BEST FILM DUELS
Here's the list of the best film duels of any sort. Whether it's kung-fu brawls, gunslinging draws, or sword fighting, and similar to that, this is about one man versus the other.
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- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsBrad PittEric BanaOrlando BloomAn adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.Achilles vs. Hector
It has fantastic choreography; excellent use of short swords, both of them taking their helmets off in a way that makes sense, unlike other films. The fight has that weight of a mythical duel, even though this whole film is going for a more realistic approach. It's also evident who's going to win before the fight even starts. After all, it's the greatest of us, humans, fighting against a sort of force of nature, a demi-god. The music is also terrific, with simple rhythmic drums perfect for single combat. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenViggo MortensenWhile Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.Gandalf vs. Balrog
The true impact of this match hits in the first film. But the second film has the complete fight, so I'm choosing that one. What can I say? The most epic line delivery and a masterfully realized creature that holds up to this day. The directing is perfect, creating tension and inspiring awe. The duel's finish (in the first film) is also quite something, forever making people scream at the screen, ''Get him, help him!'' - DirectorYimou ZhangStarsJet LiTony Leung Chiu-waiMaggie CheungA defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.Nameless vs. Sky
This one is the greatest battle fought inside one's mind. Or, better said, inside two minds. The way it's shot, the music, and the battle-cries all contribute to creating the most artful fight scene I've ever watched that I will rewatch forever and ever. - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefGian Maria VolontèTwo bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery.Col. Douglas Mortimer vs. El Indio
This duel works mostly because of the legendary music by Ennio Morricone. But, even without it, it has beautiful cinematography, underrated acting, and tension-filled pacing.
The sweaty faces and grins are just mesmerizing, and the emotional background to this duel is riveting. - DirectorYoshiaki KawajiriStarsKôichi YamaderaEmi ShinoharaTakeshi AonoA vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.Jubei vs. Tessai
I would say that every fight in this film can get a spot on this list, but the best-introduced one with the gnarliest villain is the one I picked. Tessai starting to r*ape Kagero and the subsequent cause of his death, his display of brutality and strength previously, and the nonchalance that Jubei portrays all contribute to this being the best fight in the film. And don't even let me start talking about the end of it. - DirectorTerry GilliamTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseEric IdleKing Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.King Arthur vs. The Black Knight
The funniest duel on this list, also kind of the goriest. Tis but a flesh wound. - DirectorJohn BoormanStarsNigel TerryHelen MirrenNicholas ClayMerlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.King Arthur vs. Lancelot of the Lake
The duel is yet another Arthurian one and similar to the last. What's interesting about the fight, on a technical level, is that it portrays armor in a good way. Light strikes from the sword just glance off, and the jousting before it, although with flaws, is also solid and shot in a magical location filled with birds and life. It's also messy but authentic. - DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.Westley vs. Inigo Montoya
This one's just all-around fun. Very much inspired by the old swashbuckling films, it is phenomenally choreographed and perfected in its chattiness. - DirectorJerzy HoffmanStarsDaniel OlbrychskiMalgorzata BraunekTadeusz LomnickiDuring the 1655 war between Protestant Sweden and Catholic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth some Polish-Lithuanian nobles side with Swedish king Charles X Gustav while others side with the Polish king Jan Kazimierz.Wolodyjowski vs. Kmicic
The saber duel is the closest you can get to a real saber duel in a film. Besides technical prowess thoroughly displayed by the actors, there's a code of honor permeating the whole thing. The end is also swift and brutal. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsKeith CarradineHarvey KeitelAlbert FinneyFrance, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.Armand d'Hubert vs. Gabriel Feraud
The whole god damn film is a duel. A duel of swords, a duel of guns, a duel of characters. - DirectorChia-Liang LiuJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanHo-Sung PakLung TiA young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts.Wong Fei-hung (Jackie Chan) vs. Low Houi Kang (Ken Lo)
The final fight in the second part of The Drunken Master is the best kung-fu fistfight ever conceived. Jackie Chan's legendary drunken God forms are on full display here, while his opponent is an incredible kick practitioner. - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTatsuya NakadaiKeiju KobayashiA crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.Sanjuro vs. Hanbei
I'm not sure about the visceral blood gush after the players make their moves, but this is as close to the real katana duel as possible. One quick slice, and you're dead. - DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.Rama vs. The Assassin
Furious, bloody, and engaging, what's not to like? It's like the director told these two beasts to try to kill each other, and he filmed it. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonAdam DriverJodie ComerThe Knight Jean de Carrouges must settle the dispute over his wife Marguerite by challenging his former friend to a duel to the death.Sir Jean de Carrouges vs. Jacques Le Gris
The only bad aspects of this duel are the helmets, but they too work symbolically in the film's story. I could also say that the way they joust and duel in general is too barbaric. Besides those lesser problems, this is what a medieval duel to death looked like, disturbingly violent. - DirectorYimou ZhangStarsChao DengLi SunRyan ZhengIn a Chinese royal court, an army commander secretly trains a "shadow" to retake a city against the wishes of the king.Jing vs. General Yang
The incredible setting with almost black and white cinematography makes this duel very original. Weapons seem like a flurry of metal in a dance, beautiful and deadly. - DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaPhetthai VongkumlaoPumwaree YodkamolWhen the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.Ting (Tony Jaa) vs. The Bandana Guy
Great athleticism and brutal hits. - DirectorBruce LeeStarsBruce LeeChuck NorrisNora MiaoA man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) vs. Colt (Chuck Norris)
I was choosing between this one and the Lee vs. O'Hara from ''Enter the Dragon''. Alas, the other fight is not really a fight as it is bullying. - DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.Neo vs. Smith
Anime fight in a blockbuster Hollywood film. Sounds bad on paper, doesn't it? - DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenLouis KooRay LuiA hot-headed inspector takes on a small but powerful Vietnamese-Chinese gang, after a series of crimes and murder attempts committed and putting an undercover cop and his girlfriend in great danger.Ma (Donnie Yen) vs. Tony (Collin Chou)
A long and destructive fight that keeps you engaged. - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Kyuzo vs. That Rowdy Fellow
Sound of birds, no music, the samurai know, the crowd is astonished, the perfect use of slow-mo in a film from the 50s. Kurosawa's the greatest, for sure. - DirectorMasahiro AndôStarsTomoya NagaseYuri ChinenKôichi YamaderaA swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.No Name vs. Luo Lang
The best anime/animated fight in general. - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.Shinzaemon vs. Hanbei
If the ''Seven Samurai'' had a bloody and muddy final one-on-one. Such elegance... - DirectorStanley KubrickStarsRyan O'NealMarisa BerensonPatrick MageeAn Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.Barry vs. Bullingdon
A mix of extreme tension and twisted humor. Only Kubrick, only him. - DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.Jen vs. Yu Shu Lien
The best way to sum up this fight is to call it utterly fantastic. The women actress portray an incredible variety of skills. They are still unmatched when we're talking about women action heroines. The choreography, rhythm, and tempo are all excellent, and this one scene cements the film as a quality one. - DirectorRobert EggersStarsAlexander SkarsgårdNicole KidmanClaes BangA young Viking prince is on a quest to avenge his father's murder.Amleth vs. Fjölnir
I've expected a lot from this film, and it delivered a lot. Some action scenes before this one were a bit too slow in their movement and telegraphed. But, the final duel was utterly mesmerising, epic and mystical. It leads us through a curtain of smoke, transitioning into a silhouette of two warriors in front of a volcanic backdrop with gorgeous choreography and ending in a brutal way most suitable for a film such as this one.