Action movies tend to pull out all the stops when it comes to fighting sequences. While gun fights, fisticuffs, war machines, and even futurist robots all have their place on the silver screen, there’s something particularly special about an old-fashioned sword fight. Sword fighting takes an immense amount of skill and expertise, and selling that in a movie makes it all the more difficult.
Check out WatchMojo.com’s list of the top ten sword fights in movies and see if any f your favorite flicks made the cut:
First on the list is the final scene of The Count of Monte Cristo. The entire film leads up to the ultimate confrontation between Fernand Mondego and Edmond Dantes, who vows revenge on his former friend for turning him into the authorities. The sword fight is one for the ages with Dantes even losing his sword during the sequence but eventually coming out on top.
Counting down the top ten most iconic sword fights from the movies. (WatchMojo.com/YouTube)
In an adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, the 2004 film Troy has enough action and fighting to keep anyone entertained. And one battle between demigod Achilles and Hector, prince of Troy, is particularly harrowing. Mere mortal Hector is of course no match for Achilles, and the scene is just one of many action sequences that makes the film so great.
Counting down the top ten most iconic sword fights from the movies. (WatchMojo.com/YouTube)
Perhaps one of the most visually stunning sword fights ever depicted is from the world-renowned film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yu Shu Lien and Jen Yu fight to the death in an incredibly well-choreographed scene that pairs top-notch camera work with impressive moves.
One of the most famous characters to ever wield a sword, Zorro also graces the list with the 1998 movie The Mask of Zorro. The film’s titular star, played by Antonio Banderas, fights Captain Harrison Love on a flaming wooden scaffold. The scene calls for both men to use not only their metal weapons but also their acrobatic skills as the leap their way from platform to platform avoiding certain death.
Counting down the top ten most iconic sword fights from the movies. (WatchMojo.com/YouTube)
Topping off the list may not necessarily be a true “sword” battle, but it still counts in some regard. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn battle Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I, and the stunning visuals and expert choreography really make this scene memorable. Darth Maul’s double-sided saber goes up against the two Jedi in perhaps one of the most famous scenes from the entire Star Wars saga.
