cleaning house with his 'chucks in Enter the Dragon


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## John Crichton (Sep 20, 2005)

If we are talking pure visuals here are the ones I can think of (please note that I started this post late last night, fell asleep and am finishing it now.  Sorry for the duplicates).

*One-on-One*

Swords
- Inigo Montoya vs. the Man in Black (The Princess Bride)
- Grégoire de Fronsac vs. Jean-François de Morangias (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
- Rob Roy vs. Archibald Cunningham (Rob Roy)
- Buffy vs. Angel (Buffy - Season 2, "Becoming, Part 2) - Not the best visuals but it was a powerful fight with much on the line.
- Maximus vs. 6 gladiators (Gladiator)

Lightsabers
- Qui-Gon & Obi-wan vs. Darth Maul (The Phantom Menace)
- Yoda vs. Count Dooku (Attack of the Clones)

Misc
- Hulk vs the US Army (The Hulk)
- Wolverine vs. Lady Deathstrike (X-men 2)
- Obi-wan vs. General Grievous (Revenge of the Sith)
- Spider-man vs Doctor Octopus on the Skyscraper/Train (Spider-man 2)
- Mani vs. the Brigands in the rain (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
- Neo vs. Agent Smith on the subway platform (The Matrix)


*Skirmishes*

- The Jedi & Clone Troopers arrive to rescue Obi-wan, Anakin & Padme at the arena on Geonosis (Attack of the Clones)
- John and Jane Smith vs. their former employers (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
- Vampires & Reapers battle in the sewers (Blade II)
- The Incredibles vs. Syndrome's Hi-Tech Goons on Syndrome's Island (The Incredibles)
- Samonoske vs. the Army of the Dead (Opening sequence of videogame Omnimusha 3)
- Fellowship of the Ring vs. the Orcs/Cave Troll (Fellowship of the Ring)
- Jen Yu vs. the patrons of the Tea House (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)
- Tequila vs. the assassins at the Tea House (Hard Boiled)


*Battle Scenes*

Medieval/Fantasy
- Army of William Walace vs. Longshanks English Forces at the Battle of Sterling (Braveheart)
- Battle of Pelennor Fields (Return of the King)
- Roman Army vs. Germanic Tribes (Gladiator)
- The defenders of Zion vs. the Squiddies (The Matrix: Revolutions)
- The combined Starfleet/Klingon Fleet vs. The Cardassian/Dominion Fleet takes back DS9 (Deep Space Nine - Season 6, "Sacrifice of Angels")

Modern
- The Bank Robbery (Heat)


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 20, 2005)

1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.

I see alot of people mentioning the Indigo v. Wesley fight in the Princess Bride but only one other person mentioning Stewart Granger v. Mel Ferrer in Scaramouche? That's a bloody shame. 

2. Favourite Skirmish.

I don't even know if this counts as a Skirmish shince it's one guy against many but again a largely overlooked effort becasue alot of people didint care for the movie as a whole is the chateau fight in MATRIX RELOADED. Neo vs. a bunch of other programs who actually PRESS Neo during the course of the fight. Multiple weaopns, fighting from the bottom of the grand staricase, on the staircase itself, the top of the staircase and back down to the bottom again. For my money it's the best fight in the movie style wise easily outclassing the much lauded Burly Brawl (Neo vs. 100 Smiths). 


3. Favourite Battle Scene.

Large Scale battles really don't do it for me, BUT the Battle of Pelanor Fields in RETURN OF THE KING was really rousing.


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## John Crichton (Sep 20, 2005)

ShinHakkaider said:
			
		

> 1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.
> 
> I see alot of people mentioning the Indigo v. Wesley fight in the Princess Bride but only one other person mentioning Stewart Granger v. Mel Ferrer in Scaramouche? That's a bloody shame.



 Never seen the film.  I'll have to remedy that.


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## comrade raoul (Sep 20, 2005)

It's not as famous, but the single best fight scene in any movie I've ever seen was the extended spear duel between Toshiro Mifune and (I think) Susumu Fujita in _The Hidden Fortress_, the movie Lucas famously ripped off for _Star Wars_. Watch it; you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.


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## iwatt (Sep 20, 2005)

Sado said:
			
		

> I'll have to think about the best battle and skirmish, but the duel at the end of _Rob Roy _ is my all time favorite one-on-one.




