"Heroes and fools... are the same thing!" - Deathstalker.
With the release of many a blockbuster waiting to soon find themselves reviewed here, I thought I'd change things up a little bit by reviewing a film not many people will have heard of. My choice is the 1983 sword-and-sorcery film Deathstalker, released on the heels of box-office success Conan the Barbarian (1982). Low-budget Conan clones were all the rage back in the early 80's, and Deathstalker proved to be one of the more successful entries, garnering a cult following and three sequels. It is a fascinating watch today, and will be a guilty-pleasure of mine for many years to come.
The lone-warrior Deathstalker (Rick Hill) is tasked by a witch to retrieve three powerful relics: a sword, an amulet and a chalice. Discovering the sword in a cave, Deathstalker sets out to retrieve the other two relics, which are in the possession of an evil sorcerer named Munkar (Bernard Erhard). Munkar plans to attract the strongest warriors in the land to participate in a fighting tournament, under the false pretence that the winner will inherit his kingdom and riches. Deathstalker, along with new-found compatriots Oghris (Richard Brooker) and Kaira (Lana Clarkson), arrives to participate in the tournament and retrieve the other relics, as well as rescue the captive Princess Codille (Barbi Benton).
At only 80 minutes long, this is a short feature, and the time flies by when watching it because its so entertaining. There are too many crazy moments to count, which makes the film difficult to review. I could talk about the simple plot, for example, in a negative way, but this is the kind of film where the craziness overshadows the more important aspects of a film. So I'll take a look at the characters and some of the film's highlights. Let's start with our hero, Deathstalker. Known only by this name (on the odd occasion hilariously shortening it to simply "Stalker"), he is a powerful warrior with a meat-headed attitude. The very first scene involves him saving a girl from goblin-like creatures, only to undress her before being interrupted. He seeks neither fame nor glory, but is more than happy to accept going on a quest to obtain powerful relics, which will no doubt make him famous and glorified anyway. With his cold demeanour and misogynistic ways, he isn't much of a hero, but he's not as evil as Munkar, which makes him seem more heroic by comparison. Rick Hill is perfect for this role, delivering his cheesy one-liners in his low voice with confidence. When not spouting hilarious dialogue (like the above quip), he is able to appear intimidating due to his large physique and fighting skills.
Deathstalker's companions are just as memorable as he is, and there are some interesting (and bizarre) creative choices to their portrayals. Kaira is a female warrior who hooks up with Deathstalker, but is also able to fight her own battles. All the other women in the film are portrayed as victims, but Kaira is the exception. She intends to compete in Munkar's tournament, and is more than capable of holding her own in a fight. She does, however, succumb to some of the more misogynistic aspects of the film despite her being a more strong-willed character. She appears bare-chested for most of her screen-time, and Deathstalker forces himself upon her on the first night they meet. No wonder they have such a strong bond: he embarks on a quest that will inadvertently make him famous, and she fights against female oppression, but is more than happy to enjoy Deathstalker having his way with her within hours of first meeting him. Both of them are as morally confused as each other it would seem. She also gets very little dialogue, and is killed off before she even gets a chance to compete in the tournament, making her seem not as important as the other characters. Though she is certainly memorable, it would have been nice to see her last until the end, as it would at least mean one woman triumphs over the male dominance of the film.
Oghris, like Deathstalker, is a skilled fighter, and at first appears to be a more noble character than the lead. In his first scene, he rescues a woman from being raped (with the eventual help of Deathstalker). However, he indulges himself in having his way with women upon arrival at Munkar's castle, and is secretly in cahoots with Munkar. He also wears a ridiculous piece of armour: a half-vest thing which would appear to be more suitable for a female character. He competes in the tournament and does well, but meets his end at the hands of Deathstalker after learning of his betrayal. The two of them have a pretty good fight scene, with lots of props smashed and a surprising amount of drama. Though much of the film is hard to take seriously, the lack of dialogue involved before they fight makes for a decent portrayal of friends turned enemies.
Bernard Erhard is arguably the best actor in the film. His appearance is weird, with a massive tattoo on the side of his head, but he makes Munkar a threatening villain and more than a match for Deathstalker. Being a sorcerer, he exhibits all sorts of unusual powers throughout the film, the weirdest being the ability to change a man into a woman! He's not over-the-top and bombastic as one might expected in a film of this nature, instead radiating a disturbingly calm presence. He also suffers perhaps the most brutal death in the film: being ripped limb from limb after Deathstalker defeats him.
The characters are a lot of fun, but the plethora of strange scenes is what makes Deathstalker the guilty-pleasure that it is. I've heard that some scenes had to be removed or significantly cut down, as the filmmakers were aimed for a runtime of around 80 minutes. If true, it at least makes sense of some of the dodgy editing in certain moments. Sometimes the editing is so fast you can barely process what is happening. There's a scene near the beginning where Deathstalker and a witch fight some of Munkar's henchman, and the dialogue is cut together so fast that it sounds very unnatural. There are other instances where the film feels like it was improvised, such as a fight in Munkar's castle where all hell breaks loose amongst the fighters. It's so chaotic that I feel the director must have said "do whatever you want and we'll keep the best bits in the film". This is my favourite scene in the whole film because its completely ridiculous and features the best method of fighting ever. In a moment of pure brilliance, a pig-like creature rips a man's arm off and uses it to club another man to death. If I had to show one scene that sums up the enjoyable stupidity of Deathstalker, this would be it. Check it out for yourself:
With its memorable characters and cheap charm, Deathstalker is a fun-filled ride from start to finish. Though its depictions of female characters are distractingly old-fashioned, there is still enough action and quotable dialogue to make this a great addition to an ultimately silly genre. Its one of those films best enjoyed with a group of friends, as some of the silliness has to be seen to be believed. Track it down on VHS or DVD, sit back, and switch your brain off for 80 minutes of cheese!
