A Espada e os Bárbaros

"I have a debt to pay" ... for 15 years of viewing pleasure. This film is an absolute joy, untarnished by repeated viewings, sadly overshadowed by Schwarzeneger's vastly inferior Conan movies, and unreasonably critically trashed alongside truly terrible contemporary low budget thud and blunder efforts. The script creaks more than the plot, but reigned in from the curse of camp by director Albert Pyun the actors deliver their lines with a straight face and leave the the audience to find the comedy themselves. Almost a dictionary definition of "ahead of its time", the film is a blueprint for the success of Sam Raimi's Hercules and Xena, right down to the use of Australian bit players. Effects like the demon sorceror's tomb might be managed better technically today, but no more atmospherically, and the closing sword battle is a triumph. The performances are eccentric and electric, and you could not wish for a more motley crew of cut-throats and sidekicks. Richard Lynch eats the scenery with unalloyed zeal, and quite simply more of Lee Horsley as Talon would have made the movie world a better place.

Ah, this brings back the memories.

This was one of the scariest movies I saw when I was young, and one of the best adventure/d&d movies. Some of the scenes were truly gruesome, especially the big monster bloke with the beating heart. I still remember grimacing as the hero puts his hand on the tree and one of the baddies fires an arrow into it, and when Talon is attached to the cross and has to pull his hands with big nails in them out. Ouch, that gave me the heebygeebees. Classic stuff for kids, although I nearly died with embarrasment (watching this beside my mum at the time) when Talon is being chased through the castle and crashes into the bedroom filled with beautiful bronzed naked women.

9/10 as a kid, but the cast do know it's trash and ham it up for what it is.

One of the first fantasy adventure flicks to cash in on the success of Schwarzeneggar's Conan, The Sword and the Sorcerer has stuck in my mind over the past 30 years thanks to its relatively high level of gore and female nudity. Unfortunately, what I couldn't remember was just how crap the less exploitative elements of the film are. Lame fight scenes, a confusing meandering plot, half-assed humour, characters with really dumb names, wooden acting, and terrible direction: they're all here in abundance.

Let's concentrate on the positives then...

Pop this one into the player and you'll be greeted by a surprisingly good opening scene in which ancient sorcerer Xusia, resurrected to help villain Cromwell (Richard Lynch) in his quest for world domination, demonstrates his power by using magic to tear the heart from a witch. Some decent splattery make-up effects easily make this one of the best parts of the whole film. Juicy!

Not much later and we get to see the film's titular sword, a truly impressive piece of weaponry—triple bladed, with two of these blades able to be fired from the hilt at high velocity. This is inherited by young warrior Talon after Cromwell ruthlessly slaughters his family and their people. Boo hissss!

Years pass, the story gets awfully convoluted and characters come and go, but at least we get some scantily clad wenches to help take our minds off the sloppiness of the script, best of all being buxom, doe-eyed beauty Alana (Kathleen Beller), who along with her brother Mikah (Simon MacCorkindale) is plotting a rebellion against Cromwell. They hire the now grown up Talon (played by Lee Horsley) to help their cause. Cool!

Talon gets in lots of fairly bloody but badly choreographed fights, encountering more semi-clothed women along the way, but is eventually captured and crucified, large nails piercing both his hands. He gets free, of course, and with the help of Mikah, some friendly seadogs, and a few farmers, defeats Cromwell's soldiers. During this fight, we get a brief but really gory shot of a head being cleaved in two. Nice!

The end of the film sees Talon, armed with his massive weapon (oo-err), chasing down Cromwell only to be confronted by Xusia, who has been masquerading as Cromwell's evil adviser Machelli. Here we get another decent effects scene as the sorcerer sheds his human guise, tearing away the flesh from his face and arms. Yuck!

However, as enjoyable as certain individual moments are, the movie as a whole is a mess, a distinctly mediocre fantasy that I imagine will have many viewers fast-forwarding through in order to get to the next 'good bit'.

This is a wonderfully well-done feature with top marks for its value in sheer fun.

If you're not into fantasy, see this anyway as a great swashbuckler a la the Errol Flynn-as-hero genre. (And Lee Horsley even resembles Errol throughout this film, which I was fortunate enough to see theatrically at time of release.)

There are terrific villains galore, rip-roaring adventure, great castles and dungeons, complicated skullduggery, and comeuppance aplenty, all done with delicate humor.

This is great screen entertainment with a '40s-'50s look to it, and that's a compliment. There are no wasted moments. The fast-moving story relies much more on quality writing, acting and expert direction rather than copping out with the sort of elaborate special-effects that producers/directors of such films seem to lean on so heavily now, nearly two decades later.

I think it's a classic, and a model, of its type.

Highly recommended to all except small children.

I'm sorry that a sequel was never made of The Sword And The Sorcerer. It was fairly obvious that Lee Horsley got caught up with his Matt Houston series at the time. This one was a very well done fantasy adventure.

Lee Horsley plays Talon deprived of his rightful place as king by evil usurper Richard Lynch who employs the black arts of sorcery to conquer the kingdom run by Horsley's father. Talon who is a child at the time flees, but grows up to be an adventurer medieval soldier of fortune with one nasty triple sword that actually fires two of its blades like a spring, the better to take care of more than one adversary.

In the meantime brother and sister Simon MacCorkindale and Kathleen Beller are having Richard Lynch now threaten their domain. Of course it is the mysterious Horsley that comes to their aid.

Lynch of whom I can't think of playing any good guys in his career is as evil as they come. Soon after resurrecting a wizard to help him in his quest, he kills the same wizard played by Richard Moll. But the sorcerer is far from done with him.

And there's George Maharis a mysterious nobleman with his own agenda involving the kingdom.

Horsley cut quite the romantic medieval figure and Kathleen Beller is a beautiful doe eyed princess who knows exactly where men are vulnerable in protecting her virtue. Nice special effects also characterize The Sword And The Sorcerer. I wish Horsley had done more films with his Talon character.