The Sword and the Sorceror

release year: 1982
genre: fantasy
viewing setting: home Bluray 6/24/23 and many other times in the 1980s and 1990s

synopsis: A ruthless conqueror summons a long-dead evil wizard, and together they take over the greatest kingdom in the land and kill the entire royal family...except for one young son, who escapes, grows up to be a mighty mercenary leader, and returns to take revenge and claim his birthright.

impressions: This is the movie with the three-bladed sword. Now that we're past that...this is actually a fun and spirited fantasy flick. It's got a good plot (even if it's borrowed from Robert E. Howard's Conan story Hour of the Dragon), a mighty hero, an evil king, a more evil wizard, a rebellion, a lady in distress, a torture chamber, a mercenary company, lots of humor, ambushes, battles, a running chase/fight through a castle...how can you go wrong? The movie is basic, linear sword-and-sorcery fare and it's very entertaining.

acting: Lee Horsley is the carefree but skilled warrior/lead and does a good job. Richard Lynch makes an excellent tyrant/antagonist. Richard Moll, under a lot of makeup, is the evil sorceror. Kathleen Beller is the damsel in distress, who just wants to get her rebellion going.

final word: One of the better B-grade fantasy epics of the early-80s golden era.

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