Ten greatest duels or showdowns of all time?

[Dan the Man]

If a movie is a piece of jewelry, then the concept of the showdown is the largest diamond set in the center of it. Drawing every bit of tension and buildup into a singular moment, the Duel is far more than simply a movie's climax. It throws action, choreography, style, setting, dialogue, camera work, and amazing music into it. Every ounce of strife and derision a movie works to create, it creates to be drunk like wine in that singular moment.

That being said, I've found myself watching a ton of said duels lately. Mainly to be used as fodder for my in-progress writing project, but also just to sit back and savor the best of the best that I've come to enjoy through the years. My top ten is by no means definitive, and is entirely subjective to my very biased tastes. However, I'd also like to hear from you, and what makes for a good duel or showdown in your eyes. Feel free to comment on my choices, and also to submit your own. At this point, I'm renting a movie every other day it seems, and buying one every week or so, so if I haven't seen it, I'll make arrangements to do so.

Here's my list.

1. The Man with No Name vs. Angel Eyes vs. Tuco - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A mexican standoff in a circular arena, surrounded by a cemetary in the desert. The prize - $250,000 in gold, hidden in one of the many graves around the gunfighters. The buildup to this gunfight is so utterly amazing that it gives me chills. Each of the three men have spent the entire movie working as hard as they can to get to this singular moment. Add probably the greatest bit of music done by Ennio Morricone, and its far and away the best duel I've ever seen.

2. Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker - The Empire Strikes Back

Red against blue, pitched against the smoggy haze of a hellish carbonite chamber, this is as rich as it gets as far as being visually awe-inspiring. The finale on the edge of the platform, while not an ultimate resolution to the conflict, is one of the biggest bombshells in movie history.

3. Frank vs. Harmonica - Once Upon a Time in the West

"He's whittlin on a piece of wood. I get the feelin when he stops whittlin, something's gonna happen."

Some of the best camerawork I've seen in the buildup to this one. The dialogue leading up to it is some of the best that Sergio Leone has ever written. Henry Fonda really breaks the mold as the movie's villain, and aside from his introduction earlier in the film, this scene cements him as one of the darkest antagonists I've ever seen. The movie's final revelation, while not as shocking as Empire's, is so emotionally charged, that if the audience didn't hate Frank before, their blood is guaranteed to boil over with this one.

4. Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed - Rocky

One of the best brawls in cinema. Not out of malice, but out of sheer tenacity of will and competitive spirit. Very few film protagonists overcome the odds in such a tremendous tour de force.

5. John Herod vs. Lady - The Quick and the Dead

Admittedly drawing from Once Upon a Time in the West's final duel, this fight is still able to pull of the tremendous emotrional bang that it's inspiration did. The truth behind Herod and Lady's past is designed to take the audience's breath away, and Hackman, who is already established as a hated movie villain, is drawn to meteoric levels of hatred in the movie's climax.

6. Neo vs. Agent Smith - The Matrix

The entire movie leads up to this fight, which is an electrically charged mix of martial arts choreography, guncraft, and special effects. While more of a "sound and fury" type of duel, it still deserves to be mentioned, just for the furious and intense action it delivers.

7. The Man with No Name vs. Ramone - A Fistful of Dollars

The battle between the .45 and the Winchester, and between good and evil. The way this fight is settled is quite novel for a western, and caught me off guard, grinning like a giddy maniac.

8. Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker - Return of the Jedi

Finishing what Empire started, this battle may lack some of the visual style of its predecessor, but makes up for it with emotional intensity. The resolution of the fight is both sudden and shocking, and turns the audience's emotions on a dime.

9. Maximus vs. Commodus - Gladiator

This is fairly meat and potatoes. Joachin Phoenix does an amazing job at getting the audience to severely despise him throughout the entire movie. By the point of the climax, no music is needed, nor buildup. There's a second in which the camera pans across Russel Crowe's face, and the look of utter contempt he is able to capture could chill the dead.

10. Inigo Montoya vs. Count Rugen - The Princess Bride

Albeit a comedy, I think this duel is worth mentioning, if only for Montoya's Quixotic determination and obsession with his adversary. The way the swordfighter's revenge is played out is both masterful, and fitting, never overpowering the movie's somewhat light tone.