I really like this fight as well, because of the cool ending. Talk about winning by shear stubborness   

But it really isn't that great of a fight scene (talking about the coreography here).

Same thing with Iñigo and Wesley's duel. Great lines, but not really a great sword fight (once agian talking about the battle coreography).

The two swordfights mentioned are among my favorite sword fight scenes, but I think the OP was talking about the fight itself. I'd have to agree with him that the Achilles/Hector duel was very well done.


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## Arnwyn (Sep 20, 2005)

Upper_Krust said:
			
		

> 1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.
> 2. Favourite Skirmish.
> 3. Favourite Battle Scene.



For me:

1. House of Flying Daggers
2. House of Flying Daggers
3. Return of the King


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## Zander (Sep 20, 2005)

Upper_Krust said:
			
		

> 1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.
> 2. Favourite Skirmish.
> 3. Favourite Battle Scene.



Hello, Krusty!   

1. The two women (I don't know their names: Yu Shu Lien & Jen Yu?) in _Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon_
2. Maximus and his men vs the charioteers in _Gladiator_
3. Battle of Sterling in _Braveheart_


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## Quasqueton (Sep 20, 2005)

This may sound like I'm kidding, but I love this scene:

Indiana Jones vs. the black-clad, tulwar-wielding thug.

[look of impatience, draw pistol] BLAM! [holster pistol, continue looking for Miriam]


"Scaramouche" -- any relationship at all between this movie title and the strange word Queen sings in _Bohemian Rhapsody_?


I once saw a short (maybe 10 minutes) film showing the "greatest" gunfights of Hollywood Westerns. It was several scenes edited together, with just a couple seconds before the draw - the exchange of fire - the bodies falling. That was pretty cool. It was also about 15 years ago.

It would be amazingly cool to see something like that again -- greatest gunfights, greatest swordfights, etc. Just a couple hours of straight fight action scenes. I've thought of doing such a thing for my own viewing, but I really don't have an editing system for doing it.

Quasqueton


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## Black Omega (Sep 20, 2005)

Now this is a tough one.  For one on ones:

The sword fight at the end of House of Flying Daggers, if only because alot of wire fu is about being graceful and beautiful.  This duel was about two guys trying very hard to cut each other to ribbons with little thought to self preservation.  Without Mei getting involved I doubt either character would have lived through it.

Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune) against General Tadokoro (Susumu Fujita) in Hidden Fortress.  Not only a great duel but the only I've seen with Japanese spear against spear.  Add in use of surroundings for seaoning.  Very good.

Tyrone Powers v. Basil Rathbone in the Mark of Zorro.  The first time I watched a sword fight on screen and thought "Hey, that guy (Rathbone) really knows how to use a sword."

There are plenty of others I'll give honorary mention to.

Just for Misc:  Favorite unarmed fight scene, Jackie Chan v. Benny Urquidez in Dragons Forever.


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## arnon (Sep 20, 2005)

For one on one I have to say both Westly and Inigo (Princess Bride) and the Forge fight in Pirates of the Carribean.

As for Large battles... can't go wrong with Two Towers and Rotk.


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 20, 2005)

Black Omega said:
			
		

> There are plenty of others I'll give honorary mention to.
> 
> Just for Misc:  Favorite unarmed fight scene, Jackie Chan v. Benny Urquidez in Dragons Forever.




That was a good one but I liked the fight between them in Wheels on Meals better.


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## jester47 (Sep 20, 2005)

Idigo vs. Wesley
The fight with Hafdan the Black in Erik the Viking
The Battle of Pellanor Fields


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## Templetroll (Sep 20, 2005)

Steverooo said:
			
		

> This is in a more comedic vein, but I love the swordfight near the end of Court Jester, where Danny Kaye's character is under the _Suggestion_ that he is the greatest swordsman in the world, but comes out of it every time he (or someone else) snaps his/their fingers!  Hilarious!  DK is quite an actor, and can make you believe that his character is an expert swordsman AND a bumbling Bard, switching from one roll to the other at the snap of a finger!
> 
> And who could forget the attack of the midgets, from the same movie?!?    Now THAT was a skirmish!




