In an age of Xena-esque fantasy adventure films (al la the tepid Scorpion King) It is startling to go back and see just how good this movie still is. "Conan" is not for the faint of heart, and not just for gore - there are far more bloody movies out there - but for the uncompromising warrior-ethos John Milius infused into his vision. There is nothing PC about this fantasy world. When he is asked "what is best in life?" Conan paraphrases Genghis Khan: "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!" We are not led to believe he is kidding. It is true that Arnold is no great actor, but it is also true he has always stuck with parts he can handle, and he does a fine job as Conan, but the real star here is the director. John Milius is one of the greats, totally unappreciated in his time, and his sweeping scope and epic, gritty battle sequences add a dimension lacking from almost every other S&S film. There is a grim aura of doom pervading the movie that fits the original Howard stories to a T, and I think Robert E Howard would have really liked this movie. James Earl Jones gives a killer performance as the evil Thulsa Doom, rivalling Darth Vader himself. A last point in this film's favor is the score. Basil Poledouris turned out his best score ever for this film: Brooding, powerful and operatic, it lends the film a grandeur Hercules could only dream of. I must have seen this film 40 times and I still never get tired of it.
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sargon99922 November 2002
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BA_Harrison28 February 2015Directed by John Milius, this hugely entertaining slice of sword and sorcery is epic stuff from start to finish, opening with Conan as a young boy witnessing the slaughter of his tribe by the evil snake-cult leader Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his henchmen, charting Conan's subsequent life as a slave, a gladiator, and a thief, and following him as he and his loyal friend Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and sexy squeeze Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) travel to Thulsa Doom's mountain lair to rescue a king's daughter and exact a little revenge.
As an actor, five times Mr. Universe and seven times Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger might only be slightly less wooden than The Tree of Woe to which he is nailed, but with more muscle mass in one arm than the average man has in his entire body, he makes a perfect Conan the Barbarian. As expected, Arnold mauls his dialogue like he's chewing on a vulture's neck, but he gives the role everything he's got, especially when it comes to swinging a sword and slicing up men like they're so much Extrawurst. Arnie flexes his muscles, blood and limbs fly in all directions, and Hollywood's greatest action star is born.
Milius's film might threaten to become mired by a sense of self importance at times, but with bags of atmosphere, superb production design by Ron Cobb, and stunning cinematography, plus oodles of brutal hacking and slashing, all accompanied by a breath-taking symphonic score by Basil Poledouris, Arnie's first major movie ultimately emerges triumphant. -
dave13-115 April 2012When Conan came out in 1981, critics griped about its elephantine pacing and ponderous dialogue, and long stretches in which nothing much happened, giving evidence that they expected traditional action- adventure in the vein of, say, Sinbad. But director John Milius had set out to create something very different: an epic Aryan myth which translated the qualities of Wagnerian opera to cinema, and in large part he succeeded.
Conan has a sweeping epic feel, and is heavily dependent upon and driven by its setting and music to a degree that is very rare. As important as the deeds of the legendary hero, which are shown in brief and violent spurts of action, are the place and the culture that shaped that legend. The journey that created the myth, in short, is equal to the myth itself, and this is the logic and justification for the setting-heavy approach taken by Milius. And Basil Poledouris' wonderful music, which starts out Wagnerian and brassy, but adds middle Eastern touches as Conan's journey takes him in that direction, tracks along with Conan to show up the breadth of his epic journey while celebrating his heroic achievements.
Ultimately the story that gets told is somewhat less worthy of Milius' Wagnerian ambitions than are the music and the visuals, but the overall results more than justify the effort, especially when compared to the Italian sword and sandal knock-offs which followed this much copied but never equaled classic of the fantasy genre. -
ottox28 May 2003This is one of my top-ten favorite movies of all time. It's quite easy to dismiss this film based on its genre (barbarian slash-em-up) and the limited acting ability of the star (Schwarzenegger), but Conan is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Ok, the story is fairly standard, and the principal actors (Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman & Gerry Lopez) are competent but not outstanding. There are a few brief but memorable performances from James Earl Jones and Max von Sydow that help lend weight to the film, but the real stars are Poledouris' score and the cinematography. I have never seen a more beautifully-shot film in my life. The costumes, props and art direction are all top-notch. They could take all of the dialog out of the movie, and just have the music and pictures and it would still be worth watching.
To fully appreciate Conan, though, you have to watch it and then watch another barbarian-type film from any era (Beastmaster, Krull, etc.) and the difference will be stunning. -
The_Sun_Toucher30 May 2000Back when it was originally released, CONAN THE BARBARIAN was dismissed by the critics as a disposable Sword & Sorcery B-movie. It was criticized for it's excessive violence and Arnold's wooden performance. It's brilliant score and memorable sets are ignored by reviewers, as is the well choreographed swordplay. Thirteen years later, BRAVEHEART is showered with praise and Oscar respectability. It is embraced by critics despite it's graphically violent battlefield sequences, which are praised as exhilarating and authentic. Many of these battle sequences (as well as some of the costume design) bare just a little resemblance to the ones in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Eighteen years later, GLADIATOR becomes a box-office blockbuster in a matter of weeks, taking in almost one hundred thirty million thus far. It receives generally good notices from critics despite it's historical inaccuracies, poorly edited action scenes and predictable plot. The basic story is reminiscent to the one told in CONAN, and the films violence is every bit as brutal. Isn't it funny how times change? What was once laughable and disposable is now respectable.