[Kale]

I know this is different from the examples you've listed above, but it's still one of my favorites...

Captain Kirk vs. Khan in the Mutara Nebula - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Though it's a starship duel, there's no question that this fight is intensely personal. Kirk capitalizes on Khan's insatiable hatred for him ("I'm laughing at the superior intellect!") to bait the Reliant into the Mutara Nebula after the crippled Enterprise, evening the odds. What follows is a suspenseful blind man's bluff as the two starships hunt one another against a stunning nebular backdrop. By the duel's conclusion, Khan's vendetta consumes him and forces a dear friend of Kirk's to make a noble sacrifice. The depth of characterization and the dramatic model work combine to create one of the most captivating sci-fi naval duels on film.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Horatio Hornblower vs. Jack Simpson - Horatio Hornblower: The Duel

Absolutely excellent in terms of drama. Simpson has been made contemptible, arrogant, underhanded, and a very powerful villain. Gruffudd is excellent as Hornblower, who knows he's going up against impossible odds, and comports himself honourably anyways. Simpson, on the other hand, seems to cheat for the sheer thrill of it, and in a well-done finale exposes himself for the coward and liar he is.

[Stafford]

When I read the thread title, the first one that came to my mind was the final duel in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. However, seeing as how it's already been accounted for, here are a few:

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul - Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace

Arguably the best part of the entire film, the final saber duel between the Jedi and the Sith was what did it for me. Right when Kenobi tells Amidala that they'll handle it, your adrenaline starts flowing. Maul reveals his horns and the dual-bladed lightsaber in the lead-up, two revelations never before seen in a Star Wars film in as many minutes. The choreography, the intensity, and the skill during the duel can't all be captured in one viewing. While the end of the duel is somewhat disappointing, the rest makes up for it tenfold.

Ripley vs. The Alien Queen - Aliens

This just makes you want to cheer. When Ripley comes out in that mechanical suit right before the Queen takes the little girl, you know it's game time. The animatronics are pretty impressive for a movie of it's time, and it did not disappoint.

King Arthur vs. The Black Knight - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Classic hilarity combined with some of the greatest comedy lines ever. The loss of every arm and leg can sometimes deter a person, but not this time.

The Bride vs. The Crazy 88s - Kill Bill Volume I

Awesome in scale and choreography, set to some awesome music. The cinematography of this scene astounds me. Very gory, and the end is hilarious, to some, when she speaks to them all as they're crawling for the door.

Jackie Chan vs. The Gang in the Resteraunt - The Legend of the Drunken Master

This was a Chinese movie that was dubbed into English, and one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. Some 50 or so guys come into this resteraunt where Jackie's mother is playing Mah Jongg, and it turns into a huge brawl. They absolutely trash the place, and there are people walking up ladders into the top windows as if it were a castle siege. Jackie manhandles them all with classic efficiency.

[Cyrel Annat]

While perhaps not a great duel as the rest have been for notoriety's sake, and so on, but one of the most amazing duels I've seen in some time is due to the fluid computer graphic changes in the scene. Now, many aren't huge fans of CGI, but there were no flaws that I could find in this and I've seen it many times.

Captain Jack Sparrow vs. Captain Barbossa

While the fighting is decent, I thought the continuity of the skeleton/human changes when in/out of moonlight were great. Likely not a Top Ten, but another that I did enjoy.

[Telan Desaria]

Fernon, Count Mondiego vs the Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo

The scene is set for an excellent duel - while not of epic proportions, it is indeed stunning. With a storm brewing on the horizon, one cannot help but note the sheer rage boiling in both men: one controls it with an eerie calm, the other exerting the facial expressions only an enraged noble can. The scene is intense and ends with a humours not does not detract from the solemn air.

The Great Leslie vs. Baron von Stupp
The Great Race

The movie is a timeless classic and has to be my favorite Amerikan film. The duel is set amid a comedy and it retains that aura throughout. However, one need to only remove the comedic aspects and add darker lighting to see a dramatic contest of skill. Beautifully choreographed and, I can say as a fencer, not at all innaccurate.

