The Princess Bride Has the Greatest Twist in Fantasy Movie History

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Fantasy is a remarkably broad movie genre, offering a huge range of subgenres for viewers to enjoy. Within this expansive category, remains a consistently popular film, celebrated for its heartwarming love story, brilliant humor, strong performances, and surprising plot twists.

Released in 1987, The Princess Bride was directed by Rob Reiner and tells a charming love story. It follows Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmhand who leaves to seek his fortune so he can be worthy of her. When Buttercup gets into trouble, Westley returns to rescue her from criminals and scheming princes in an exciting adventure across the land of Florin. Though the entire movie is enjoyable, one particular scene is especially memorable for its surprising twist.

Westley And Inigo Introduced The Best Twist In The Princess Bride

The movie The Princess Bride quickly establishes its central conflict. When Westley leaves to seek his fortune, he encounters the notorious Dread Pirate Roberts and is believed to be killed – the pirate leaves no survivors. Heartbroken, Buttercup is then forced to agree to marry Prince Humperdinck. However, trouble continues when she’s kidnapped by the cunning Vizzini and his henchmen, the strong giant Fezzik and the skilled swordsman Inigo Montoya. Vizzini’s plan is to take Buttercup to the neighboring country of Guilder and murder her, framing it as an act of political sabotage.

As soon as Vizzini and his men kidnapped Buttercup, a skilled masked man began pursuing them – first across the water and then up the dangerous Cliffs of Insanity. Vizzini decided to leave one of his men, Inigo, to fight the masked man, believing it would be a fair fight since Inigo was an expert swordsman. This encounter was full of unexpected twists and hinted at the eventual partnership between Inigo and Westley, which would unfold later at the castle in Florin.

Everyone anticipated a fierce and brutal battle, but the fight took an unexpected turn when both men displayed remarkable kindness and respect for each other before it even started. Vizzini had sabotaged Westley’s climb by cutting the rope, forcing him to scale the cliff face on his own. However, instead of taking advantage of the situation, Inigo surprisingly offered Westley the rope to help him up, ensuring he reached safe ground. He even allowed Westley time to rest and recover before they began their swordfight.

Before the duel started, Inigo announced he’d fight with his left hand to even the odds and make the fight last longer. Once it began, they fought skillfully, testing each other’s abilities without truly trying to harm one another. They playfully referenced famous fencing masters like Capo Ferro and Agrippa, incorporating those techniques into their moves while exchanging clever remarks. The fight was both predictable and unexpected, and actors Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin performed it with impressive skill.

The audience is aware Inigo is fighting with his left hand, but Westley isn’t. Inigo reveals this by switching hands, unexpectedly increasing the difficulty of the fight for Westley. This leads to a bigger surprise: Westley calmly tells Inigo that he wasn’t fighting left-handed either, having pretended to do so.

The crowd was so caught up in the duel that they didn’t notice Inigo and Westley were both fighting left-handed. Just when Inigo seemed to be gaining the upper hand, Westley revealed a hidden move and quickly overpowered him. Instead of killing Inigo, as Vizzini expected, Westley simply knocked him unconscious so he could continue after Buttercup.

This plot twist is considered one of the best in film history because it genuinely surprised viewers without feeling unbelievable. It achieves this by relying on cleverness and insight rather than relying on simple tricks.

This Duel Reflected Inigo and Westley’s Personalities As Well

Learning that Inigo and Westley intentionally fought with their weaker hands made the scene much better, highlighting that the fight wasn’t about hurting each other at all. It was a dazzling display of skill, full of unexpected moves that kept the audience engaged. While Inigo was a professional seeking revenge, he wasn’t cruel or malicious. Both he and Westley clearly enjoyed the challenge of testing each other’s abilities, switching between their dominant and non-dominant hands.

Inigo and Westley clearly respected each other, and their duel – a thrilling exchange of both insults and swordplay – was the most memorable part of the scene. Both fighters demonstrated admirable sportsmanship, revealing their strong character. Even when Westley had the upper hand, he didn’t want to kill Inigo. Instead, he showed his respect and simply knocked him unconscious so he could continue on his journey.

Though Inigo and Westley were meeting for the first time, they quickly bonded, hinting at the strong partnership they’d develop throughout the film. Inigo shared the story of his father, Domingo, who had been wrongly murdered by a six-fingered man. Westley remembered this detail and promised to let Inigo know if he ever encountered the killer – Count Tyrone Rugen, who was part of Prince Humperdinck’s court.

Returning to Florin, Westley and Inigo Montoya teamed up to rescue Buttercup before the Prince could succeed with his wicked scheme. Despite facing incredibly difficult odds, they formed an unexpected and strong bond, highlighting the importance of their epic sword fight. Beyond the clever dialogue and surprising plot twists, this legendary duel also established one of the most beloved friendships in fantasy film history.

Will There Be A Princess Bride Sequel?

Though it wasn’t a huge success when it first came out, The Princess Bride is now a beloved classic, with some fans even calling it a perfect film. Despite years of hoping for a sequel, director Rob Reiner announced at San Diego Comic-Con that there are no plans to make one. The movie is based on William Goldman’s 1973 novel of the same name, and Goldman himself played a large role in writing the film’s script.

I always wondered what happened after ‘The Princess Bride,’ and apparently, William Goldman tried to write a sequel called ‘Buttercup’s Baby.’ Sadly, it just wasn’t working for him. He actually wrote three chapters, but he didn’t like the direction it was taking. He even talked it over with Rob Reiner, who made it clear he’d only ever consider a movie based on something Goldman himself approved of, which I totally respect. It’s good to know they both had such a strong vision for the original!

In addition, many of the original cast members, particularly Robin Wright, were against making a sequel for a number of reasons. Wright clearly stated in an interview with AARP that a sequel “will never happen.” With 38 years having passed, the actors have aged considerably, and a continuation of the story would likely look strange. She also mentioned that during a 30-year reunion call, the cast discussed the possibility of a sequel, but pointed out that many of them “would be in a wheelchair” by that point.

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve noticed a frustrating trend in Hollywood: constantly revisiting and rebooting older films. It almost never lives up to the original, and often messes with what made the first movie special. They tend to change things – storylines, character motivations – and it just feels like a betrayal of the original experience. That’s why I’m so grateful that the creators of The Princess Bride have no interest in revisiting it. That film perfectly balanced romance, comedy, satire, and fantasy, and it’s just too good to risk ruining with a remake. It’s a perfect movie as is!

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2026-04-04 00:38