From the IMDB



> Basil Rathbone was a world-class fencer and it was due to his efforts that the hilarious fencing scene was filmed without injury. He later admitted that several times he was almost skewered by Danny Kaye's sword.
> 
> 
> But then again... In the famous "snapping" swordfight between Kaye and Rathbone, Kaye's sword movements were too fast for Rathbone, as he was 63 at the time of filming. The film's fight choreographer dressed up as Rathbone's character and was filmed from behind for the fast sections. If you look, you can see that most of the fight consists of "Rathbone" from the back, then shots of the real Rathbone standing "en garde".





Alos, that movie has Alan Napier (Alfred, Batman tv show) John Carradine, Angela Lansbury when she was a babe!


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## Henry (Sep 20, 2005)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> "Scaramouche" -- any relationship at all between this movie title and the strange word Queen sings in _Bohemian Rhapsody_?




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaramouche - This covers it pretty well.

Star Wars Ep3 (Obi-Wan and Anakin) was the best in recent memory. Inigo and Wesley come a close second, though Episode 1's three-way fight with Obi-wan, Darth Maul, and Gui-gon deserves an honorable mention.


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## Cthulhudrew (Sep 20, 2005)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> This may sound like I'm kidding, but I love this scene:
> 
> Indiana Jones vs. the black-clad, tulwar-wielding thug.
> 
> [look of impatience, draw pistol] BLAM! [holster pistol, continue looking for Miriam]




It's a pretty well known story by now, but originally this was supposed to be a drawn out sword battle. It got cut short because that day Harrison Ford had the runs really bad, and didn't want to be shooting a lot, so someone suggested to Spielberg that "Indy's got a gun, why doesn't he just shoot the guy?" The rest is history.


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## John Q. Mayhem (Sep 21, 2005)

One-on-one: Inigo and Wesley, the aforementioned Court Jester fight, the dojo fight between the girls in CTHD.

Skirmish: Benjamin Martin and his young sons rescuing his oldest son from the Redcoats (in The Patriot); the younger girl vs. the teahouse in CTHD is a distant second.

Battle: Can't decide


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## Greylock (Sep 21, 2005)

My second favorite sword fight of all time is Inigo vs. Wesley.

Probably third on my list is Tyrone Power vs. Basil Rathbone in The Mark of Zorro.

But top of the list can't be beat, IMHO: Errol Flynn vs. David Niven in Captain Blood.


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## Warmaster_Horus (Sep 21, 2005)

One on One Fight: Hmm... One on one fights are tricky since there are so many good ones out there.... I guess my favorite has to be the lightsaber fight with Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader from Return of the Jedi. I dont really like acrobatics in swordfights and the saber figts from the original trilogy were   better than the ones in the prequels just because of that reason.

Skirmish: Favorite one has to be the Battle of the Mound from Conan the Barbarian. (best Fantasy movie ever IMO)

Battle Scene: Hmm... Can't really decide... Don't have many that pop to my mind. But I guess it has to be the Omaha Beach landing from Saving Private Ryan.


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## cignus_pfaccari (Sep 21, 2005)

A few that I like that have been missed:

_Dark City_, John Murdoch vs. the Stranger leader.

_Bram Stroker's Dracula_, the chase into the castle at the very end.

_Gettysburg_, Little Round Top.

_Star Trek: Nemesis_, the Enterprise vs. the (whatever that ship was named).  That's one of the best space combat scenes I've seen, ever.  The other being Enterprise vs. the Reliant in _Wrath of Khan_.

I do agree that the duel between Achilles and Hector in _Troy_ was very good, and was the high point of the movie.  Hector was so outmatched, it wasn't funny.

Brad


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## Welverin (Sep 21, 2005)

Upper_Krust said:
			
		

> 1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.




Tough, something from a SW or Matrix movie.



> 2. Favourite Skirmish.




The Chateau fight in the Matrix Reloaded.



> 3. Favourite Battle Scene.




THis is a hard one, but I'll mention the Battle of Geonosis for now and maybe come back to it.



			
				John Crichton said:
			
		

> - The defenders of Zion vs. the Squiddies (The Matrix: Revolutions)




Oddly, my least favorite part of the entire series, well other than the dance scene in Reloaded.

Spoeaking of which, have you gotten around to watching all three movies yet?



> - The combined Starfleet/Klingon Fleet vs. The Cardassian/Dominion Fleet takes back DS9 (Deep Space Nine - Season 6, "Sacrifice of Angels")




Ooo, good one.