Hamlet vs. Luscentio
Hamlet - Kenneth Brannaugh Version

Note - I may have spelled that name incorrectly. The film is a brand new adaptation of a timeless play - one that is my ultimate favorite - set in denmark at the time of the Franco-Prussian War. This final duel is as climatic as we have come to expect from Brannaugh and has everything a duel should have. The continuing advance of the Swedish Army at the gates of the castle ads to the intensity and crescendo of the battle.

My favorites - - those that are not listed above. I agree with everyone posted.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Originally posted by Telan Desaria
The Great Leslie vs. Baron von Stupp
The Great Race

The movie is a timeless classic and has to be my favorite Amerikan film. The duel is set amid a comedy and it retains that aura throughout. However, one need to only remove the comedic aspects and add darker lighting to see a dramatic contest of skill. Beautifully choreographed and, I can say as a fencer, not at all innaccurate.


Holy cow - someone else who knows this movie?? We are so watching it when you visit.

"Throw more brandy!" :D

[Telan Desaria]

General, you are sloppiest tucker-inner in all of Potsdorff. You are banished! Banished, banished, banished!
Kron-Prinz Kapnick

Esacped?
Yes - with a small friar.
Leslie escaped with a chicken?
No you idiot! A Friar, a priest, a monk! Come, with Leslie on the loose every minute counts!
With Leslie on the loose, every second counts!
Exchange between General Ralls and Professor Fate

Press the button, Max
Professor Fate - - - Many times

If I turn there we'd end up on the Mou-maude steps!
Leslie

[Kale]

Frodo Baggins vs. the One Ring - The Return of the King

As epic as the seige of Minas Tirith was, this is the true battle on which hangs the doom of Middle-Earth. I believe Peter Jackson's greatest triumph in committing Tolkien's beloved work to film was during the final minutes of the journey to the Cracks of Doom. Frodo's deterioration under the weight of the ring is heart-wrenching, Sam's determination is spellbinding, and Gollum's all-consuming desire is horrifying. The intermittent cuts to the hopeless battle before the Black Gate remind us the stakes of this primitive, visceral struggle above the fires of Mount Doom. At last, the Ring destroyed not by Frodo's strength but by its own evil nature. What Tolkien said in writing Jackson reiterated on film--a masterful achievement, to say the least.



Incidentally, Dan the Man had remarked he was interested in what people look for in a great movie duel. In my opinion, a great duel needs great characters more than exciting action--though that certainly helps. The battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi in the Phantom Menace is by far the best lightsaber duel in terms of coreography and special effects, and I love watching it. But it doesn't have nearly the impact of Luke vs Vader on Bespin. There is chemistry and history between these two characters, and the duel itself is integral to the story that is unfolding. The best showdowns are those that are the culmination of a great story.

[Figrin D'an]

I generally agree with the duels listed here as being worthy of recognition. There's a couple I wouldn't put as high as most of them, but disagreement is part of the game when making lists.


Here's one that's a little different that I think is worthy:

Clarice Starling vs. Hannibal Lector - The Silence of The Lambs

No swords or guns or fists in this one. Just a rookie FBI agent and a genius serial killer in a battle of wits. Starling wants information that can help to catch another serial killer known as "Buffalo Bill." Lector, imprisoned for the rest of his life for killings of his own, uses his intellect to toy with the young Starling, masking all that he says in double speak and metaphor, all the while watching in delight as the agent scrambles about trying to decipher his cryptic clues. However, to even get those clues, Starling is made by Lector to reveal parts of her own uncomfortable past, forcing her to face the emotional trauma of childhood on top of the psychological assault mounted by Lector. It's not a traditional duel in the sense that it's not a single confrontational scene in the film. It's spread out over the course of the movie, and builds in intensity as more and more is revealed and Starling comes closer and closer to the answers she seeks. Anthony Hopkins performance as Lector is chilling, as if pure evil is pulsating just beneath the surface of his calm and sophisticated demeanor, yet somehow his interest in Starling isn't entirely for his own entertainment. Starling, wonderfully played by Jodi Foster, evolves from a woman completely fearful of Lector to someone who, having been forced to confront her own demons to achieve her goal, can actually face down the dangerous killer, as was shown so well in the famous "quid pro quo" game the two played.