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Arnie in the lead role. James Earl Jones as the villain. Clear effort and care, that shows, in every department. Really, what more could you ask of this film? I have not read any of Howard's stories, so all I know about Conan is how many times the character has been done, and of course what this film told me. Be forewarned, there is some sexuality(not many places, but when it's there, it can be strong), a lot of violence, and a seemingly endless stream of death throughout this, and you should only watch this if you are prepared for(and able to tolerate) such. The plot is quite good, and I understand it does incorporate several elements and occurrences from the original stories by Howard(R.I.P.). The pacing is pretty much flawless, I was never bored. The action is well-done, intense and with great choreography. Acting is spot-on, more or less. Jones is a more intimidating presence elsewhere, but he's not bad at all. Schwarzenegger does rather well. Production values are of notably high quality for the entire feature. No expense seems spared. Vast sets and locations, detailed costumes and props, countless extras. Special effects are magnificent, and not just for the time it was made. Sound is reasonable, a lot of lines seem ADR'ed, but the music is masterful. Dialog varies, but most of it is marvelous, both writing and delivery. Cinematography and editing are top-notch. This builds atmosphere skillfully, and the amount of dialog and where it occurs is chosen with care. I would advise against reading the Trivia entries, or at least all of them, before the viewing, as they do give some things away. I recommend this to any fan of the genre, Arnie, and possibly Jones and/or Sydow, as well. 7/10
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LordBlacklist7 September 2005People have preconceptions of what makes a good move and more often than not they get tangled up in their own web of closed mindedness. It is no one thing that makes a movie great but a combination of all to create a feeling, and that is one thing that Conan has always done for me.
This was the first film that introduced me to "the goosebump effect" or rather seeing scenes of such emotional and thematic power that they give you chills. After watching this film over and over again it still doesn't disappoint. The scene immediately following the raid on Conan's village is a true masterpiece of visual storytelling. Without a single line of dialogue everything that is to come in the next two hours is set up with the Murder of Conan's parents before his eyes. The look of disbelief on his face as his mother's lifeless body falls before him. Staring at his hand and then toward Thulsa Doom. The Villain saluting his freshly stolen steel. It is a perfectly executed scene that were this film not so unjustly written off as a hack and slash "sword and sorcery" picture would be rightfully remembered as one of the great scenes in film history.
The best way to describe Conan would be to call it a philosophical epic. There are real ideas and philosophies at play in the narrative. Conan's father's teachings of steel...the opening scene forging the sword becoming a metaphor for Conan's life. He is a character created by hardship and grief, and like the opening quote says "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" Conan becomes more powerful with the more hardships he overcomes. The film is very well put together. Many scenes and images from the movie are as visually layered and well thought out as any Ridley Scott picture. The prelude to the opening battle in the snow is stunning with great visual flair, a single scout stands atop a boulder breathing heavy, anticipating battle as vibrant rays of sunlight pour through the trees.
There is a ritualistic quality to many of the scenes in the film such as the finding of the atlantean sword, or the lead up to Conan's duel with the snake which is carried through right to the end where after Conan drops his sword the followers of doom extinguish their flames in the fountain. Everyone in the film manages to give a good performance but the big mistake that most people make in judging them is that they do not understand that acting is not simply saying lines of dialogue, it is behavior. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the rest of the cast give outstanding performances without saying all that much. The scene at the funeral pyre where Conan runs his hand through the hair of his fallen love...the subtle look of grief withheld combined with the eloquent score is enough to get the idea across, no dialogue is needed. Basil Poledouris' score for the film has to be one of, if not, the greatest score ever composed and it plays an integral part in creating the rich emotional landscape of John Milius' epic film. Conan the barbarian is a film I saw when I was very young, and through the years as I have gotten a little older and wiser the film has gotten richer and more rewarding with each subsequent viewing.
This is a film of great resonance and subtlety. Most audiences today cannot appreciate a film that requires a bit of deep thinking, but this is one of the rare films that is even more rewarding if you look beneath the surface. -
garyoldmanisgod15 August 2006You know, Conan doesn't speak for the first 22 minutes of the movie, but it's worth the wait. "Crush enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of the women" is Conan's description of what is best in life.
If you're a dialog person, this movie may not be for you. If you never paid attention to the dialog, you might do so now. Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll! (except, without the rock'n'roll. The soundtrack is pretty awesome, though).
What can I say? It's a classic. Intense blood and gore, Eighties-esquire special effects, intense sensuality with were-vixens, magic, revenge, true love...sounds like the Princess Bride with an R rating. Just kidding. -
I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie, being that this is one of the first movies I can remember seeing. As I grew up I never stopped enjoying this movie and could come away with something new every time I watched it (now around 50+ times). The movie is multi-layered. On one level there is the action (which is very graphic). There is also philosophical layer (why am i here ?? that which doesn't kill you....). Mix that in with some wonderful cinematography (filmed in Spain) and very appropriately accompanied by dark, serious, foreboding music (by Basil Poledouris - who also did the music for Hunt for Red October) and you get the ultimate action movie (that is more than just an action movie - its the thinking man's action movie).
