Le justicier contre la reine des crocodiles

Fairly incompetent martial arts scenes unite with fantastical cheese sfx in what feels like an Indonesian version of Lucio Fulci's Conquest. The sinister synth score is easily the highlight of the picture, while not exactly fitting the milieu (save for perhaps the Crocodile Queen's sex lair). The Devil's Sword is worth a look for its trippier moments, although there's nothing here you won't find done better and wilder in Hong Kong psychotronic masterpieces like The Boxer's Omen and Five Element Ninjas, from the latter of which, you'll notice, the makers of this film blatantly lifted a detail or two.

... ever! (I always wanted to write that:) Many years ago (in 1993 as I recall it) one of my former classmates persuaded me to watch what he called "a epic masterpiece". To this day it stands out to me as the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting, the story, the effects - everything is bad. Unless you are one of these people who just loves to appreciate trash, you should pass on this. However chances are that since you are reading this, you've already seen it.

Out of almost 500 movies this is the only non-short I've given a 1/10.

I haven't seen any other low-budget Asian warrior flicks, so I guess there's even worse things out there! Scary...

:P

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Devil's Sword; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.00 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

The Devil's Sword has to be one of the most enjoyable, though thoroughly awful, movies ever made. Should anybody not understand the appeal and draw of a B-Movie, then look no further than this one - It is the quintessential representative of the sub-genre.

The story tells of a village's curse. For the hamlet to prosper, they must elect a strapping young man to become the "Husband" of the Invisible Crocodile Queen. Husband is a loose term for a courtesan whose only job is to satisfy her carnal desires. Should he fail his Queen, he's swiftly fed to her cannibal pets, kept under lock and key in a bamboo cage. However, the nymphomaniac Queen's insatiability is too strong to control, and she dispatches her faithful warrior to rustle up her next Husband. This over-eagerness doesn't go down well with the villagers, especially the real wife of the newly Queen-selected Husband. And the fight between good and evil begins. Riding out of the hills to the sound of conflict comes our hero, Mandala. No sooner does he arrive in the blood-splattered town square than he realises this fight is personal. His combatant is his brother in training Banyunjaga, who abandoned the teachings of their master for fame and fortune. Not only does Banyunjaga serve the Crocodile Queen, but he also aspires to possess the Devil's Sword and be the greatest villain in history. Iman Tantowi, who wrote this epic, packs the tale with everything but the kitchen sink. Because he stuffs so much in, it sustains the viewers' attention and interest from fully waining.

And that would have been great, but then Ratno Timoer takes the director's chair. For the most part, he's not too bad a director. He has some decent ideas, and his cinematography is above average. Regretfully, the incidental elements render the movie inferior to its Asian counterparts: Like the farcical facial make-up, which consists of bad wigs, awful fake eyebrows, moustaches, beards, scars, and dirt. One rogue possesses the worst bald head I've seen, and it's not a latex cap like most effects teams use. It's a thick helmet of some variety, complete with false hair draped below it. You can see the actor's ears bent under its weight. Then we get to the aforementioned martial arts. For one thing, they needed better choreography and better fighters. There are too many missed hits and kicks that have devastating effects. However, they try to redress the action with absurd over-the-top special effects. Heads pop off like pop bottle tops after being agitated too much. And halfway through the picture, Timoer must have realised the action was too slow as he takes to speeding up the frames. Everybody ends up running around like hyper Speedy Gonzales. Arriba, Arriba, Andale, Andale. It looks ridiculous, but it brought a smile to my lips and a laugh to my voice, so it's all good.

The cast is passable for a movie such as The Devil's Sword. Nobody's winning an Oscar soon, but they will entertain you - even if it's for the wrong reasons. And I will state at this juncture that Barry Prima, who plays Mandala, is one of the best martial arts actors in the film. His acting isn't too terrible either.

All in all, The Devil's Sword is a tremendously fun and entertainingly bad B-Movie. I would passionately recommend it to anyone who loves B-movies and is having a bad day. This flick should elevate you above the drudgery of everyday life.

Step Away From The Crocodile Queen and come take a look-see at my Obsidian Dreams, Holding Out For A Hero, and Guilty Pleasures lists to see where I ranked The Devil's Sword.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Berry Prima. Witches and warlocks. Monsters. Lush jungle locales. In-camera special effects. Pastel parasols that kill people. "The story of THE DEVIL'S SWORD makes absolutely no sense, the acting is often appalling and the special effects a re a no-budget riot." Pete Tombs, Mondo Macabro. No argument there, pal, but this film aside from MYSTICS IN BALI is what I love about Indo films in the first place. Nonstop, colorful nonsense that recalls Italian muscleman peplum at its most indulgent. A one-eyed Cyclops whose eye is a very obvious car headlight is just one of the many bizarre delights offered. The dismal musical score that sounds like the backdrop of an outdated video game just adds to the appeal.

Production note: Why are we treated to a male swimmer's anus in one shot?

Bottom line: "Movies are so rarely fine art, that unless we cultivate an appreciation for great trash, there really is no reason in going." -- Pauline Kael

Not as entertaining as the Warrior movies, this is still worth looking for. This time there is no evil Dutch Imperialists, but instead we get a Crocodile Queen in a pastel plastic cave, surrounded by her harem of cannibal sex slaves. As usual there is loads of martial arts, magic, and one and a half hour of memorable quotes. Oh, and the Devil Sword, the magical weapon who turns the owner into an invincible half God, or something like that. Yes, this is one trashy Indonesian movie, but it is still more entertaining than any Hollywood comedy. Did I mention the gory fights, the deadly parasol, the flying rock or the stone-headed cyclops?

Recommended.