And, a more traditional one... sort of:

Rick Deckard vs. Roy Batty - Blade Runner

After chasing and hunting down the other Replicants that had returned to Earth, Deckard must face off with Roy, a Replicant who seems to outclass even those of his own kind. Stronger, faster and smarter than Deckard, Roy manages to stay just ahead of Deckard for most of the film, and the final confrontation between the two is really no contest, as Roy holds every advantage, except one. Being a Replicant of a particular type, Roy has a very limited life-span, and is quickly reaching the end of his existence. And in a final strange twist before his death, Roy actually saves Deckard from falling from the rooftop on which the films climax occurs. The confrontation really stands out, however, because of the lines delivered by Roy throughout. His own experiences and influences have formed his twisted perception of humanity, but in the end, despite those things, he still seems to learn the value of life, and attempts to impart this profound wisdom upon his pursuer, for reasons that are somewhat confusing at first. It is after the battle, when the remaining pieces of evidence fall into place, that many of Roy's statements begin to make sense. When taken into account along with the other hints throughout the film, a much debated point comes forward... is Deckard, the best 'blade runner' of them all, actually a Replicant himself?

[Ryan Pode]

Connor "The Highlander" MacLeod v. Victor "The Kurgan" Kruger

This is literally a timeless chase of cat and mouse and in pursuit of one goal: The others head. Battling everywhere from the moors of Scotland in the 1500's to rooftops in New York. Even the times when they weren't fighting, the intense desire that fueled them makes it all worth while.



Figrin - have you seen the Directors cut?

[Kyle Raiden]

Not exactly some of the "greatest" fight scenes ever, but some that I enjoyed watching...


"The good guys" vs. Jabba the Hutt - Return of the Jedi

Probably doesn't qualify as a showdown per se, but it was the climax of the rescue of Han. It had all sorts of things going for it - action (the fighting), comedy (Han Solo being blind), Princess Leia in a really skimpy bikini, and the first time we were really wowed by how powerful a Jedi Luke Skywalker was.


Enterprise vs. Scimitar - Star Trek: Nemesis

Coolness to the extreme. The Enterprise rammed into the Scimitar. That was just cool. The fight scene happened on so many tiers - you had individuals fighting in some nice battles (Data, Picard and Riker all got down and dirty man-on-man), and it did prove one important thing: even in the 24th Century, there are some women that should NEVER drive. In Generations and Nemesis, Deanna gets to drive...and just look what she does!!


Daredevil vs. Elektra vs. Bullseye vs. the Kingpin - Daredevil

I bought Daredevil just so I could say I owned all of the Marvel films. I watched it for the sake of watching it. I'd heard a lot of bad opinions about it...but I actually thought it wasn't that bad. The final set of fights just worked for me. All of the confusion, of identities, the emotions involved...I watched the film with pretty low expectations, and I was extremely impressed.


Yoda vs. Dooku - Attack of the Clones

Yoda. Lightsaber. Summersaults. Thats all I'm gonna say.

[Kitty McQuade]

Tang Lung vs. Colt - Return of the Dragon

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris face off in the Roman Coliseum. If this doesn't get your adrenalin pumping, nothing will!!! This is a classic.


Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson) vs. Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth) - Rob Roy

In my opinion, this is the most realistic (and painful to watch!!! ouch!!!) sword fight ever filmed. No dramatic music for this duel, only blades.

[Rhea Kaylen]

Amen to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And Princess Bride, too.

Umm, let's see...video games don't count? 'Cause, let me tell you, Tidus vs. Seymour (Part I) from FFX, and Sora vs. Ansem (Part I) from Kingdom Hearts are so totally packed with emotion and action. But, this is just movies, so...

Spiderman vs. the Green Goblin--Spiderman. *Not* top-ten material, but packed with action and pain. Plus, Willem Defoe is a maniac in green fiberglass. What more could you want?

Benjamin Martin vs. William Tavington--The Patriot. This duel is actually a sub-plot unto itself, running as a background thread throughout the entire movie. Jason Isaacs is just. So. Evil. With all the pent-up emotion, anger, grudge, and testosterone, you know this battle will have an awesome climax. And, well, it does.