Conan is based on the work of Robert E. Howard. Howard once described writing the Conan stories (which were published in Weird Tales) as this : At sunset, he could feel the presence of Conan coming into his room, looming over him and compelling or forcing him to write the stories. The movie captures the spirit of Conan, as portrayed in the stories. He is one who has lived a harsh existence, yet endures. He has been everything from a barbarian, to a swashbuckler, to a soldier, to a thief, to a general and eventually to even king. He is considered a barbarian by all the people he meets, include those considered to be "civilized". Conan plays by his own rules and morals. Even though he kills, he does so in much the same way a tiger eats its prey. At the same time, he displays more humanity, mercy and honor than most of the civilized world. This movie is perfect in the above respects. John Milius (the director and co-writer) does an excellent job along with Oliver Stone (co-writer) in getting the feel of the stories into the movie world. Schwarzenegger is cast perfectly in the role of Conan. I don't think anyone else would have been able to pull it off as well as he could have and still kept the role in the way it was meant to be. Conan does not say much, but when he does you better listen because it is important. Along with Schwarzenegger, the rest of the cast does a brilliant job to support the story. James Earl Jones is wickedly evil and Mako is perfect as the reluctant sorcerer.
There are so many wonderful scenes that stick out in my mind. So many in fact that you should go out and see the movie for yourself (make sure you get the special edition DVD since it has extra footage and a great making of with all the cast including Schwarzenegger). By far my two favorite scenes/sequences of the movie are : 1) Prior to the battle in the desert, Conan says a little prayer to his god, Crom. This prayer embodies everything that Conan stands for. WHAT A PRAYER !!!. 2) The sequence thats starts from Conan's return to the Tower of Power to confront Thulsa Doom all the way to the end. It is wrought with meaning and some great cinematography. This movie is an absolute must see. 10/10
-Celluloid Rehab -
lastliberal20 April 2008Arnold has entertained me in many movies over the years (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Collateral Damage, Eraser), so I can forgive his pitiful acting in this film and just sit back and enjoy it.
Of course, the best thing about the film was the presence of Sandahl Bergman, originally a Golddigger from "The Dean Martin Show". She can act and did a very good job of it.
I also enjoyed Mako (The Sand Pebbles) and Gerry Lopez, who I guess gave up acting for surfing.
It is just a plain guilty pleasure that shows some great sword fighting. -
slokes31 July 2013In 1982, a movie was supposed to serve as the breakout device for an adventure fiction icon. Instead we got a two-decade pop-culture phenomenon named Ah-nold.
Even though I've come to like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and find things in this, his first big action role, to enjoy, I felt shortchanged then and still do now. A character brimming with intrigue and life like Robert E. Howard's Conan deserved better than a rote tale that highlights the director's fixation with Nietzsche and will-to-power thematics over realizing a compelling alternate world of fantasy and magic.
Something's wrong the moment we meet our main character as played by Schwarzenegger. He's walking around in circles amid a high arid landscape, pushing something called "The Wheel of Pain" that seems to be a mill of some kind but serves no apparent function. He's literally stuck in the middle of nowhere, walking in circles to no apparent purpose.
This continues for much of the film. Picking up bits of stories that would be known to Howard readers in a kind of mash-up form, we see Conan at work as pit warrior, thief, and avenger, the latter being the main business of this film. Years ago, when he was a boy, Conan watched a warlord named Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) ride into Conan's village and kill his parents. After about an hour of grunting, running, and stabbing, Conan discovers a clue as to where this Thulsa Doom might be, and sets out to settle a score.
It's around here that the story, written by director John Milius and Oliver Stone, finds its groove. Jones is a cool villain, the kind who can make one of Milius's philosophical exposition scenes work with a single jab of his finger. Never mind that the guy looks like a Breck girl with his long, straight hair, he's the class of the production.
Schwarzenegger makes an impression, too. First it's his physique, as a lot of labored, stretchy scenes call upon him to do little else but flex his muscles and mutter "Crom!" now and then. But Schwarzenegger's considerable charm and way with a camera come across as the film rolls on. He is not a strong actor here, but from the moment he punches a camel in a crowded street, a kind of gonzo energy works its way into Schwarzenegger's performance, a sense that he's making us laugh on purpose and enjoying it.
As to the rest of the cast, Sandahl Bergman looks good, moves better, but can't deliver a line convincingly as Conan's lover Valeria, while Max Von Sydow overplays a silly scene as a vexed king. Better are Mako as a wily wizard and Gerry Lopez, apparently a full-time surfer from what Milius says on the DVD commentary, who plays the thief Subotai and brings some badly needed charm and sympathy to the proceedings before the Arnold we all know finally shows up.
The film builds to a gripping conclusion, if one borrowed from Milius's "Apocalypse Now" script like other reviewers here have noted. Of course, when the blood flows as thick as it does in the last half-hour of this movie, it's not hard getting and keeping an audience's attention.
As a Conan fan, I would have liked more development of the world Conan lived in and the people around him, if not as conceived by Howard at least re-imagined convincingly by Milius. Here you get some visually arresting sets, a rich Basil Poledouris score, and Arnold in his youthful prime, but none of it really comes together, except a little near the end. It's not a bad film, but it's not a world I want to go back to like I do that of Howard's Conan. -
Adam Frisch14 October 2005Conan the Barbarian is one of those films that just shouldn't work on paper, but somehow ends up not only working, but becoming a classic. Everything is right here thanks to Milius unashamed bigger-than-life-direction. He takes him serious and dares to go far enough with the grandness, something few directors would dare do today for fear of being labeled pretentious.