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## Upper_Krust (Sep 21, 2005)

Hey there! 



			
				cignus_pfaccari said:
			
		

> _Star Trek: Nemesis_, the Enterprise vs. the (whatever that ship was named).  That's one of the best space combat scenes I've seen, ever.  The other being Enterprise vs. the Reliant in _Wrath of Khan_.




Star Trek: Nemesis - are you kidding me!?

Read this pictorial:

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Nemesis/Pictorial.html



			
				cignus_pfaccari said:
			
		

> I do agree that the duel between Achilles and Hector in _Troy_ was very good, and was the high point of the movie.  Hector was so outmatched, it wasn't funny.




Achilles was definately epic level.


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## barsoomcore (Sep 21, 2005)

Couple of unmentioned ones:

Jackie Chan and Lau Kar-Leung against a few hundred axe-wielding thugs in _Drunken Master II_

Wait, EVERYTHING in _Drunken Master II_

There's a movie with Kitano Takeshi called _Taboo_ that opens with a practice swordfight (using wooden swords) that is just stomp-down amazing. Worth tracking down if you're a swordfight fan.

The climactic battle in the bad guys' house at the end of _A Bullet In The Head II_. Holy crap.

The big shoot-out at Sidney's house in _The Killer_.

Jackie versus the town guards in _Young Master_. And the final fight in that movie is a great one-on-one test of endurance.

Toshiro Mifune versus anyone.


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## barsoomcore (Sep 21, 2005)

Oh good grief. Has nobody mentioned _Kill Bill_? Not even ME?

Showdown At The House Of Blue Leaves kicks BUTT. And both the Bride versus Vernita Green and the Bride versus Elle Driver rank as two of the best one-on-one fights EVER. Man.

And I'm just going to shout out for a couple of Xena fights. There were plenty of crappy fights on that show, but Xena versus Ares in "The Furies" was big fun, and the ladder fight against Callisto is top-notch.


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## Staffan (Sep 21, 2005)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> - The combined Starfleet/Klingon Fleet vs. The Cardassian/Dominion Fleet takes back DS9 (Deep Space Nine - Season 6, "Sacrifice of Angels")



If you're going to include space battles, you can't leave out the defense of Babylon 5 in the middle of season 3, the episode "Shattered Dreams." Though in many ways, the strongest moment in that battle comes after the main battle itself is finished.


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 21, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> The climactic battle in the bad guys' house at the end of _A Bullet In The Head II_. Holy crap.




I think that youre thinking about A BETTER TOMORROW II. and yeah...DAMN.


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## Kahuna Burger (Sep 21, 2005)

A lot of people have mentioned Inigo vs Westly, but in many ways I'd take Inigo vs the Six Fingered Man. The former is more of a courtly duel, nice dialogue and some fancy flips but ultimately aniseptic. The latter is the fruition of decades of pain, a fight for life and honor with an incredibly brutal yet emotional finish.


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## merztrumpet (Sep 21, 2005)

Ryunosuke (versus many men) in Sword of Doom after being warned by a woman that there is an ambush up ahead the path. Touche on the last fight of the movie in a burning house.


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## mmu1 (Sep 21, 2005)

Well, since the thread seems to be going all over the place, and the original post did say any weapons...

How about Exley and White's "last stand" at the Victory Motel in L.A. Confidential?

Also, a lot of people are mentioning LotR, but no one brought up my personal favorite for a "smirmish" - the fight with the Uruk-Hai ending in Boromir's death. The look on Aragorn's face before he goes off to wade into a mob of orcs gets me every time...

Master and Commander had a great shipboard melee.

Pirates of the Carribbean Forge Fight definitely belongs somewhere on the list...

For one-on-one fights, I'd also mention several from the Bourne movies - the one in the first ending with the guy jumping out of the window, the incredibly nasty fight in the second involving anything from rolled-up newspaper to telephone cord, and finally the last "fight" using cars as weapons.


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## trancejeremy (Sep 21, 2005)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaah!

It's Westley. Westley! Westley!!!!!

Not Wesley, in the Princess Bride. (I know someone got it right, but most called him by the wrong name).


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## Kahuna Burger (Sep 21, 2005)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaah!
> 
> It's Westley. Westley! Westley!!!!!
> 
> Not Wesley, in the Princess Bride. (I know someone got it right, but most called him by the wrong name).



But who would win between a spaniard and an acting ensign?


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## barsoomcore (Sep 21, 2005)

ShinHakkaider said:
			
		

> I think that youre thinking about A BETTER TOMORROW II. and yeah...DAMN.



