When it comes to climactic finales, a great sword fight can put an action movie over the top. From the classic swashbucklers of the 1950s to the global genres of samurai dramas and Kung Fu flicksnot to mention the occasional fantasy or comedysword fights are the cutting edge of fight choreography.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. As absurd as it seems, the hilarious fight between King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and Lancelot (John Cleese) in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is a solid piece of fight choreography, particularly the precursor battle with the Green Knight. In that vein, Den of Geeks own resident fencing master Gene Ching is rounding up some of the best movie sword fights ever put to screen.13. Captain Blood (1935)Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) vs. Levasseur (Basil Rathbone)The climactic pirate beach duel is one of the most pivotal in cinematic sword fight history. Captain Blood was such a blockbuster that it sparked a trend of swashbuckling movies and launched the career of Errol Flynn, who played many roguish swordsmen in its wake. The uncredited fight choreographer was Ralph Faulkner, a champion fencer who represented the U.S.A. in the 1932 Olympics. It launched Faulkners career as well as a sword master and stunt double for many of those swashbuckling films that followed.Flynn was a natural athlete, but not a fencer, and it shows in the fight. 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. He was a decorated World War I veteran who earned the Military Cross, and a passionate expert fencer in real life. Despite losing, Rathbone does the heavy lifting in the Captain Blood fight with complex actions and superior control of the distance. Often cast as the villain in swashbucklers, Rathbones expert swordsmanship helped all his leading man heroes shine.Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) vs. Jen (Zhang Ziyi)With four Oscar wins, director Ang Lees record-setting film leveled up martial arts cinema like never before. It also brought attention to one of Hong Kongs greatest fight choreographers, Yuen Woo-Ping. Its easy to argue that the best fight in the film is Jen versus Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), which begins and ends with a sword fight and progresses through an array of cold arms in between. Yet the final fight between Jen and Li Mu Bai in the bamboo forest is strictly swords, and it takes us somewhere weve never been before.Their fight is an incredible achievement in wirework. Shot at the China Grand National Bamboo Forest in Anji, China, Lee claims that Chow and Zhang did most of their own stunts and digital effects were only used to remove the safety wires. Their gravity-defying sword fight served as an inspired finale to this groundbreaking movie. As a greater testament to Yuens choreographic skills, neither Chow nor Zhang were formally trained in martial arts prior to launching their careers as movie stars. Neither was Yeoh. Zhang and Yeoh drew upon their dance training to meet the demands of Yuens rigorous choreography.11. The Young Master (1980)Dragon (Jackie Chan) vs. Cross-eyed Constable (Yue Tau-Wan) and PosseWith well over a hundred films under his belt, Jackie Chan has delivered a ridiculous number of death-defying stunts and insane fight scenes. Chan was at the peak of his physicality from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. The Young Master stands out as one of his most hardcore Kung Fu films, packed with incredible fights with other martial luminaries like Yuen Biao, Shek Kin, and Hwang In-shik, and one amazing sword fight thats often overlooked.Early into the film, Dragon is mistaken for his wayward brother Tiger (Pai Wei) by a cross-eyed constable (Yue Tau-Wan) and his posse. The ensuing sword fight within a modest temple showcases what Chan does best, his signature fusion of acrobatics and juggling built on his Chinese opera roots. Swords fly in every direction as Chan humiliatingly disarms his would-be captors, toying with them through his singular mastery of swordplay and physics. Played for comedy, every sword exchange is a mind-blowing testament to Chans brilliance as a fight choreographer.10. Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 (2020)Miyamoto Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) vs. 400 OthersThere have been many cinematic sword fights that pitted one against many, such as Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) versus the Iyi clan in Harakiri (1962), Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama) versus the Shoguns guards in Shaolin Assassin (1980), and the Bride (Uma Thurman) versus the Crazy 88s in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). But from a technical achievement standpoint, nothing matches Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1. Loosely based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi, Tak delivers a 77-minute continuous oner sword fight where he dispatches some 400 opponents.Directed by Yuji Shimomura, whose background is as an action director and fight choreographer, this is a marathon masterpiece of sword choreography. The oner is orchestrated to give Tak water breaks, and although most of the exchanges are simple, watching Tak go the distance is something to behold. However, theres not much plot to this; theres no room. The film is just one long sword fight. While the story isnt overly engaging, sword fighting fans cannot help but be impressed by the extraordinary achievement in action cinema.9. The Mark of Zorro (1940)Don Diego (Tyrone Power) vs. Captain Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone)Once again, Rathbone is cast as a villainous swordsman and in The Mark of Zorro where he delivers one of his most skillful swordfights. Casual observers might not recognize the masterful command of the blades, but anyone who has ever picked up a sword will. 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. Fencing can be reduced to distance, timing and velocity, and in this duel, both combatants demonstrate meticulous mastery of all three, which can only come from a solid foundation in fencing.The fight choreography ofThe Mark of Zorro is attributed to Fred Cavens, a genuine fencing master certified by Belgiums Military Institute of Physical Education and Fencing. 