Combine this with probably the best film score EVER written, and you have movie magic. Basil Poledouris score is such a classic that every other composer has ripped it off a thousand times, and rightly so. It's the granddaddy of Wagnerian tour-de-force scoring. -
StrayLiteFocus6 March 2004This is by far the best "Sword and Sorcery" film produced to date. Being a Robert E. Howard fan years before this film was made I have to say I liked it and I hated it. Accounting for these plusses and minuses I give this film a rating of 7 out of 10; mainly because one of the positives is extremely positive.
The extremely positive factor is the musical score by Basil Poledouris which I believe to be one of the finest musical scores ever to grace the silverscreen.
Other things tip the scale toward the positive, too.
Milius is a gifted filmmaker who pays homage to my favorite director of all time, Akira Kurosawa and relies heavily on visuals to show the film's story turning to the captivating voice of James Earl Jones, playing the antagonist, only when narrative exposition is absolutely required. This is a wise decision since the cast is mostly green. The aforementioned Jones is the only veteran actor in a key role although Max von Sydow and William Smith are good in their cameo roles as King Osric and Conan's father respectively.
Milius also pays homage to the stunning art of Frank Frazetta in the costumes/sets and scatters "Howard moments" throughout the film; such as the scene where Conan beds a witch taken from a Bran Mak Morn tale titled "Worms of the Earth", sneaky thievery reminiscent of "The Tower of the Elephant", Conan's crucifixion from "A Witch Shall be Born", and Valeria (a name from "Red Nails") returns from the grave to protect Conan evoking Belit, the "Queen of the Black Coast".
The film's ultimate treatment of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age tips the scale back in the negative direction, though.
Milius paints the Cimmerians as a peaceful agrarian culture while Howard's Cimmerians are strong, grim and war-like. Milius provides a history of a young Conan that completely contradicts Howard's.
The Milius Conan is sold into slavery at a tender age after seeing his parents brutally murdered while Howard's Conan apparently never even had a tender age; born on a battlefield and respected by the Cimmerian war council when he was not yet fifteen years old.
Howard's treatment of the character Black Turlough who was tossed into a snow-drift at birth "to test his right to survive" in "The Dark Man" is an indication of how Conan may have actually been raised in Howard's Hyborian Age Cimmerian culture. Black Turlough is Gaelic and Howard's Cimmerians are the direct ancestors of Gaels in Howard's fictional essay "The Hyborian Age".
This film must be a Hyborian Age in an alternate universe since contradictions between the Howard Conan and the Milius Conan cannot be resolved. -
noahax8 October 1999I read the previous comments on this movie, and I am quite shocked. Did I see the same movie as these other folks?
I found "Conan the Barbarian" to be painfully slow. Very little happens until the final twenty minutes, and by that point, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I enjoy trashy, B-films more than the average film fan, so I was surprised at how much I disliked this turkey. The sequel is much sillier and over-the-top, and consequently, much more enjoyable.
I get the distinct impression that the filmmakers wanted to distance themselves from the oft-mocked "sword and sandal" flicks of earlier decades, so they tried to make this a "serious fantasy" film. I think they failed miserably. Way too much drama, way too much romance, and far too little violence. -
tieman648 July 2012Directed by John Milius, "Conan the Barbarian" is an exaltation of all things barbaric.
Some context: Milius is mostly known today for being the basis of Walter Sobchak, the gun-loving right-winger of the Coen Brothers' "Big Lebowski". There he's hilariously paired with his antithesis, a left-wing stoner called The Dude. In real life Milius himself proudly claims to been have blacklisted from Hollywood due to his "hard-right politics", which he lovingly equates with "rugged individualism, personal mastery, survivalism, a Nietzschean warrior's code, self-actualisation, outlaw glory, free-markets and a Darwinian credo". Milius' films ("Big Wednesday", "Magnum Force", "Dilinger", "Conan", "Red Dawn" etc) themselves typically involve macho warriors slaying villains in the name of property rights and individual freedoms, shotgun or broadsword in hand. For writing "Dirty Harry", Milius even requested as payment, in addition to his agreed-upon fee, a James Purdy shotgun, apparently because "guns are more honourable than money". "Conan" was also written by Oliver Stone, who like Francis Coppola (Milius co-wrote "Apocalypse Now") salivates over megalomania, power and authority whilst pretending to do otherwise. At least Milius is upfront about his stance.
Milius' ideals are attractive, but breakdown in the real world. In the West Indies, for example, the seemingly simple issue of property rights (or private property) to this day confers dominance to East Indians (who were granted land rights as Indentured labourers) and Anglo Saxons over Africans. "Conan" doesn't take place in the real world, though. Set thousands of years before recorded history, when the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia were a single land mass, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, a camel punching Ubermensch who fights for vengeance and freedom. His target? Thulsa Doom, a black guy who (ironic) takes kids into slavery. It's another of Milius' "everyman warriors" vs "the evil Other who steals our Freedom" tale (Spielberg would consult Milius for the cryptofascist "Private Ryan").