Doh! I sure am.

Oh, and also on _Sword of Doom_: Mifune against the rebel samurai when they accidentally attack his carriage.

But like I said, Mifune versus anyone.


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## CCamfield (Sep 21, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> My second favorite sword fight of all time is Inigo vs. Wesley.
> 
> Probably third on my list is Tyrone Power vs. Basil Rathbone in The Mark of Zorro.
> 
> But top of the list can't be beat, IMHO: Errol Flynn vs. David Niven in Captain Blood.




Actually that was _also_ Rathbone in Captain Blood.  He had real training in fencing so he got cast several times in villain roles for swashbucklers.


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## cignus_pfaccari (Sep 22, 2005)

Upper_Krust said:
			
		

> Hey there!
> 
> 
> 
> Star Trek: Nemesis - are you kidding me!?




Nope.  I rather thought that they put a lot of thought into the fight, like "how would you fight a warship you couldn't target?"  In that case, firing phasers wildly and then tossing a spread of torpedoes in the direction of anything the phaser hits works, at least for a while.



> Read this pictorial:
> 
> http://www.stardestroyer.net/Nemesis/Pictorial.html




Heh.  That was good.

I'm limiting my praise to the fight between the Scimitar and the Enterprise-E.  The plot was, um, shaky at best.  

Brad


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## cignus_pfaccari (Sep 22, 2005)

mmu1 said:
			
		

> Also, a lot of people are mentioning LotR, but no one brought up my personal favorite for a "skirmish" - the fight with the Uruk-Hai ending in Boromir's death. The look on Aragorn's face before he goes off to wade into a mob of orcs gets me every time...




I always thought that look was something along the lines of "Hey, XP I don't have to share with the rest of the party!"  

Actually, I like that scene, too.  I also like the Worg Rider attack on the Rohanese refugee column in TT; well, not the fight itself, but the two minute buildup to the fight.  There's lots of terror, chaos, and confusion, which made it seem a lot more real to me.

Brad


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## Mad Hatter (Sep 22, 2005)

Go-Go and the Bride.  I've heard that that particular fight scene was also in Battle ROyale.  The actress that played Go-Go was involved in that fight scene in Battle Royale.

My second favorite is the fight when Spock and Kirk were forced to fight ala Spartacus and his friend in the movie of the same name.  The Kirk-Spock scene was perfectly reproduced in the Cable Guy (which I also love).  I think on the special edition they parallel the two and show how Carrey and Broderick pretty much stay in time with the original.


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## Particle_Man (Sep 22, 2005)

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood vs. Sir Guy of Grisbane deserves mention, I think.

Glad to see mad props to the Kill Bill fights.  

For "brutal" fights, there is a nice one vs. many (with a hammer) scene in Old Boy (a very good but very very brutal movie), and two people just beating the crap out of each other for a long time and getting tired in They Live.


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## John Crichton (Sep 22, 2005)

Staffan said:
			
		

> If you're going to include space battles, you can't leave out the defense of Babylon 5 in the middle of season 3, the episode "Shattered Dreams." Though in many ways, the strongest moment in that battle comes after the main battle itself is finished.



I didn't include it for that reason.  Also, I watched the DVDs very recently for the first time and while the FX were great for their time, they weren't all that compelling visually viewing them now.  B5 was great because of the story and the characters.  Everything else was gravy.

But, yeah, if anything from B5 is to be mentioned (which I believe we just did  ) that would be the moment.


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## Greylock (Sep 22, 2005)

CCamfield said:
			
		

> Actually that was _also_ Rathbone in Captain Blood.  He had real training in fencing so he got cast several times in villain roles for swashbucklers.



Did I just fail an INT check? Is this what it feels like?

I haven't watched Captain Blood for a few years. I'm talking about the fight sequence on the beach.

The movie FINALLY made it to DVD. Maybe I should buy it.

Got Dawn Patrol on deh brain. That's the movie I've most recently seen.


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## John Crichton (Sep 22, 2005)

Kahuna Burger said:
			
		

> A lot of people have mentioned Inigo vs Westly, but in many ways I'd take Inigo vs the Six Fingered Man. The former is more of a courtly duel, nice dialogue and some fancy flips but ultimately aniseptic. The latter is the fruition of decades of pain, a fight for life and honor with an incredibly brutal yet emotional finish.



