10 Best Sword Fights In Movies
1. The Princess Bride
One of the most quotable movies of all time, The Princess Bride also serves up the silver screen’s best duel.
It’s actually because of the inherent quotability of the movie that the sword fight ranks so highly. The action on its own is still great, but it’s the amount of quips (and how well they land) that really elevated The Princess Bride’s fight over say, Troy, which is played much straighter.
Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin both played their parts superbly, with every single gag landing without so much as a wobble. “You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you,” is just one of the great lines throughout, but for all the comedy, it has heart too as we see these two great fighters gain respect for each other. Indigo Montoya is beaming throughout at the joy of taking on his equal.
The double reveal of neither of them being left-handed is absolutely fantastic and totally in keeping with the tone of the movie. There’s more violent duels, and there’s more skilled duels. But nothing comes close to the fun of The Princess Bride.