The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) Group 1/Fantasy-Action-Adventure RT: 99 minutes Rated R (graphic violence, nudity, sexual content, frightening scenes) Director: Albert Pyun Screenplay: Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski and John V. Stuckmeyer Music: David Whitaker Cinematography: Joseph Margine Release date: April 23, 1982 (US) Cast: Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, Richard Moll, Anthony De Longis, Robert Tessier, Nina Van Pallandt, Anna Bjorn, Jeff Corey, Joe Regalbuto, Earl Maynard, Reb Brown, Peter Breck, Christopher Cary. Box Office: $39.1M (US)
Rating: ****
The Sword and the Sorcerer is one the movies that ignited my passion for sword-and-sorcery flicks, especially the blood-soaked, R-rated ones. My dad took me to see this one Saturday afternoon. It was showing on a double bill with Conan the Barbarian at the old City Line Theater. We came in late, but I still got to rewatch the last hour of so of Conan. That’s where all the good stuff happens.
Then it was time for The Sword and the Sorcerer. It’s a low budget piece, made for about $4M. It went on to earn $39.1 million, making it the most profitable independent film of the year. At the time, I wasn’t very familiar with the concept of independent movies. All I knew is that it looked like a cool movie. The hero, Talon (Horsley, Matt Houston), wields a triple-bladed projectile sword. When I saw that in the previews, I knew I had to see it.
Well, it didn’t disappoint. I loved The Sword and the Sorcerer and still do. It’s cheap looking and the acting is pretty bad, but so what? I don’t even mind that Horsley looks like he just stepped off a California beach. This movie has lots of action and bloody violence as well as one of the coolest opening scenes I’ve ever seen. It also has Richard Lynch (God Told Me To, Invasion USA) as the main villain. And don’t forget that bad ass sword. In short, it’s freaking awesome!
The movie opens on fog-shrouded Tomb Island where evil King Cromwell (Lynch) hopes to resurrect the demon sorcerer Xusia (Moll, Night Court) to help him overthrow his chief rival King Richard (Cary, Missing in Action 2) by defeating his armies. A witch casts the conjuring spell and the stone faces that align his crypt come to life. The sorcerer rises from a pool of goopy liquid and demonstrates his powers to Cromwell by killing the witch with magic. She explodes and he catches her heart in his hand. Now that’s what a call a great start!
Ehdan is the richest kingdom in the world and Cromwell wants it all for himself. With Xusia’s help, he defeats Richard’s formidable armies. He then thrusts a dagger into the sorcerer, supposedly killing him. Richard and his last remaining army are no match for Cromwell. The usurper executes Richard and most of his family. Youngest son Talon, having been entrusted with his father’s sword, escapes and vanishes.
Several years later, Talon (Horsley) returns to Ehdan to settle the debt. He quickly learns of a rebellion against Cromwell led by Prince Mikah (MacCorkindale, Jaws 3-D), the son of Richard’s closest advisor who many consider the rightful heir to the throne. Mikah gets captured, but his sister Alana (Beller, Fort Apache, The Bronx) manages to escape. After being rescued from ruffians by Talon, she asks him to rescue her brother. He agrees to do it for a price, one night of sex with her. And so the adventure begins!
I know what you’re thinking. Wait a minute, isn’t Talon the true heir to the throne? Yes, but he doesn’t appear interested in being king. He lives for adventure and such a position wouldn’t allow for such pursuits. I’ve heard some describe this as a major plot hole, but I beg to differ. Sometimes you just have to accept what a movie throws at you and draw your own conclusions.
That being said, The Sword and the Sorcerer is filled with action and adventure. It has sword fights, a ragtag army that backs up the hero, bloodshed and a dungeon replete with sadistic dungeonmaster (Tessier, Starcrash). It also has plenty of gratuitous nudity. You can’t have an R-rated S&W flick without naked boobs. Come to think of it, the same applies to many PG-rated ones too (e.g. Tanya Roberts in The Beastmaster).
Aside from Lynch (he’s great), the acting in The Sword and the Sorcerer isn’t one of its strong points. The dialogue is just as bad. In the scene where Talon saves Alana from being attacked, he says to one of her would-be rapists, “That’s a small threat. That’s a very small threat.” while gazing downward. There’s also talk of “daggers” and I don’t mean the killing kind. The special effects are pretty good for the money the producers spent on the movie. It has a really nice visual sense. Director Albert Pyun (Dangerously Close) keeps things moving at a fairly rapid clip. As for the violence, I’m partial to the scenes where a guy gets his head split in half by a sword and when somebody has his head forced against a stone blade grinding wheel.
I won’t lie, The Sword and the Sorcerer is a silly movie, but it’s also a really cool movie. It stoked my imagination back in the day. I must have watched it at least a dozen times on cable. It’s one of the defining movies of my teen years. Despite its flaws, I think it’s excellent. It rates four stars in my book just because it’s so cool.