I'd agree the the second duel had all the emotion.  But the first one that everyone has mentioned has all the style and is ultimately more entertaining as that is when the movie really comes alive.


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## Frostmarrow (Sep 22, 2005)

*One on one*

_Last of The Mohicans_ - Chingachgook vs Magua

Sure, it's fast but also infinitely sad.

*Skirmish*

_Last Samurai _ - Samurai vs Ninjas

Ninjas are cool.

*Battle*

_Braveheart_ - Braveheart vs Longshanks

The way the two generals are outwitting and outplotting one another before the battle even begins is sublime.


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## Joker (Sep 22, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> There's a movie with Kitano Takeshi called _Taboo_ that opens with a practice swordfight (using wooden swords) that is just stomp-down amazing. Worth tracking down if you're a swordfight fan.




Or Gohatto for the purists .

Battle:

Starship Troopers-Landing on Klendathu and the Stronghold scene.


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## sniffles (Sep 23, 2005)

Welverin said:
			
		

> Tough, something from a SW or Matrix movie.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




You know, your comment about the Battle of Geonosis just make me think that the Clone Wars animated series has some really awesome battle scenes, considering it's all fairly streamlined animation. I particularly liked one in the second series (I think) with Mace Windu vs. a Trade Federation device that was basically a gigantic piston.


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## Acid_crash (Sep 23, 2005)

My favorite one-on-one fights comes up a tie:

Vader vs. Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, and the short duel but still cool-as-hell fight in Equilibrium at the end of the movie.

My favorite skirmish scene is from Braveheart, followed by the end battle in ROTK.


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## FnordBear (Sep 23, 2005)

Favorite Sword Fight:

Conner Mcleod vs. Kurgan at the end of the first Highlander movie.

Favorite Skirmish:

 The battle at the end of 13 Warrior. (THAT is how you face impossible odds.)

Favorite Big Battle:

The battle of Area 51 in Independance Day

Favorite "Unconvetional" Duel:

Buddy vs. Death in a sword swinging guitar duel. (Six String Samurai)

Favorite Gunfight:

Final duel at th end of Equalibrium

Favorite Space Battle (Mass):

The Battle of Endor

Favorite Space Battle (Ship on Ship):

The Tiger Claw vs. unamed Kilrathi destroyer in Wing Commander (GIVE THEM A BROADSIDE!)


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## Welverin (Sep 23, 2005)

sniffles said:
			
		

> You know, your comment about the Battle of Geonosis just make me think that the Clone Wars animated series has some really awesome battle scenes, considering it's all fairly streamlined animation. I particularly liked one in the second series (I think) with Mace Windu vs. a Trade Federation device that was basically a gigantic piston.




That would be vol 1, most of the action in the shorts was too over the top for my tastes, though I do vastly prefer how Grievous fights in them, than how he did in the movie.


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## Quasqueton (Sep 23, 2005)

cignus_pfaccari said:
			
		

> I do agree that the duel between Achilles and Hector in Troy was very good, and was the high point of the movie. Hector was so outmatched, it wasn't funny.



I thought they were pretty damn well matched. Hell, Hector even got through Achilles' defenses with a strike that was only stopped by Achilles' armor.

Don't you be dissing my man Hector. Errr.

Quasqueton


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## barsoomcore (Sep 23, 2005)

Joker said:
			
		

> Or Gohatto for the purists



WHERE "purists" = "Japanese People"





			
				FnordBear said:
			
		

> Favorite Gunfight: Final duel at th end of Equalibrium



Yeah, there were some GREAT fights in Equilibrium, though I thought the closing GUN BATTLE wasn't as good as the closing SWORDFIGHT against the circle of bad guys -- where he uses his sheared-sharp saya as a weapon! That was a lovely detail. The fight between Bale and Diggs with their practice swords was also really good. I really enjoyed that film.


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## The Josh (Sep 24, 2005)

one on one:
Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in Enter the Dragon.
Bruce Willis and Hans' brother in Die Hard. (now i have a machine gun, ho ho ho)
Porthos and "Big Ugly" in three musketeers.
DEFINATELY the bride vs. Go-Go in kill bill.
Eddie vs the Judge in who framed rodger rabbit

Skirmish:
The fight at the end of the man in the iron mask
Wolfverine  vs the swat looking dudes in x2
defending the bridge in saving private Ryan
Mad Martigan vs the princess guards (the one in the snow) from Willow
the "negotiation" in the fifth element
the train station fight in the untouchables

cant think of any others yet


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## Pants (Sep 24, 2005)

I cannot limit myself to one of each, so I'm deliberately breaking the rules. 



