The Ultimate Warrior

I really love 1970s science fiction movies, especially post-apocalyptic ones like 'The Omega Man', 'A Boy And His Dog' and 'Mad Max'. 'The Ultimate Warrior' is in this vein but is often overlooked. I don't know why, it's a very entertaining film. Director Robert Clouse is best known for his martial arts adventures 'Enter The Dragon' and 'Black Belt Jones'. There isn't any martial arts in this one, but there are some fights scenes, especially an exciting one towards the climax between Yul Brynner and b-grade legend William Smith. Brynner, hot off 'Westworld', plays Carson, muscle for hire in the year 2012, in a future society where a plague has devastated agriculture, and anarchy rules in the cities. Max von Sydow ('The Exorcist') plays "the Baron" leader of small group of survivors. They are successfully experimenting with breeding seeds which are immune to the plague. They hire Carson to protect them from a rival gang, led by the mean and nasty thug Carrot (William Smith of 'Run, Angel, Run', 'Invasion Of The Bee Girls', 'Boss N*gger', 'Maniac Cop', etc.etc.). The Baron has secret plans to abandon his followers and leave the city with the seeds and his pregnant daughter (Joanna Miles), and tries to convince Carson to help. Will he? Will Carrot let them? Watch 'The Ultimate Warrior' to find out. I've seen this one a few times and I'm always entertained. It's not the best 1970s SF movie by any means but it's a lot of fun, and Brynner (who's in pretty good shape for a guy pushing sixty!) and the super cool Smith are just great to watch.

This relatively obscure film is, it has to be said, under-rated. There's the usual fine performance from Max von Sydow as the 'Baron' while an old-looking Yul Brynner does well as Carson, the Ultimate Warrior.

The future looks bleak. In 2012 New York is a city devastated, with rival gangs living in communes. By appearance alone, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is a western - with von Sydow, particularly, looking like he's going to burst into a saloon bar, guns blazing. He plays the leader of one of these communes, desperate to secure a better life for his pregnant daughter Melinda (Miles) and enlists Brynner to this end.

Clouse manages to build up the tension nicely as Brynner & Miles race along the derelict New York subway to get to a fabled island, chased by a gang of nasties. The end, however, is abrupt, to say the least and you may feel cheated as about ten minutes before the end the movie seems actually quite good.

As I said before, this is an obscure film that will have a definite novelty value for fans of Sydow and Brynner. Viewers today will see the irony in the opening sequence of a supposedly devastated NY, with the Twin Towers promenantly still standing in the background.

7/10

Hiring a warrior to protect your leaky compound after a worldwide plague can be an iffy proposition. Having to fight off a menacing gang lead by a man named Carrot is also a dangerous endeavor. Yul Brynner is ably cast as "The Ultimate Warrior." He wields a knife with the precision of a rabbi. The film's final reel will confirm this. And Max von Sydow is always fun to watch as he wrestles with the dialog and the ultimate fate of the barricaded parish. I admire the fellow who tends the garden on the roof. A movie like this needs a ray of hope cracking through the grim reality taking place. Stephen McHattie, who played James Dean in the break out role that didn't pan out, has the thankless role of a father who is desperate to feed his family. The film's climax takes place in the city's subway tunnels and is honestly brutal in its resolution. Bravo to the director for his use of still photos at the end. He releases the frame briefly for a burst of light--and coastal bliss. Lastly, my "summary" can be rendered mute if the towers are rebuilt before the date established by the makers of the film. Lets go!

...He just might pop them out of your head. The almighty B movie legend plays the antagonist "Carrot" in this reasonably enjoyable post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller from Robert Clouse, director of "Enter the Dragon".

An intense Yul Brynner stars as Carson, a loner hired as muscle by a peaceable group struggling to survive in the NYC of the year 2012. This group needs somebody like Carson to protect them from the aggressive forces led by Carrot. Leading the good guys is the Baron (a highly engaging Max von Sydow), and one other thing that they have on their side is their botanist Cal (Richard Kelton), who's developed seeds that are immune to the plague. Eventually Carson must make a trek for freedom accompanied by the Barons' pregnant daughter Melinda (Joanna Miles), with Carrot and his gang in hot pursuit.

"The Ultimate Warrior" is good fun, if unfortunately not having quite enough "oomph" to make it something truly special. The script, by director Clouse, is on the routine side, and it never does flesh out the characters too much. That said, the actors are still able to make an impression. Both Brynner and von Sydow have commanding presences and Smith, as could be expected, is a very effective bad guy. Among the supporting cast is reliable veteran character actor Stephen McHattie as Robert, one of the Barons' men. Production design, art direction, and set decoration are all heavy assets; the viewer will have a lot to take in while looking at these run down, forlorn "future" locales. Talents behind the camera include cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld, editor Michael Kahn, and composer Gil Melle, whose score helps to drive the movie forward. What *is* great is the ultimate showdown between Brynner and Smith, which is well worth waiting for; Brynner proves to be in real fighting shape.

A very grim and gritty tale, this movie doesn't pull its punches and portrays a hard scrabble existence in a straightforward manner. It deserves to be more popular, especially considering the subsequent productions such as "Mad Max" and "Escape from New York" that it surely must have influenced.

Seven out of 10.

From Robert Clouse, the director who brought us the absolutely classic, Enter The Dragon, comes this post apocalyptic tale starring none other than Yul Bryner. Shall we dance indeed! Wow, sounds good so far eh? Well, as it happens it is rather and benefits immeasurably by its fine casting, especially the always superb Max Von Sydow, here playing a character called the Baron, leader of a commune of survivors trying desperately to survive in this harsh new world. As was later to become a staple plot in the plethora of post apocalyptic flicks which were to follow this in the early 1980's, not only is there unease and warring factions within the commune itself, but outside even more hostile groups are forever plotting to wipe out their neighbours. In this instance, a particularly nasty group headed by a chap called Carrot(!) (played by perennial bad boy, William Smith) are the antagonists. As a result of the mounting pressure, The Baron hires lone warrior Carson (Bryner) to help protect them and in a more secretive plan, to have him lead his daughter and her horticultural expert husband to safety, far away from the ravages of the doomed city.

Whilst best remembered for his action output, Clouse was actually a very gifted visual director and here manages to convey some particularly effective scenes of desolation (the visuals over the opening credits carry an especial air of sorrow and emptiness, depicting the end of civilisation).

Action wise, despite his mature years at the time of filming, Bryner is on fine form here as he demonstrates during the fair number of fight scenes contained within. Special mention to, for the rather shocking decision he makes during his final confrontation with his nemesis, a sure illustration of the old motto, 'Desperate times call for desperate measures.'

Overall, whilst not nearly as exhilarating as some of Clouse's other works such as Enter The Dragon and Black Belt Jones, this is a fascinating film that deserves far more recognition that it presently owns. For fans of the whole post nuke/post apocalyptic genre which was so huge following Mad Max, this is well worth checking out.