Opening with a quote by Nietzsche - "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" - the film eventually grows to becomes a literal translation of your typical mistranslation of Nietzsche (Nietzsche's writings, with their fascist associations, would have negative effects on everyone from Hitler to Rand). So Arnie, a superman whose paternity draws a straight line from Beowulf to Enkidu, Atilla, Alexander and Genseric, is a warrior who embodies Nietzsche's personification of "the will to power", the expression of human existence superior to that of the "conventional, sentimental, bourgeois moral majority". Nietzsche "attacks man's moral principles" such that "the new superman is a law unto himself". He is autonomous, destined to fulfil his highest dreams, a man who "builds himself up into a being beyond the mob". "His secret nobility," Nietzsche then says, "will be of an aristocratic elevation for which no pattern exists". The film itself ends with Arnie becoming a king, sitting triumphantly on a throne.
So Conan may be a barbarian, but he is manliness at its pinnacle, the survival of the fittest, a keen mind with 20-pack abs. And while Conan's "mind and flesh are greater than steel", Thulsa Doom (played by James Earl Jones) by contrast is the lowest, the animal, the reptile, that which we have left behind in our rise toward humanness. He is of the gutter, a cannibal, a shape-shifting black man who mocks all with his pretence of being human. Unlike Conan, Thulsa relies on skills not won by hardship, self-discipline and a triumphant will but that are simply emanations of his own reptilian baseness.
Beyond all this stuff, the film features some of Milius' best direction. Milius' crew find some superb locations, his crowd scenes are well shot, his set designers cook up a convincing pre Bronze/Iron Age world, and his injection of blood, gore, sex and nudity – gratuitous in another picture – only seem to add to the realism. The film's action sequences are also at times unconventionally structured, wordless, stretched and prolonged, with lots of creeping and slashing set to catchy music. The film's memorable Wagner inspired score was by Basil Poledouris. It, along with Milius' aesthetic, would prove a big influence on Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies. One of Poledouris' themes here, titled "Theology/Civilization", has itself become well known in concert circuits.
Like "Star Wars" (also with James Earl Jones as a bad guy), the pg rated fantasy/mythological film which preceded it, "Conan" is heavily influenced by Kurosawa and Ford. Milius' R rated blockbuster, however, at times feels like an art film, with huge portions devoid of dialogue, and a monosyllabic hero who can barely speak. Unsurprisingly Milius cast non actors for his three lead roles, Gerry Lopez a champion surfer, Sandahl Bergman – who plays a kind of Nordic, goddess-warrior – a dancer and Arnie a body builder. Their dialogue has a similar physicality about it. When a Mongol General yells "Conan, what is best in life?", Arnie responds like a caveman: "To crush your enemies and hear the lamentations of their women!" Elsewhere characters spout WW1 battle cries - "Do you want to live forever?!" - or opine about hacking, slashing and besting their enemies.
The film was followed by a worthless sequel. "Conan" itself has a terrible reputation, but there are no better R-rated sword-and-sorcery movies out there, it's one of the better superhero origin movies, its depictions of religious blood-cults remains creepy, and it's the only good film to contain a shape-shifting mutant snake villain.
Upon release the film was attacked for being fascist. Today such films are the norm. Indeed, most cinematic form echoes a totalitarian aesthetic (most humans are unconsciously fascist), designed to lull the viewer into a state of docility, awe and wonder. As cinema and fascism are about actualising fantasy and wilfully surrendering reality, cinema more naturally lends itself to fascist theatre then other art-forms. Milius' next film was "Red Dawn", essentially Conan with kids.
8/10 - Worth one viewing. -
ma-cortes14 March 2011Sword-and-sorcery epic with incredible adventures , spectacular battles and strong scenes . This is an epic adventure set in Hyborian Age based on Robert E. Howard's pulp tales with screenplay by Oliver Stone and the same director John Milius . It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role, as the Hyborian Age hero fighting against ominous and heinous nasties . Conan seeks vengeance when being kid (Jorge Sanz) he saw as his mother (Nadiuska) was decapitated by a sorcerer (James Earl Jones), subsequently his village was slaughtered and he enslaved . Many years later , Conan undertakes a perilous travel with the help his partner (Gerry Lopez), a magician (Mako, who repeats his role as wizard in the sequel ¨Conan the destroyer ¨ by Richard Fleischer), a gorgeous warrior (Sandhal Bergman) who is also sidekick and lover , all of them are assigned by a king (Max Von Sidow) to free a young princess (Valerie Quennessen) from the claws a satanic witch . They undergo on a risked trip to find the princess , contending the cult leader and his giant hoodlum (Ben Davidson) and leading a vibrant ending.
This violent sword-and-witchery story packs noisy action, blood-thirsty battles at every turn , full-blooded adventure, thrills, crude scenes and rip-roaring fights. The picture is unbelievably brutal and sexist though also displays some love scenes and raunchy images . Made on a grand scale , approx 20 million of dollars , with spectacular production design by Ron Cobb and colorful cinematography by Duke Callaham , mostly filmed in Almeria (Spain) where in the 60s and 70s were shot innumerable Spaghetti Western . Big budget and lavishly produced by the great producer Dino and Rafaella De Laurentis, Dino's daughter. Impressive and groundbreaking musical score composed and conducted by Basil Poledouris . Conan fans will be delighted with this breathtaking and bloody epic . Followed by a sequel titled ¨Conan the destroyer¨ with Wilt Chamberlain , Grace Jones , Sarah Douglas and Olivia D'Abo that contains some dumb images and is unintentionally hilarious but amusing ; furthermore several low-grade imitations and rip offs, and spawned TV series starred by Ralph Moller. Plus a similar film realized in old-fashioned and lightweight style also directed by Richard Fleischer titled ¨Red Sonja¨ with Brigette Nielsen as female lead , Sandahl Bergman and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger has a brief guest spot. And in production a new ¨Conan¨ by Marcus Nispel with Jason Momoa, Rose McGowan and Ron Perlman -
AlexMedario18 November 2017I'm reading Schwarzenegger bio, and he relates how this film was done. I get intrigued and watched again the movie, after so many years. No doubt that today so much blood is no scandal, but the film has the right gore, violence and sex that Conan deserved.
