When it came to doing a Christmas special for this website, I wanted to make it very special. By special, I mean violent. Nothing gets people into the holiday spirit faster than a bit of the old ultra-violence. I’m not stranger when it comes to posts about violent movies here at Major Tom’s Movies, but I’ve never really done one with sword fighting. There is something truly spiritually uplifting about grown people trying to hack each other’s limbs off with bladed weapons, be it axes, katanas, or rapiers. I’m gonna warn ya, it’s going to get very violent and sometimes very bloody. So, reader discretion is advised and their is a hefty SPOILER ALERT!!! Let the slicing and dicing begin!!
Star Wars: Episodes 1-6
“The light-saber is the weapon of a Jedi Knight; not as clumsy or random as a blaster. It’s an elegant for a more civilized age.” As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a huge fan of Star Wars. Those movies were so epic in terms of the gun fights, space battles, and particularly the light-saber duels. The light-saber has become one of the most iconic movie weapons in cinema history, and it all started with the original film in 1977 when Obi-Wan Kenobi faced off against Darth Vader. While that particular duel isn’t much to look at in terms of choreography, it was very important to the story. Over the years, the choreography got better, but it wasn’t until 1999’s The Phantom Menace when George Lucas blew the lid off of what the Jedi and the Sith could do with a light-saber. I will say that while I definitely love the duels in the Prequel Trilogy, none of them had the emotional heft that the Original Trilogy did, with the exception of the fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker in Episode III. That being said, there really isn’t a bad light-saber duel in the Star Wars films, with the exception of the new movies. We have yet to see a truly epic light-saber battle between Kylo Ren and Rey, and I really hope we get it in Episode IX.
Highlander: Endgame – Duncan Vs. Connor
There can be no doubt whatsoever that the original Highlander from 1987 is a cult classic and can never be topped. That’s not in dispute. Of all the sequels that Highlander ended up getting was Highlander: Endgame. This film was essentially a bridge between the TV series and the film series. This fight scene with Connor and Duncan is basically a passing of the torch from one Macleod to another. In terms of the scene’s set-up, Connor Macleod has come to the conclusion that in order to beat the film’s villain, Jacob Kell, it would take the power of two Macleods to destroy him. In order to do that, one Macleod has to die. Say what you will about the rest of the film, but this scene is particularly powerful, not just in terms of the sword choreography, which is fantastic, but also in terms of its emotional delivery. Connor is a character that we’ve come to know and love over the course of three movies, while Duncan comes from the TV series, and the two are obviously from the same clan. Over the centuries, they truly became brothers, so to see one sacrifice himself so the other one could survive really does tug at the heart strings. In the end, there can be only one.
The Mask of Zorro – Alejandro(as Zorro) vs Captain Love and Rafael Montero
1998’s The Mask of Zorro was a massive hit featuring Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. Not only was the story fantastic, but it also had a great deal of humor, drama, romance and tension. It was a grand and epic film that I still enjoy watching from beginning to end. There are a number of truly memorable moments in the film, but this fight sequence between Zorro, Captain Love and Montero is one of the best in the film. This is where we see Alejandro Murietta don the mask of Zorro(see what I did there?) for the first time and it’s absolutely fantastic. Fencing, when done right in a film like this, is some of the most spectacular sword-fighting that you will ever see, and the choreography in the film is incredible. I can’t recommend this movie enough.
The Princess Bride – Wesley vs Inigo Montoya
The Princess Bride is a true classic in every sense of the word. Not only is the film fun, but’s funny, romantic, dramatic and has a lot of great characters. It’s one of the most infinitely quotable movies of all time. This fight scene is not only spectacular, but it is also very important. It’s important because it gives us Inigo’s motivation for doing what he’s doing, but it also establishes both Inigo and Wesley as great swordsmen. With the conversation taking place during the fight, you see the respect that both men have for each other, even if Wesley comes out on top. You really don’t see that kind of respect between characters during sword fights these days. The fact that Inigo allows Wesley time to rest after climbing before fighting him says a lot about the character, but it also shows how confident Wesley is in his combat abilities. It is one of the most extraordinary sword fights I’ve ever seen in a movie. If you haven’t seen this movie, what’s wrong with you?
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl – Jack Sparrow vs Barbossa
In 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean was a massive box-office smash, that spawned 4 sequels. While I enjoyed all of them to a certain degree, the first film is still the best. Johnny Depp stole the show as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush was electric as Barbossa. The film was loaded with a lot of amazing action sequences and special effects, but this last battle between Sparrow and Barbossa is the best in the entire series. This scene has pretty much everything you would want in a pirate movie: Action, suspense, tension, and humor. The way the two captains play off of each other is wild. The sword fights here are just as electrifying as in the previous films that I mentioned. While the sequels were mostly fine, this particular battle was just epic beyond words. Combine that with the epic music score written by Hans Zimmer(uncredited, but it has his signature style all over it), and you have an amazing fight scene that just gets you pumped up.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Jen vs Yu Shu Lien
You know I had to put this one on here at some point. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a wuxia epic that really took the West by storm. It was one of the most widely appreciated Kung Fu movies to hit Western cinemas. While the reception in China was less than glowing(can’t blame them, they have a ton of these movies), we as a Western audience really didn’t see anything like this before, unless you were a dedicated Kung Fu movie nut, which I was/am. It was visually incredible, dramatic, and an astoundingly choreographed film by Yuen Woo-Ping. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is essentially art in motion. I loved every minute of it. This fight scene between Jen and Shu Lien is really the centerpiece of the whole film, as Shu knows that Jen is the one that stole the Green Destiny sword, so the confrontation between the two is as emotional as it is epic. There’s not a bad fight scene in the movie, but this particular one is what most people tend to remember, and for good reason.
And….the number 1 greatest sword fight in cinema goes to……..
Spaceballs – Dark Helmet vs Lone Starr
What? Don’t tell me this doesn’t belong on here. It most certainly does. It’s Spaceballs. It’s one of the funniest damn movies ever made and this “fight” is one of the funniest moments in the film. I brought Star Wars into the mix, so why shouldn’t I bring a spoof in as well? You have to credit Mel Brooks for being inventive when it comes to spoofing movies like Star Wars and Star Trek. Just don’t watch the Spaceballs cartoon. It’s awful. Stick with the movie and May the Schwartz be with you!
I hope you all had as much fun reading that as I did writing it. Always remember: Swing your sword responsibly and don’t stab your eyes out. Happy Holidays, everybody!!