For every fair-to-middling sword fight that goes down in movie history as an iconic example of skill with a blade, there are five others, exemplifying genuinely masterful swordsmanship and true action greatness, that most people simply never see. Maybe it’s because the movies in which they appear are obscure, foreign, or just underrated, but whatever the reason, there are sword fights out there more hardcore than any of your Darth Mauls and Aragorns could ever contend with. It’s time to open your mind to just how brutal sword combat can be. Roll the tape, Johnny.

Versus

Versus was a little-known gem that came out early in the new millennium, and it is as far out there as sword fights get. Never mind the gun case constructable swords, the stunts these guys pull off are phenomenal. You see, Versus didn’t have a very big special effects budget, so other than a couple of revolving camera tricks and quick cuts, these stunts were quite simply all natural—and what stunts they were! Brilliant camerawork and masterful fight choreography make this entire sequence one of the most edge-of-your-seat sword fight experiences ever seen in an action movie, all without a single explosion or special-effects-aided ninja flip.

Sword of Doom

This scene is proof that the three ninja–one ninja rule is not a new phenomenon. No, way back in the ’60s, when TV was still in black and white, hordes of ninjas were already getting cut down one after another because they were dumb enough to attack in groups. One reason I like this scene so much is that it shows an interesting technique in defending against multiple attackers. Granted that the group in this fight unfortunately suffers from the action-movie mental sickness in which the attackers feel they have to assail the hero one at a time (hint: they shouldn’t), but our hero nonetheless manages to fight with very little wasted movement, giving this fight scene more martial arts merit than so many others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObuvfQKPCsA

Bloodmoon

Mix together a few crazy flips and stunts, an ancient sword master in a dojo, and an Eddie Murphy lookalike, and what do you get? This movie. Bloodmoon’s plot wasn’t anything to write home about, but its fight scenes were awesome, and always over-the-top. I mean, look at what happens in this particular scene. The guy gets his mask slashed off, then manages to stab his opponent, and then alternately slashes and stabs the bejesus out of him—all before throwing him through a window for good measure. NICE!

Zatoichi

You know what makes a samurai more powerful? Taking away his eyesight, that’s what. Blind samurai always seem to be more skilled than the plain old samurai who can see just fine. Zatoichi had speed unlike any other, enough to cut an opponent’s sword in half before he could even draw it. No mere words can describe Zatoichi’s pure force of sightless-eyeballed badassitude. Just watch the video and acknowledge that he is way way way way waaaaaaaaay cooler than you will ever be.

Gohatto

Gohatto (also known as Taboo) is a little known film whose main drawing point is its gay samurai. I am not using that as a derogatory term; the movie is actually about samurai who have the hots for each other. It’s basically Brokeback Mountain except with lots of swords and death, which kind of makes it by definition much more awesome. The sword fights in this movie may not be high flying or filled with special effects, but they hold a special place in my heart because they showcase real sword fighting techniques. So whenever I see these fights, I remember my own days in the dojo, learning basic techniques and getting hit on by all the other guys … what?

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Sword Fight Gem – Versus
• Blood: The Last Vampire Review — Drop Dead, Awesome Fights
• Lightsaber Remixes — A Sword Is Just a Sword But a Lightsaber is Pure Action
• Heavenly Sword Developers May Resurrect Devil May Cry
• Sword of the Stranger — Otakon Screening Review
• The Restless Review — I Don’t Know What I Just Watched But It Was Awesome!