[Wu Xia Aka Swordsmen 2011 Br Rip 1080p Movies 23l
Saija Grzegorek
Imagine life 1,000 years from now. The children of humankind are floating around in spaceships and people still believe that swords can stab through breastplates and all castles were just bare stone without paint!
Assuming we all understand that comparing the 1990s to the 1970s is no different than comparing the 1430s to the 1450s, we must keep in mind that real medieval sword fights will look different as we switch from decade to decade and place to place. This is because comparing 14th-century Italian swordplay to 6th-century Irish swordplay is like comparing Trump to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Just to make this point ring for the masses, I would love to make YouTubers like Lindybeige, Scholagladiatoria and Shadiversity the directors of big-budget movies, baby. My hope would be that they would actually take the time to sit back and really consider what this godforsaken sword fight should look like, man.
From the Errol Flynn classics like Captain Blood to recent releases like Deadpool, swordplay has long been a highlight of action movies both PG and R. Swords work as an extension of the arm, adding an element to choreography that simple fist-on-fist is incapable of achieving. And especially skilled-swordsmen can make a half-rate movie great, or elevate an already exciting script. Some, with a flick of their wrist or simple lunge forward can incapacitate their foes. Whether in a duel to the death or fighting an army of skilled warriors, the following swordsmen have proved they are the best again and again. Their ability with a blade is unparalleled, be it long-sword, cutlass, or rapier.
As a general, Maximus is a brilliant military strategist and warrior, leading his army to many victories. However, after being betrayed by Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Maximus finds his family murdered and himself sold into slavery. He is trained by his master Proximo to become the greatest gladiator in Rome. With his knowledge of battle and indifference to death due to trauma, Maximus proves an impossible man to beat.
Maximus uses his popularity with the crowds in the Coliseum to further his plot for revenge against Commodus, now emperor. He continues to win in the ring until Commodus himself challenges Maximus. Stabbing him in the side before the fight, Commodus hopes to win and win back the favor of his people. But even with a deadly wound, Maximus defeats Commodus and frees the slaves of Rome in his final act.
While it is debatable that Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is even the best swordsman of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, he is certainly the most fun to watch. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and many others are also talented swordsmen, but none of them have the same flair that Depp brings to the role.
Perhaps the most controversial choice on this list, Darth Maul is neither a true swordsman, nor a character from a well-received film. The Phantom Menace is arguably the worst of the Star Wars franchise, but it does feature some of the best fight choreography. Darth Maul Ray Park) also gets some of the most badass moments in the prequel trilogy.
Wielding a double-bladed lightsaber (no, technically not a sword, but close enough), Darth Maul flips around two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, with ease. In a movie devoid of interesting plot or characters, Maul stands out as one of few saving graces. Though the Star Wars films feature many great Jedi, Maul truly has the strongest mastery of the lightsaber-related arts.
Though less funny than the orange-haired talk show host, Conan the Barbarian is certainly the more talented fighter. Created by Robert E. Howard, Conan has appeared in hundreds of comics and pulp novels, and dozens of films, games, and television shows.
Conan is a Cimmerian, a warrior skilled with blade and mind. He journeys around the world, defeating pirates, thieves, and monsters alike. Described by Howard and drawn in comics as a gigantic beast of a man, the role of Conan was always going to be difficult to cast. Luckily, famous producer Dino De Laurentiis found his star; the 1982 Conan the Barbarian cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger as a hot commodity in Hollywood.
Arnold perfectly embodied the physicality of Conan, and he truly looked awesome dealing blow after blow to soldiers with his humungous great sword. Plus he beheads Thusla Doom (James Earl Jones) and then tosses his head down about 100 stairs.
A tale about the dying tradition of the samurai in the late days of feudal Japan, The Last Samurai features many terrific fight scenes. Though Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is one of the few swordsmen to survive the numerous onslaughts of Japanese soldiers with guns, it is his master that remains the strongest warrior.
Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) trains Algren and a band of others to maintain the glorious traditions of the samurai. He is loyal to a fault and adheres to the code of the samurai. He is also such as a skilled warrior that only he can defeat himself. He falls by his own hand with the assistance of Algren, committing seppuku as he watches the last of the samurai die.
