FTD #5 - Zorro vs Inigo Montoya

[IrishCanadian25]

Required for this episode of IC25's "Film Throwdown" are a rapier and a kick-ass Spanish accent.

He is Antonito Banderas, and he is "de sexy." And in the greatest remake of Zorro ever done, Banderas plays Alejandro Murrieta, who trains under Diego de la Vega, played by Anthony Hopkins, to become the newest Zorro. In the process, he fulfills one of my biggest dreams - he cuts the clothes off of Catherine Zeta-Jones.

VS.

His name IS, in fact, Inigo Montoya. Did you kill his father? Prepare to die...

Undoubtedly one of the most quotable films ever, Inigo Montoya plays the master swordsman in Princess Bride. He has two terrific sword fight scenes - one against Wesley (played by the fantastic Cary Elwes) and the other against the six-fingered man, who did in fact kill his father. Much the way Alejandro Murrietta becomes the new Zorro, Montoya becomes the new Dread Pirate Roberts.
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It's just two swords, and two men. Who wins?

(editor's note - it's a foregone conclusion that, when the fight is over, both men have sex with all of our girlfriends, only to be beheaded by Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul. But still...)

 

[klunderbunker]

Zorro, end of argument.

The thing is, he's just a freaking bad ass. Let's say they're balanced with a sword. Ok, fine. Zorro is far more cunning. Think of his name: Zorro, which means fox. He was the perfect combination of skill and intellect while Montoya is just skill. It's not even close here, and this has nothing to do with the fact that I like Zorro more than TMNT.

 

[D-Man]

Seriously, fuck you IC25. This thread is like asking me to choose between my kids... you bastard!! *tear*

Anyway, I'd have to run with Zorro on this one. But, in natural D-Man fashion, I'm going to weigh their attributes to explain my decision...

Revenge
Inigo Montoya was out for revenge due to the murder of his father. Zorro (Banderas) was avenging his brother's death. Both men have blood on the brain. It's dead-even.

Fencing Skill
There is no doubt that Montoya is an extremely skilled, self-taught sword-fighter. He dedicated his entire life to fencing since he was a small child due to his father's murder and having revenge on the brain. We are unsure of who trained him, but the time he spent on the art makes up for his lack of direction.

Zorro began his training later in life but was an obvious natural for the arts of fencing. He was trained by arguably the greatest swordsman that ever lived. His skill is near unmatched.

Once again, I see an even tie.

Known Wins/Losses
Montoya lost a fencing duel to the "Man in Black." As we were taught in the Princess Bride, the "Man in Black" was taught to fence by one of the many incarnations of the Dreaded Pirate Roberts and learned the rest of his skills on his own. I don't know about you guys, but I've never heard of Roberts... but I've definitely heard of Zorro.

Banderas's character in Zorro was taught to fence by the greatest swordsman that ever lived and has never lost a fencing battle.

Edge goes to Zorro.

Misc. Skills
As far as sword skill, these men are just about even. However, Zorro has been portrayed in his movies to be a well-rounded athlete both with AND without his sword. He has bested dozens of soldiers simultaneously without gaining a scratch. Like KB already said, Zorro is FAR more intelligent and cunning than Montoya.

WINNER: ZORRO