			
				Upper_Krust said:
			
		

> 1. Favourite One-on-one Fight.



My Favorite:
Wesley vs. Inigo Montoya - _The Princess Bride_

Honorable Mentions:
The Bride vs Elle Driver - _Kill Bill V. 2_
Gandalf vs the Balrog _Fellowship of the Ring_
Agent Smith vs Neo in the subway _The Matrix_
Achilles vs Hector - _Troy_
Luke vs Vader _Return of the Jedi_
Spike vs Vicious (both times) - _Cowboy Bebop_



> 2. Favourite Skirmish.



My Favorite:
The Battle of Amon Hen - _Fellowship of the Ring_

Honorable Mentions:
The Fight in Balin's Tomb - _Fellowship of the Ring_
90% of _Black Hawk Down_
Gutts vs the 100 Warriors - _Berserk_
Gutts and Griffith vs the Immortal Zod - _Berserk_
The Bride in the the House of Blue Leaves - _Kill Bill V. 1_
The Fight at the Castle Ruins in _Willow_
Indy vs the Nazis on the Trucks - _Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark_



> 3. Favourite Battle Scene.



Helm's Deep (no doubt at all) - _The Two Towers_

Honorable Mentions:
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields (with the fantastic charge of the Rohirrim) - _Return of the King_
The Battle over Endor - _Return of the Jedi_
The Defense of Hoth - _Empire Strikes Back_
D-Day - _Saving Private Ryan_
The Assault on Cardassia - _Deep Space Nine_, one of the very last episodes


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## Villano (Sep 24, 2005)

Some that others have mentioned:

Princess Bride 

Mark of Zorro 

Legend Of Drunken Master

A few to add:

Return Of The Jedi - The final battle between Luke and Vader is a favorite.

Sanjuro - The sequel to Yojimbo.  The duel between Sanjuro and the samurai at the end is over quickly, but still excellent. 

Gojoe - A rater excellent recent samurai movie.  A former mountain bandit turned monk goes to kill a mysterious demon that's killing a clan's samurai at a bridge.  There are two great battles.  The first is when three "demons" slaughter an army of samurai, and the second is when the monk faces off against the lead "demon" at the climax.  

Zatoichi, The Fugitive - One of my favorite films of all time.  The final battle between Zatoichi and the ronin at the end is brutal.  

If we are including gunfights, I'd have to say the battle in the bar in Desperado.


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## Dougal DeKree (Sep 24, 2005)

Darklone says:

I'm a little bit shocked, most proposals here come from movies made in the last 20 years... 

There's an old Zorro movie still in black and white where they fight in a belltower swinging on the bellropes, fencing wise this one tops any Princess Bride duel by magnitudes.

Kill Bill? That one was awful. There are too many scenes in the fights where it's simply too obvious that Uma Thurman can't fight, no matter how many effort the choreographer put into the work. She did a good job, but she's simply not a martial artist.

Gunfights? EQUILIBRIUM with Christopher Bale. Kung Fu plus guns.


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## The Josh (Sep 24, 2005)

one on one (i cant believe i forgot this one)
Castle vs. the Russian in the Punisher

a couple of good scirmishes in there too


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## Ferret (Sep 24, 2005)

I realy do like The Six fingered man fight, and the last time I saw it I found the One between Westley and Inigo boring. Ah, shoot me.

Spidey vs Doc Oc. No particular scene 

Final scene in Equilibrium.

Cave fight between Cap'in jack Sparrow and the other one.

Mostly anything from Samurai Jack.

Kung-fu fight scene on stilts, if anyone recognises the movie..... Also another one that don't remember, a fight scen where one guy hides against white sheets, the other against black.


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## Pants (Sep 25, 2005)

Dougal DeKree said:
			
		

> Kill Bill? That one was awful. There are too many scenes in the fights where it's simply too obvious that Uma Thurman can't fight, no matter how many effort the choreographer put into the work. She did a good job, but she's simply not a martial artist.



Bah, I thought they were cool.


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## barsoomcore (Sep 25, 2005)

Pants said:
			
		

> Bah, I thought they were cool.



