Review of By the Sword (1991) by Zeke S — 14 Mar 2004

I watched this movie with the hopes that it would that actually present fencing realistically and without all the snobs with whom it so often seems to be associated. Silly me. While it is more realistic than other movies I've seen involving fencing, it's stll a far cry from the real thing.

The fencing resembles a wierd cross of the three weapons (foil, epee and saber), and it is still presented as dangerous and painful. Gee, maybe the characters would get hurt less often if they'd stop fencing without masks or jackets.

The movie also failed to give me any likeable characters. The main guy, played by F. Murray Abraham (cool name at least), while being the most likeable, is so mysterious in the first two acts that I never connected with him, and when his secret is finally revealed, I really didn't care who won in the final duel-to-the-death (Of course! People have duels to the death in fencing! It's part of the glamor.

). :(.