One of the greatest martial arts films of all time, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features several spectacular fighters. Honors here must go to Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) for being able to defeat Jen, another skilled fighter, wielding the Green Destiny, a sword of immense power. Her weapons are continuously destroyed by the superior sword, so she has to improvise.
Destroying all box-office expectations, Deadpool was an rated-R superhero movie with insane action and heart to boot. Ryan Reynolds perfectly embodied the Merc with a Mouth, bringing to life a previously fringe hero.
Her weapon of choice: a Hattori Hanzo katana, the greatest samurai sword ever forged. It was made specifically for Beatrix by Hanzo even though years earlier he swore never to make another sword again. Convinced by her that her quest is a righteous one, he comes out of retirement to do his best work yet.
Beatrix is certainly worthy to wield the Hanzo. She uses it to defeat O-Ren-Ishii (Lucy Liu) and her legion of fighters, the Crazy 88 in one of the most action-packed third acts ever. Even out of context, it is a fight worth watching.
The streaming service Tubi has a sword-and-sorcery movie section. Some of the movies I have never heard of. Others were prominent in the old video rental stores that sprang up in the middle and late 1980s. I have been watching some that I never caught the first time around while I get on the hamster wheel (i.e. Nordic Track).
Some of the movies have little to recommend themselves but many had great movie posters. I decided to put together a little figurative slide show of early and mid 1980s sword-and-sorcery movies. No doubt there will one or two that I forgot or someone will say you forgot this or that movie. Going by memory here.
I reviewed the novelization last year. I know some who consider this to be more of a Robert E. Howard influenced movie than Conan the Barbarian. This movie was contemporaneous at Conan the Barbarian in May 1982.
This movie got some publicity. I remember Tanya Roberts did a pictorial spread in Playboy magazine. Very loosely based on the novel by Andre Norton of the same name whose name is not on the poster. This movie was dumped on the market at the end of August 1982.
Now we get to 1983. I missed out on Fire and Ice as I went back to college right when it came out at the end of August. I just watched it again on Tubi last week. Possibly the greatest sword-and-sorcery movie ever made with characters by Frank Frazetta and story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Poster by the great Frank Frazetta.
Deathstalker is incredibly bad in sets, costumes, acting, and fight choreography. It does have gratuitous nudity and violence. How did they get Boris Vallejo for the movie poster? IMDB said this movie was released in September 1983. I missed on this one but remember it well at the video rental stores.
Now we leapfrog to 1985. Conan the Destroyer from 1984 had a poster with a photograph of a buff, oiled Chip Rommel with his trademark shaved chest. No great movie art. His follow up, Red Sonja from summer 1985 had a return to the movie posters that were not far off from the typical paperback cover of the time.
There is some great art on some of these posters. Frazetta, Jones, and Boris got in on the action. Interestingly, no Rowena or Ken Kelly. By the time Red Sonja came out in 1985, the sword-and-sorcery movie craze was in rapid decline. Action movies were on the horizon and would replace the the genre. The sad part is the movies helped take down the genre in publishing which almost went extinct in 1985.
The poster was the work of C Winston Taylor; a largely unheralded but prolific publicity artist of that period. The basic design was cribbed and copied for domestic markets around the globe and was even blatantly stolen for the Turkish poster of Hearts & Armour.
There is a certain mysticism with swords that allow them to transcend the historical time periods where they were most useful. Nearly every movie genre from every time period gives special credence to swords and sword fighters. Often, it is the hero's skill with a sword that wins the day or becomes a notable trait that makes them identifiable as the hero. This list takes a look at the top 10 sword fighters from popular movies.
First up is John Carter from John Carter. In the film, John is mysteriously transported from Earth to Mars. Because of the differences between the planets, John essentially becomes a superhero, able to jump incredible distances and display feats of strength. While John uses a variety of weapons, he deals significant damage with a sword and uses it in creative ways with his ability to defy physics.
John is a civil war soldier and presumably has the training to wield a sword, but his fighting style lacks finesse in favor of brute force. Still, with his ability to jump around his opponents and overwhelm them with strength, he would likely be a force to be reckoned with if he went up against other movie sword fighters. However, he may not be seeing a cross-over anytime soon. John Carter grossed $284 million at the worldwide box office, but thanks to its budget, it became one of the biggest bombs in history.
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