Best compliment for a film is that gets old in good shape, and Conan does. The film has the right mixture, fiction and epic, violence and sex, fights and blood.
The plot is simple, revenge, but it's very well dressed and set and background are interesting in themselves. This does a film captivating, interesting and you get stick to it from the minute it starts. So sad that the sequel didn't kept the pace, because from today standards it could have been an incredible saga. -
This is really an amazing movie! It is so passionate and intense. It all feels so genuine as well.
During my childhood this was my all-time favorite! From an adult (25) perspective, his movie is as damn amazing as I remember. Thee story and dialog are really damn good. There are so many classic scenes. I got my girlfriend to watch it. She was convinced it was going to be a stupid Arnold muscle movie (it seems almost everyone thinks this) but she loved it.
It's such a change to see such an un-ironic passionate movie. I can't see a movie like this being made today. The nudity and violence were great and added realism without ever being flatly gratuitous.
Don't see Destroyer though, that was absolutely awful. -
Hugocord-225 May 2007I love a decent sword and sorcery epic. I have heard a lot about this, and decided to buy it on DVD. I had never read any of the comics, so did not know what to expect, all I knew was that it had Arnie in it, and contained 'strong bloody violence'.
The first half does drag on a bit. we See Conan(Arnie) as a child, and his village massacred and his young self forced into slavery. here he takes part in Gladiatorial contests, and his rise to stardom. He is than given the chance to be free, and he takes it. Que a long, brutal, bloody revenge saga.
After about an hour to actually get to the revenge bit the action gets going: And what spectacular action it is. Decapitations, severed arteries and group sex all follow. Arnold plays his character down to a tee, stripping his characters dialogue. The direction is lavish, and it really draws you into his world. all this is accompanied with a magnificent musical score.
Go see. -
supertom-323 July 2004A cracking sword and sorcery yarn that has divided movie goer opinions since it's release. Some believing it's a beefy and shallow action movie, glossed up with big sets and fancy costumes. Others believing it is a truly eye popping visual feast of a film with hidden depth. The film was panned on its original release but since then has been something of a critical favourite. While the film is too murky and turgid at times, it is still engaging, despite needing to lighten up a touch, because this is based on a comic book after all. The film is fantastical but at the same time the film doesn't go quite as fantastical as the comic books did. This seems to be more based in reality but it still features a snake-man, giant snakes and witches.
The film follows Conan from childhood when his parents are killed and follows him through his early years as a slave to adulthood when he becomes a fighter and a thief. What drives Conan is pure bloodthirsty revenge on the man who killed his parents(James Earl Jones) and he is constantly spurred on by the belief he is doing his god's (Krom the god of steel) will. Conan constantly interprets important moments as messages from Krom.This film is so visual. The dialogue is minimal and yet meaningful. This gives the film a great atmosphere and really brings to mind two other fantasy action movies I really love, Crying Freeman and Highlander. They are all very similar in style. They all have the same strengths, in that they are both great looking, have a lead character driven by a spirit guide, controlled by his beliefs and a sense of destiny and all three have similar romantic subplot, all told with visuals, and little dialogue. They are all also blessed with unique and rousing scores. It's all very mythical and philosophical in each, with love at first site important. It is the love of the women that drive the men to their goals. In Freeman Dacascos wants to break away from his controlled regime, and take back his life when his love gives him the will to do so. In Highlander McLeod wants to lead a mortal life, to love and grow old with someone, to be human. Conan wants a life after he takes his revenge. The greatness of their romantic story and the purely visual way it is told is that during the movie he says only 5 words to her,and they all come in their first meeting. The film should not get away with something like that, yet it works well. The twist in Conan is that his lover sacrifices herself for him and in effect once he has achieved his goal the film is left with the feeling Conan has no further purpose in life.
The cast are good. Arnold was made into a star here. He is physically the best shape he's ever been in a movie. He is smaller than his bodybuilding days yet as big as he's ever been on screen and at the same time fleet of foot and nimble. Lest we not forget by the time he hit mega stardom he was in his 40's, but Arnold is truly in his prime here. It is a performance though of glaring inconsistency which is the likes of which I have never seen. It is at once his best and his worst performance. For all that Schwarzenegger does with a depth and humanity not seen in his films since, he overplays and looks amateurish in others, because of course he was an amateur here. What really does work is the chemistry between Sandahl Bergman and Schwarzy. She gets the best out of him and their scenes together are generally his best. Bergman received a Golden Globe for this and had Arnie consistently been as good as his higher points here, who knows? You get the feeling the philosophical side might occasionally have gone over his head. At times he would bawl out "Kraaoomm!!!" without knowing why he was delivering the line. Bergman is good. She is enigmatic and quite sexy in a "why is she sexy?" kind of a way. Bergman kicks ass and her dance background shows as she moves with grace. The showstoppers though are the supporting cast with the legend Mako, excellent as the wizard and narrator. Max Von Sydow is superb as king Osric and he gets some of the best dialogue but it is the chilling James Earl Jones who is particularly excellent as Thulsa Doom.