At only 80 minutes long, this is a short feature, and the time flies by when watching it because its so entertaining. There are too many crazy moments to count, which makes the film difficult to review. I could talk about the simple plot, for example, in a negative way, but this is the kind of film where the craziness overshadows the more important aspects of a film. So I'll take a look at the characters and some of the film's highlights. Let's start with our hero, Deathstalker. Known only by this name (on the odd occasion hilariously shortening it to simply "Stalker"), he is a powerful warrior with a meat-headed attitude. The very first scene involves him saving a girl from goblin-like creatures, only to undress her before being interrupted. He seeks neither fame nor glory, but is more than happy to accept going on a quest to obtain powerful relics, which will no doubt make him famous and glorified anyway. With his cold demeanour and misogynistic ways, he isn't much of a hero, but he's not as evil as Munkar, which makes him seem more heroic by comparison. Rick Hill is perfect for this role, delivering his cheesy one-liners in his low voice with confidence. When not spouting hilarious dialogue (like the above quip), he is able to appear intimidating due to his large physique and fighting skills. Deathstalker's companions are just as memorable as he is, and there are some interesting (and bizarre) creative choices to their portrayals. Kaira is a female warrior who hooks up with Deathstalker, but is also able to fight her own battles. All the other women in the film are portrayed as victims, but Kaira is the exception. She intends to compete in Munkar's tournament, and is more than capable of holding her own in a fight. She does, however, succumb to some of the more misogynistic aspects of the film despite her being a more strong-willed character. She appears bare-chested for most of her screen-time, and Deathstalker forces himself upon her on the first night they meet. No wonder they have such a strong bond: he embarks on a quest that will inadvertently make him famous, and she fights against female oppression, but is more than happy to enjoy Deathstalker having his way with her within hours of first meeting him. Both of them are as morally confused as each other it would seem. She also gets very little dialogue, and is killed off before she even gets a chance to compete in the tournament, making her seem not as important as the other characters. Though she is certainly memorable, it would have been nice to see her last until the end, as it would at least mean one woman triumphs over the male dominance of the film.
Oghris, like Deathstalker, is a skilled fighter, and at first appears to be a more noble character than the lead. In his first scene, he rescues a woman from being raped (with the eventual help of Deathstalker). However, he indulges himself in having his way with women upon arrival at Munkar's castle, and is secretly in cahoots with Munkar. He also wears a ridiculous piece of armour: a half-vest thing which would appear to be more suitable for a female character. He competes in the tournament and does well, but meets his end at the hands of Deathstalker after learning of his betrayal. The two of them have a pretty good fight scene, with lots of props smashed and a surprising amount of drama. Though much of the film is hard to take seriously, the lack of dialogue involved before they fight makes for a decent portrayal of friends turned enemies.
Bernard Erhard is arguably the best actor in the film. His appearance is weird, with a massive tattoo on the side of his head, but he makes Munkar a threatening villain and more than a match for Deathstalker. Being a sorcerer, he exhibits all sorts of unusual powers throughout the film, the weirdest being the ability to change a man into a woman! He's not over-the-top and bombastic as one might expected in a film of this nature, instead radiating a disturbingly calm presence. He also suffers perhaps the most brutal death in the film: being ripped limb from limb after Deathstalker defeats him.
The characters are a lot of fun, but the plethora of strange scenes is what makes Deathstalker the guilty-pleasure that it is. I've heard that some scenes had to be removed or significantly cut down, as the filmmakers were aimed for a runtime of around 80 minutes. If true, it at least makes sense of some of the dodgy editing in certain moments. Sometimes the editing is so fast you can barely process what is happening. There's a scene near the beginning where Deathstalker and a witch fight some of Munkar's henchman, and the dialogue is cut together so fast that it sounds very unnatural. There are other instances where the film feels like it was improvised, such as a fight in Munkar's castle where all hell breaks loose amongst the fighters. It's so chaotic that I feel the director must have said "do whatever you want and we'll keep the best bits in the film". This is my favourite scene in the whole film because its completely ridiculous and features the best method of fighting ever. In a moment of pure brilliance, a pig-like creature rips a man's arm off and uses it to club another man to death. If I had to show one scene that sums up the enjoyable stupidity of Deathstalker, this would be it. Check it out for yourself:
With its memorable characters and cheap charm, Deathstalker is a fun-filled ride from start to finish. Though its depictions of female characters are distractingly old-fashioned, there is still enough action and quotable dialogue to make this a great addition to an ultimately silly genre. Its one of those films best enjoyed with a group of friends, as some of the silliness has to be seen to be believed. Track it down on VHS or DVD, sit back, and switch your brain off for 80 minutes of cheese!
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