Conan the Barbarian Movie

Conan the Barbarian
Rating:
Run Time: 129 min
MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1982
Directors: John Milius
Genre/Type: Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Sword-and-Sorcery
Fantasy Adventure
Producers: Dino de Laurentiis
Raffaella de Laurentiis
Buzz Feitshans
Plot Synopsis by Paul Brenner
John Milius's jingoistic direction and pulpy screenplay fit perfectly into this film version of the Robert E. Howard fantasy story of the sword and sorcery hero, Conan the Barbarian. Complementing Mulius's heavy metal production is Arnold Schwarzenegger's leaden acting, which in any other context would be deadly, but here (as in The Terminator) corresponds nicely with the whole sonorous project. The story begins when a horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. The Wheel of Pain seems to have as its only purpose the building up of Conan's muscles, so it's no surprise that one day Conan grows up to become Arnold Schwarzenegger. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and Subota (Gerry Lopez). The trio comes upon a weird snake cult, linked to Doom, and Conan wants to trek off to Doom's mountain retreat to kill him. But he is prevented from doing that by King Osrik (Max Von Sydow), who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills.

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He conquered an empire with his sword. She conquered HIM with her bare hands. more
Conan had his chinese wizard mate..he could summon demons..Conan would chop his head off before He-man could raise his sword and shout his by the power stuff..
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Cast

Actors Character Born
Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan Jul 30, 1947 in Graz, Austria
James Earl Jones Thulsa Doom Jan 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, MS
Max von Sydow King Osric Apr 10, 1929 in Lund, Sweden
Sandahl Bergman Valeria Nov 14, 1951 in Kansas City, MO
Ben Davidson Rexor Jun 14, 1940 in Los Angeles, CA
Cassandra Gaviola The Witch
Gerry Lopez Subotai
Mako The Wizard Dec 10, 1933 in Kobe, Japan
Valerie Quennessen The Princess
Erick Holmey Officer
Leslie Foldvary Snake Girl
Kiyoshi Yamazaki Sword Master
Jorge Sanz Young Conan
Sven Ole Thorsen Thorgrim
William Smith Conan's Father Mar 24, 1934 in Columbia, MO
Luis Barboo Red Hair
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Back to the topReview

Review by Keith Phipps
If John Milius has a specialty as a director, it's making enjoyable films out of highly questionable material. In his directorial debut, Dillinger, he made the cold-blooded gangster an almost lovable figure without toning down the story's violence a bit. Here he uses Robert E. Howard's pulp hero to justify a militaristic worldview just a little to the left of a backwoods militia. Social Darwinism transported to a mythic past, Conan presents a kill-or-be-killed world in which the musclebound Schwarzenegger logically sits at the top of the food chain. Working in top form, Milius has the smarts to pull it off. The world he presents seems strangely plausible and complete, filled out with merchants, cults, and other fixtures. The action sequences are staged excitingly and, like fellow film school pals Lucas and Spielberg, he fills the film with classic film references, with one segment borrowing especially effectively from Kwaidan. On some levels it might be reprehensible, but it's entertainingly reprehensible, particularly in the fleshed out director's cut form found on the DVD version.
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