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. The actors control of timing, distance and precision is pure perfection of the level that could only be achieved by seasoned fencers.8. The Four Musketeers: Miladys Revenge (1974)DArtagnan (Michael York) vs. the Count de Rochefort (Christopher Lee)Few stories embody sword fights like The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. There are so many versions worthy of recognition, from Douglas Fairbanks 1921 silent film to Gene Kellys trampoline-assisted 1948 version. Even the recent 2023 French film The Three Musketeers: Part 2 Milady has an impressive oner sword fight pitting Milady de Winter (Eva Green) against DArtagnan (Francois Civil) in a burning building. However, Richard Lesters mid-1970s two-parter still prevails. The final duel between DArtagnan and Rochefort is a true masterpiece.The fight director for Lesters Musketeer movies was William Hobbs, who literally wrote the bookactually two bookson fight choreography. Stage Combat: The Action to the Word and Techniques of the Stage Fight by Hobbs are the go-to references for every fight choreographer, and Hobbs is behind more of the films listed here than anyone else. An entire article could be devoted just to the great swordfights of William Hobbs alone.The final duel in The Four Musketeers was filmed at the Monastery de Santiago de Uclesin Spain, which lent a profound gravitas as the swordsmen fight under the sacred light from the monasterys exquisite stained glass. Hobbs juxtaposes DArtangans bumpkin swashbuckling with the sophisticated swordsmanship of Rochefort for a truly dramatic battle. Its the cherry on top after the preceding melee between the musketeers and Rocheforts guards, a potent climax of the two films.7. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999)Darth Maul (Ray Park) vs. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)Lightsaber battles are among the most iconic sword fights in modern cinema, and to this day many fans might have the most investment in the final fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith for its emotional culmination of the Prequel Trilogy. However, Episode I still eclipses that due to Ray Park. Park is a genuine martial arts champion and member of the British national wushu team, and he brought real martial arts into lightsaber battles for the first time. Nick Gallard is credited as the Fight Unit Director, but it was Park who slipped in a classic wushu barrel roll, a martial art move that would be echoed by a CGI Yoda later in the series. With that inclusion, Jedi martial arts officially became a thing.Two of the Star Wars miniseries, Kenobi and The Acolyte, have showcased furious lightsaber battles that have exceeded the achievements of the movies in terms of choreographic complexity. However, this article is focused upon films, so those dont count.Read more 6. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) vs. Taisaku Sasa (Toshiro Mifune)Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo is the 20th installment of Katsus long-running Blind Swordsman franchise, which spanned 26 feature films and 100 television series episodes. Mifune plays a character that echoes his iconic role in Akira Kurosawas classic YojimboHowever, 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 titled Machibuse. Again, Mifune plays a character that was derivative of his Yojimbo role, but Katsu takes on a completely different character as a quack doctor.5. Scaramouche (1952)Andre Moreau (Stewart Granger) vs. Noel, Marquis de Maynes (Mel Ferrer)Scaramouche is one of the greatest fencing movies of all time. Set just prior to the French Revolution, Moreau vows revenge on the Marquis, a master fencer, for slaying his rebel friend by sword. Consequently, Moreau must learn to fence. The final sword fight was the longest in screen history at the time, clocking in at around eight minutes. 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. He fortified his skills by taking private lessons under Jean Hereman, an eight-time Belgium champion who competed in the 1936 Olympics before moving to Hollywood as an uncredited fight choreographer (Fred Cavens is also attributed to having had an uncredited hand in this film). Ferrer wasnt a fencer. He began his career as a chorus dancer on Broadway and approached the choreography like a dancer would, akin to Zhang and Yeoh.4. Rob Roy (1995)Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson) vs. Cunnigham (Tim Roth)At six feet and four inches, Liam Neeson towers over Tim Roths five-foot and eight-inch frame, which should have given him the reach advantage in a sword fight. 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 in The Four Musketeers: Miladys Revenge. The tone of that fight was parallel to this onea sophisticated villainous fencing master facing off against a rustic swordsman hero. DArtagnan attempts the same method but without the visceral success of MacGregor.3. The Duellists (1977)Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel) vs. Armad dHubert (Keith Carradine)Ridley Scotts directorial debut spans 20 years of a bitter rivalry during the Napoleonic Wars. With William Hobbs choreographing the sword fights once again, this film allows him to stretch out over multiple duels and compose some of the most accurate sword fights ever put to film. The duellists meet multiple times with different weapons, sabers, rapiers, a mounted sword fight, and finally pistols.The contrast between the second duel, a small sword bout fenced elegantly in a sheep pasture, and the third duel, sabers in gritty sanguineous battle, is extreme. It spotlights the virtuosity of Hobbs choreography and Scotts burgeoning sense of atmosphere, evoking different emotions within each bout. Hobbs captures the violence and sheer brutality of sword fighting in a manner that feels totally genuine.2. The Princess Bride (1987)Westley (Cary Elwes) vs. Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin)Few sword fights match the humor and charm of Westley versus Inigo Montoya. Its a witty fight, absurd and acrobatic. And when the combatants reference Bonetti, Capo Ferro, and Agrippa, those were genuine fencing masters from the 16th and 17th centuries. That nod could only have come from another studied fencing master, which in this case, was the legendary fight choreographer Bob Anderson.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 on The Master of Ballantrae. He went on to lend his sword expertise to dozens of films including the original Star Wars trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Highlander, By the Sword, and many more.1. Rashomon (1950)Tajomaru (Toshiro Mifune) vs. Takehiro Kanazawa (Masayuki Mori)Considered one of the greatest films ever made, the pivotal sword fight in Rashomon is shown from different perspectives. Tajomarus version is a heroic fight between him and the samurai Takehiro. It glorifies Tajomarus swordsmanship where his intimidating feints draw repeated useless parries from the disciplined samurai, who begins flinching and faltering. Its a clever fight because we can see the fencing strategies playing out in the opponents minds.However, its the woodcutters (Takashi Shimura) version that stands as one of the greatest sword fights of all. In his recounting, Tajomaru and Takehiro are terrified to fight each other and flail in fear. Played out for comedy as well as tragedy, it feels true, capturing the sheer horror of what it must be like to face an opponent with yard-long razors. 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.