What makes this film great is the fact that it feels older than it is. It feels like a b-movie fantasy film from the golden ages of the 50's and 60's, with some of the charming elements of the legendarily cheap Italian fantasy films. The film even at times feels like it is dubbed. While all it lacks is a stand out Ray Harryhausen moment. The nearest we get is the giant snake. I would have loved to have seen more creatures and beasts in this movie with some HarryHausen effects but it come a tad too late really. Also Basil Poledouris' score is fantastic and old fashioned a big reason the film feels like it is from the golden age of this sword and sorcery quest movies. The score is the real standout part of the movie. It's very old fashioned, medieval and a bit baroque and works marvellously well with some rousing themes.
The film is directed with visual flourish by John Milius, whose tragically lame career since makes you wonder what happened. In that sense it has another similarity with Highlander as the even more talented Russell Mulcahy was never matched the quality or success of Highlander since. This is a top notch film that fantasy enthusiasts will love. **** -
Bunuel197612 January 2008I still have vivid memories of watching this one on Italian TV, with several of its images (alternately sexual, violent and scary) remaining memorable to this very day - particularly the sequence in the giant snake's lair and the shooting of snakes as arrows!; I also recall catching some of its lowbrow imitators like the Italian-made ATOR movies and THE BEASTMASTER (1982) on TV or VHS, not to mention playing the "Barbarian" computer game with its theme and music clearly inspired by this movie. As a matter of fact, the awe-inspiring visuals and Basil Poledouris' now-classic score still constitute the film's mainstays, smoothing over a rather wooly plot and the inherently ponderous nature of the whole enterprise – since what humor there is throughout is quickly stifled by its overpowering sense of gloom. This third viewing of the film – via the Extended (but also slightly censored) version on R4 SE DVD proved to be the most satisfactory so far; I guess it helped that it followed on the heels of several similar "sword-and-sorcery" outings which enabled the inherent superiority of CONAN THE BARBARIAN to fully emerge.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is the perfect embodiment of a brawny medieval action hero; Sandahl Bergman (who would eventually turn villainous for RED SONJA [1985]) is equally impressive as Valeria, Conan's blonde female counterpart – their rapport is genuine enough as to make his being shown still pining for her throughout CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) credible, the villainess of that film (Sarah Douglas) having promised to resurrect Valeria if he lends his services to her 'cause'!; also on the side of good are Mako as Akiro The Wizard (who returns in the sequel and actually provides the narration in both Conan ventures) and surfer Gerry Lopez as a Mongol thief.
Incidentally, the project originated with Oliver Stone – who's still credited as co-writer: incongruously for him, he had stressed the fantasy elements of the tale (which writer/director Milius subsequently de-emphasized after taking over); perhaps to lend the film some artistic gravitas, the latter selected powerful and well-known actors for some of the leading characters: James Earl Jones makes for a very sinister Thulsa Doom (playing the last surviving member of an ancient cannibal civilization, he's made to turn into a giant snake!) and Max Von Sydow (as a king given the Shakespearean name of Osric, even if only one of the sequences filmed with him made the final cut!); a surprising, albeit all-too-brief, presence in the film is that of Jess Franco regular Jack Taylor – here playing one of the priests at Jones' temple.
In the accompanying documentary (see below), Milius admits to being influenced by Masaki Kobayashi's classic ghost story compendium KWAIDAN (1964): this can be seen in the love-making scene with a woman turning into a witch (complete with similar use of blue gels) and the protection of an ailing Conan from evil spirits by having several chants written all over his body. Also in the documentary, there is a reference to Milius' amusing cameo which eventually found itself on the cutting-room floor! -
nafps13 September 2020Not a single decent action scene. Literally every other sword and sorcery film has better action scenes. Excalibur does. Dragonslayer does. Literally...every...other...one...is better.
If it fails at such a basic level, what does it have?
No pacing. Documentaries on drying paint are faster paced.
No decent villain. Taking a sorcerer from the comics and making them into a Hollywood style cult leader. Boring.
Surprisingly tepid depictions of sex, and an utter lack of nudity or even desire for sex. Conan of Robt Howard chased many women, and so did the comics. Aaaah-nold, in addition to trying to hide that he can't speak English yet, looks bored with the single woman he's with for the whole film.
And yes, this was his worst film, outside of Hercules of New York. No, it did not "put him on the map." That was the first Terminator.
He's truly awful in this, dull, lifeless, and doing nothing but trying to hide his thick accent for the less than seven words he says the whole film.
I was around when this film came out. Conan fans were angry. Audiences groaned with disappointment. They outright booed at the end when the film tried to set up a sequel. Some of us watched the sequels to laugh at the Plan Nine levels of bad film making.
It's pretty obvious the high ratings come from nostalgia for childhood. Some even make obvious mistakes like saying "I liked Mako in it." Nope, he was in the just as bad sequel.
Clearly their memories of watching it are mixed together with the thrill of seeing it after their parents had gone to bed, hoping to see their first unclothed breast. (The film has none. It's so tame.)
Avoid except to use as a sleeping pill.
