Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The Sword and the Sorcerer

Here is the classic fantasy that is infamous for the triple-bladed sword. Oh, this was SO cool at the time. Imagine a sword that fired swords! And it probably did like triple the damage because it had 3 blades! In hindsight, it is silly. However, it sees limited use in the film, which is probably for the best.

Our story opens as King Titus Cromwell (Richard Lynch in one of his classic villain roles) lands on a distant shore and descends into the ancient tomb of Xusia the Sorcerer (Richard Moll in demonic makeup) . He has brought a witch with him who revives the sorcerer. Cromwell has 3 times tried to defeat King Richard of Ehdan and three times been repulsed. He needs the conjuring of such a famous and powerful sorcerer to topple King Richard. No sooner has Xusia made Cromwell's victory certain than Cromwell tries to kill Xusia. Grievously wounded, Xusia escapes by hurling himself from a cliff. Cromwell kills King Richard, his wife, and most of his children. Only Prince Talon escapes thanks to the triple-bladed sword. 11 years later, Prince Micah (Simon MacCorkindale) plots to overthrow Cromwell but he is betrayed and captured. His sister, Alana, escapes the betrayal thanks to the intervention of Talon (Lee Horsley), who is not currently carrying the triple sword. She enlists his aid in rescuing her brother. He agrees but has his own score to settle with Cromwell.

Horsley does a better job at being a medieval swordsman than I would have expected. He brings a lot of charm and humor to the role and even has a few good lines. In fact, the story is quite good and surprisingly well developed. There are lots of characters with conflicting goals; oh, the plotting and conspiring! I particularly enjoyed the Cromwell vs. Xusia dynamic. Purge a few silly and stupid aspects and this could be a really good film.

This is occasionally available on YouTube.
 
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