That's because they WERE cool. I saw them. They were full of cool. And having taught dozens of people how to fight with a katana myself, I have to say Uma looked pretty good to me.


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## Hand of Evil (Sep 26, 2005)

Saw *The Court Jester * on TMC this weekend and have to say the combat between Danny Kaye and Basil Rathbone (sp) was great.


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## Hypersmurf (Sep 27, 2005)

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> And I'm just going to shout out for a couple of Xena fights. There were plenty of crappy fights on that show...




Oi!

-Hyp.


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## Black Omega (Sep 27, 2005)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> Saw *The Court Jester * on TMC this weekend and have to say the combat between Danny Kaye and Basil Rathbone (sp) was great.



Very fun fight, I agree.  I watched it also.  There are times it seems very likely a stuntman is fighting for Basil, mostly when you can only see his arm.  There were other times it was obvious Danny Kaye was swinging wildly and Basil was moving his sword into the way so it looked like he was blocking an attack.


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## WayneLigon (Sep 27, 2005)

One-on-One: Hmm. Either Qui-Gon and Darth Maul, or The Bride and O-rin from Kill Bill part 1. 

Skirmish: Musu the Warrior; this movie made me decide that someday, I will play someone who uses a long spear as his main weapon. The Bride vs The Crazy 88's. 

Battle: Any in LOTR.


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## DwelleroftheDeep (Sep 27, 2005)

My favorite sword fight has got to be the final battle in star wars episode 5, it's got amazing dialog and then there's the whole I am your father stuff.


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## Myridian (Sep 28, 2005)

Battle:
Heaven and Earth, the Japanese movie, not the vietnam war movie.
Massive battle at the end, blows away LotR
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099753/


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## Gunslinger (Sep 28, 2005)

skirmishes:

the opening fight in _Unleashed_
the gun battles at the end of _Face/Off_ and _The Professional_


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## Tinner (Sep 28, 2005)

Nada vs Frank in the alley in "They Live"
Best one-on-one bare knuckle street brawl ever flimed.


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 28, 2005)

Pants said:
			
		

> Bah, I thought they were cool.




D00d they were cool. 

She summersaults off of some D00ds shoulders and splits another D00d in half right down the middle from the momentum. 

I was giggling like a mental patient through that entire fight.


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 28, 2005)

Gunslinger said:
			
		

> skirmishes:
> 
> the opening fight in _Unleashed_
> the gun battles at the end of _Face/Off_ and _The Professional_




I was pretty spoiled by the shoot-outs in Hard Boiled and The Killer to really appreciate any shoot out after those especially John Woo's American efforts. Face off for me was a big disappointment in the action dept, but surprisingly Nic Cage's performance is the best part of that movie for me. 


I had a co-worker who loved Face-Off until he saw Hard Boiled and The Killer. After that he told me "yeah, I totally see what you were talking about. DAMN." I mean Hard Boiled had an opening shootout (The Teahouse - Tequila. Two guns. A Stair rail.) that would have been the climactic shootout in any other film but as good as it was (and it's AWESOME) it's probably the 3rd best Action sequence in the movie (After the entire hospital bit and the attack on the warehouse). 

 Even the lobby scene in the Matrix has NOTHING on the level of blazing gunplay in those two HK classics.


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## Gunslinger (Sep 28, 2005)

ShinHakkaider said:
			
		

> I was pretty spoiled by the shoot-outs in Hard Boiled and The Killer to really appreciate any shoot out after those especially John Woo's American efforts. Face off for me was a big disappointment in the action dept, but surprisingly Nic Cage's performance is the best part of that movie for me.
> 
> 
> I had a co-worker who loved Face-Off until he saw Hard Boiled and The Killer. After that he told me "yeah, I totally see what you were talking about. DAMN." I mean Hard Boiled had an opening shootout (The Teahouse - Tequila. Two guns. A Stair rail.) that would have been the climactic shootout in any other film but as good as it was (and it's AWESOME) it's probably the 3rd best Action sequence in the movie (After the entire hospital bit and the attack on the warehouse).
> ...




I've seen Hard Boiled, and while I enjoyed it I thought it became somewhat repetitive, especially in the hospital scene.  After a certain amount of time all i saw anymore was an endless supply of mook bodies hitting the floor in rapid succession.  Face/Off didn't get boring like that for me.


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