Our very own fencing master breaks down the greatest sword fights and duels in movie history.
When it comes to climactic finales, a great sword fight can put an action movie over the top.
The best sword fights fuse emotionally charged conflicts with precisely choreographed action.
The stakes must be big for characters to want to cut each other so deeply.
And there are so many levels of great sword fights.
The uncredited fight choreographer was Ralph Faulkner, a champion fencer who represented the U.S.A. in the 1932 Olympics.
His attacks are simple and wide, lacking the tight precision of a seasoned swordsman.
In contrast, Rathbone was one of the greatest swordsmen to grace the silver screen.
Often cast as the villain in swashbucklers, Rathbones expert swordsmanship helped all his leading man heroes shine.
It also brought attention to one of Hong Kongs greatest fight choreographers, Yuen Woo-Ping.
Their fight is an incredible achievement in wirework.
Their gravity-defying sword fight served as an inspired finale to this groundbreaking movie.
Zhang and Yeoh drew upon their dance training to meet the demands of Yuens rigorous choreography.
Played for comedy, every sword exchange is a mind-blowing testament to Chans brilliance as a fight choreographer.
But from a technical achievement standpoint,nothing matchesCrazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1.
However, theres not much plot to this; theres no room.
The film is just one long sword fight.
George Foreman once said Boxing is like jazz.
The better it is, the less people appreciate it.
The same can be said for cinematic sword fights.
He was the uncredited master behind many of the great movie sword fights of the period.
His son Albert Cavens served as the uncredited fencing double for Power.
The duel between Power (Cavens) and Rathbone is incredibly tight by fencing standards.
However, Richard Lesters mid-1970s two-parter still prevails.
The final duel between DArtagnan and Rochefort is a true masterpiece.
An entire article could be devoted just to the great swordfights of William Hobbs alone.
Hobbs juxtaposes DArtangans bumpkin swashbuckling with the sophisticated swordsmanship of Rochefort for a truly dramatic battle.
However,Episode Istill eclipses that due to Ray Park.
With that inclusion, Jedi martial arts officially became a thing.
However, this article is focused upon films, so those dont count.
Mifunes Yojimbo was one of his most celebrated roles and Katsu is most remembered for Zatoichi.
Having these titanic ronin battle each other was akin to Godzilla punching Kong.
Its two of the greatest warriors of the chanbara genre going face-to-face, blade-to-blade.
However, their actual sword fight is quite short.
Its the fights leading up to that duel that builds the tension for the epic clash.
First, the two swordsmen must each face a horde of samurai and mercenaries in murderous bloodbaths.
Coincidentally, Mifune and Katsu would cross paths again that same year in a film titledMachibuse.
Consequently, Moreau must learn to fence.
Their duel atop the dizzying railing of the box seats in an opulent theater is simply breathtaking.
Granger was trained in British theater where fencing was a required part of the curriculum.
Ferrer wasnt a fencer.
However, William Hobbs shows up once again to prove why hes the GOAT sword fight choreographer.
He armed the two combatants appropriately.
MacGregor uses a Scottish basket hilt broadsword against Cunninghams small sword.
In fencing, smaller is faster.
As metallurgy improved, swords evolved into lighter, more efficient weapons.
Cunninghams sword play is refined and sophisticated, slicing up MacGregor cut by cut.
Meanwhile MacGregor gasses out from wielding such a heavy weapon and losing so much blood.
Its a clever fight where Hobbs lifts a page from fencing history and plays it out with dramatic panache.
The sword grab reversal is almost a call back to DArtagnan versus Rochefort inThe Four Musketeers: Miladys Revenge.
DArtagnan attempts the same method but without the visceral success of MacGregor.
Hobbs captures the violence and sheer brutality of sword fighting in a manner that feels totally genuine.
Its a witty fight, absurd and acrobatic.
Anderson was a world champion fencer who represented Great Britain at the 1952 Olympics.
He got into film choreography in 1953 when he worked with Errol Flynn onThe Master of Ballantrae.
Tajomarus version is a heroic fight between him and the samurai Takehiro.
Its a clever fight because we can see the fencing strategies playing out in the opponents minds.
In his recounting, Tajomaru and Takehiro are terrified to fight each other and flail in fear.
The gruesomeness of sword fighting is laid bare.
The fear in their eyes and their trembling swords as they fall over each other creates such dramatic tension.
Its the perfect climax to a perfect film.