ETA: I'm glad of the strong reactions to my review, both the downvotes and the higher than I expected number of up votes. Good to know many others feel the same. -
I think this is the best sword and magic / fantasy movie ever made. Unlike the second Conan movie (the destroyer, which was a huge disappointment) this is dark, dirty, violent (with the harsh way) and most of all faithful to the original Conan by Howard. By that i mean that conan wasn't a joker and babyoiled coverboy like in the sequel. Only part of the movie that i weren't content about was the childhood of conan, the part where he grows up spinning some goddamn wheel of fortune, Howard specifically points in many novels that Conan was grown free in the Cimmeria. Despite the this awkward transition to skip the childhood of Conan this still is the best fantasy movie ever made.
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Several notes here on Conan the Barbarian, which has just appeared on DVD and thus deserves and needs another look, for one thing because there is a new edit in this version which bolsters the story somewhat.
First of all, the film must be seen relative to other fantasy films, both before and since. In terms of the setting, costumes, and general look and feel of the film, it is one of the most "authentic" and convincing fantasy films ever, certainly surpassing anything before it. The mountain of doom set is one of the most impressive ever built for such a film, and this type of construction is an extreme rarity these days -- only the Rohirrim city in "LOTR" can compare, largely because escalating costs in construction have met with declining costs in digital "construction". The film should also be lauded because, especially when compared to previous fantasy films, even including the Harryhausen/Schneer Sinbad films, it takes itself seriously. This may be a flaw to some audiences, especially in the wake of "Star Wars" when the film came out, but I really think that because this is an adult fantasy story and not a comic book one (as others have suggested) it needed a fairly straightforward, non "campy" treatment.
It will, of course, be compared in the coming years to the "LOTR" movies, with which it can't hope to compete on many levels. For one thing, Tolkien's work presents an integrated masterwork, whereas adapting Howard's short stories for an "epic" sensibility tends to degrade their value as simple pop entertainment. However, in terms of the settings and costumes, this film is almost "LOTR"'s equal. Also, it features a more grown-up set of characters and sensibilities, including a cynical view of sexuality and violence which is absent from Tolkien's somewhat Victorian fantasy setting.
Viewing the film relative to the original works of R.E. Howard, there are numerous aspects to complain about and some to praise. Howard's stories were written and published in random order, choosing to tell Conan's life story, as Howard put it, in the order of interest, much as a seasoned warrior would tell his stories around a campfire (he wouldn't tend to begin with the relatively embarassing "thieving" career he embarked on in Zamora in his youth, as this film does). This film, in attempting to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, has chosen to show Conan as a child and also to unify the story around a theme of revenge, something far alien from the world of Howard. The fixation on one romantic object (Valeria) is also foreign to Howard's ethos; he tends to have Conan hook up with one "lusty wench" by the end of each story (usually having already rescued said wench from ape-men or pirates or whatever) but when next we see Conan no mention will be heard of this girl (presumably she was left in a bar somewhere in Khitai). Howard's Conan stories are fantasy in a deliberately anti-epic mode, and this movie does not follow this.
On the other hand, the producers wisely chose to exclude Howard's questionable racial theories and his eugenics. They did an admirable job of creating the sense that his fantasy world is really an ancient version of our own, and also managed to bring into the script the sense that violence was more pervasive and authoritative in this society than any other virtue, which is very true to Howards' vision. Conan himself is shown as a big stupid brute, which is not true to Howard's portrait of the character, who usually escapes situations more by brains (and his opponent's tendency to underestimate what he has of them) than by brawn. However, this may be seen as fairly true to Howards' vision of a young Conan as seen in "House of the Elephant God".
The cities in particular have a great feel to them, very cramped and busy and dirty, with hundreds of pigs running around in the street and so on. I really like the scene where Conan and Subotai get the black lotus and get high, as it introduces an amorality that is very strong in Howards' stories, but absent from most Hollywood "heroic" fantasy.
As to Schwartenneger's performance, it is probably not very studied (in the commentary Arnold sounds like he doesn't understand the movie very much), but appropriate. I think that physically someone who was more agile and less brawny would have been better (he looks very slow next to Valeria in the battle scenes, whereas Conan moved "like a panther"), but perhaps as the producers said "if Arnold hadn't existed for this movie, we would have had to create him."
Now to the new ending -- SPOILERS SPOILERS -- I think that it is much better, compared to the old ending. Basically, he has brought the king's daughter into the final scene. On the commentary track, Milius says his intention was to show that Conan could have taken Thulsa Doom's power, but chose instead to follow his own path, and this is shown through the king's daughter's actions and reactions to him. However, viewing the film before I heard the commentary this intention wasn't exactly clear, so the producers' decision to truncate this ending for simplicity may be justifiable.
All told, one of the best fantasy stories ever cinematically told. -
gentzel10 August 2001I find that people's opinion of this film varies widely depending on whether they've read any of the original Robert E. Howard stories.
Howard was an amazingly powerful writer of great depth and versatility. His Conan was, despite being a barbarian, an intelligent and educated man. A natural leader of men. A master of combat, theft, and woodsmanship.
As written by Milius, he is a revenge obsessed klutz. He has all of the fighting moves and dexterity of an anvil. All of the depth of a dry lake bed.
Enjoy the movie for what it is, a fun (if shallow) magic and mayhem flick. Then read the vastly superior original stories. If you do it in the other order, you'll find your experience diminished by thoughts of what could have been.