Inigo vs. Westley: Princess Bride Perfection 

Inigo vs Count Rugen analysis here:

"Since the invention of the duel, there have been five swordfights that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."

This fight always struck me as a classic "falling in love" scene but manly and platonic. From the playful boasting to forcing compliments out of each other, to the existential "Who are you?" exchange, it was like when you first properly meet the person who will become your BFF, overly dramatic for no reason and still 100% real

The Princess Bride is the kind of movie that says, “Yes, many of these things are cliche and kind of silly. And you love it. But that’s okay, because so do we!”

Inigo Montoya is the real hero of this movie and you cannot make me change my mind.

In the book version, Inigo screamed the line "Who are you?" (with italics and everything) while Westley remained calm. I think the movie did that better. Also, the best explanation I ever heard for the slight cheesiness of the movie's set designs was that it was a fantasy novel as imagined by an 80's kid.

"I am not left handed either," has got to be one of the best twists in cinema

Also, I have to say that I almost wept when I saw Inigo start that two-handed hacking. To see someone so talented and so skilled falling into despair... He's spent his entire life doing nothing but train with the sword, and now this masked twit is not just going to beat him, but beat him handily. He knows he will never avenge his father, either; he's going to die at the top of this stupid cliff. The inner rage and sorrow takes away all his confidence, his determination, and his skill; he's left with nothing but fury, like some barroom brawler. Tragic. 😢

Head cannon: While Inigo fought left-handed to make the fight more interesting, Wesley fought left-handed because he knew he was good enough to beat the average swordsman quickly with his off hand. He was saving his good hand for later in the day because he didn't know what else he would be facing and wanted it to not be fatigued.

I’m intrigued by the “You seem a decent fellow” exchange. Inigo is technically one of the “bad guys” at this point, lamenting he has to kill a good guy. But Westley counters saying (essentially) “You’re a good guy too.” Vizzini is such a bully to Inigo and Fezzik, they need someone like Westley who believes in them. ❤️

So random fact, when Inigo Montoya says "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father.... prepare to DIE!" the actor (Mandy Patinkin) said that the year previous his father had lost a battle with cancer and to honour him when he said those lines, he was really talking to the cancer that took his father from him.... best scene ever

Can we talk about how Wesley didn’t say he was going to kill Inigo. “I would hate to die.”

“Who are you?”

One of the best parts of this scene is how you can easily dismiss any spinning moves or flips of being "oh he would have just stabbed him there" because they did the development of them being such honorable gentlemen and having fun with it that it actually fits their characters to let the opponent finish the spin or flip just for their own entertainment.

"Audiences don't generally want realistic sword fights; realistic sword fights tend to be fast, subtle, and over quite quickly"

This movie has the most honest depiction of bad guys that I have ever seen. You have guys who are not really bad guys, a middleman who seems to be the bad guy but isn't really, a refined gentleman who is just evil and opportunistic, and the prince who is really the bad guy. Love this movie!

In the grand scheme of the film as a whole, the fight also ended up being a job interview of sorts...

Even more amazing swordsmanship when you realise Cary Elwes had broken his toe before this scene. Apparently, if you look closely enough you can see him stepping lightly with one foot.

One final detail: the thunk when Wesley hits Inigo's head is real. Carey Elwes misjudged the blow.

This scene made me pick up fencing. Though I was disappointed that there was less flipping and flourishing.