The Warrior And The Sorceress Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1984

The Warrior and the Sorceress was a low-budget fantasy flick that tried to cash in on the (relatively short-lived) popularity of the genre, but this entry had one significant difference: it starred David Carradine. So does the presence of a respectable actor help elevate this movie above the quagmire of questionable B-movies generally dominated by unclad former Playboy Playmates? We're about to find out…

Before leaping right into the critique of The Warrior and the Sorceress (and believe me, it just begs for critique!), let's review the plot real quick:

A world-weary traveler, Kain (David Carradine), enters a filthy little town in the midst of a desert. The town consists of caves where oppressed villagers live, a town well and two fortresses on each side of the well. Within each fortress reside a warlord and his barbaric gang, and each constantly battles the other for possession of the well, for in this desert wasteland water reigns supreme. Each of the gangs is equally matched, so neither is able to take the upper hand. But regardless of which gang holds the well, the peasants suffer.

The traveler sees opportunity to earn some money by working for both sides, so he begins to play both sides against each other, all the while earning quite a tidy sum and saving a perpetually half-naked sorceress from the clutches of one of the gang leaders. This manipulation continues until ultimately a fierce battle takes place where the villagers, with Kain's assistance, face off against their oppressors in an attempt to win back their freedom.

The plot was actually one of the stronger elements of the film; it was a fantasy variation of a classic Japanese movie named Yojimbo (which also served as the inspiration for A Fistful of Dollars, a fantastic Western).

And sadly, the plot is the only defensible aspect of this film. The Warrior and the Sorceress is a low-budget flick that makes the notorious Deathstalker series look like high art in comparison! The acting was atrocious, the sets were cheap and the special effects were laughable. But the film does contain one staple of the B-movie fantasy genre that will more than redeem it for many genre fans: ample amounts of nudity.

If you thought you saw a lot of topless women in Deathstalker and other such films, you haven't seen anything yet. One of the main stars of The Warrior and the Sorceress, Naja the Sorceress (Maria Socas), is topless throughout the entire movie. Perhaps that would be understandable during the duration of her captivity, since Zeg the Tyrant (Luke Askew) had a thing about keeping a bevy of unclad beauties around him. But once she was rescued did she cover up? Heck no! She even went headfirst into battle in her unclad state. This of course made it terribly difficult to find a family-friendly screenshot to use with this review!

If that's not enough, you'll also get a variety of minor characters in unclad states scattered throughout the film, such as a naked woman tossed into a glorified aquarium to drown as Zeg and his bloodthirsty perverts looked on. Yes, folks, this is highbrow entertainment here!

If I may borrow a crude Internet acronym for a moment, here are just a few of the WTF moments scattered throughout the film for you to chew on:

One of the leaders incorporates the use of an advisor. Not a big deal? It is when the advisor is a talking lizard!
If you're a peasant, make sure you don't pick up any scraps of meat your oppressors may throw on the floor. If you do, someone with a perfect aim will toss a sword from halfway across the room into your back and kill you, all for the sake of some cheap heehaws.
Four-breasted women make great strippers and would-be assassins. And whereas corners were cut with realistic battle or creature effects, no dollar was spared in making that extra pair look authentic!
Apparently after you get the tar beaten out of you, just one good night's sleep will cure even the worst of puffy black eyes.

There's a moment in almost every actor's career where he looks back on a past project and privately muses, "What the heck was I thinking?" The Warrior and the Sorceress must be that moment for David Carradine. I have always enjoyed his low-key charismatic style of acting, but in this movie it didn't appear that his heart was truly in it. Still… it's Carradine… so it's not all bad.

The only other actor that stood out was Anthony De Longis, the Captain of Zeg's Guard. He stood out as a respectable actor amidst the sea of cheese; all the other performances ranged from poor to atrocious.

If you enjoy respectable fantasy movies, stay far, far away from this one. But if you enjoy cheap guilty pleasures full of sword battles and as much nudity as you can cram into an R-rated film, The Warrior and the Sorceress might end up being the crowning jewel of your cheesy fantasy film collection.

Movie rating: 3 stars

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