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 Chan’s brilliance as a fight choreographer.
10. Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 (2020)
Miyamoto Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) vs. 400 Others
There 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 Shogun’s 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, there’s not much plot to this; there’s no room. The film is just one long sword fight. While the story isn’t 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.
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