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Hawk the Slayer

Started by joegerrard, November 25, 2006, 04:10:12 PM

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Fbird

This movie is awesome. I saw it too when I was a young lad and just watched the DVD earlier this evening. I have  not seen this movie in years. Then I started going to ebay and found Sasquatch The legend of Bigfoot, The Legend of Boggy Creek, Hawk the Slayer, The Night Stalker, The White Buffalo, Raise the Titanic, and others I have not seen in a long time.

The movie is very cheesy. But back in the early 80's movies like this were fun. I dont know how many of you saw Star Wars in the theater back in 1977. I was 12, and forever changed. They don't make movies like Hawk anymore. The magic of Bigfoot, etc are all but gone. Life was more mysterious back then, and fun. I will never forget and always have fond memories of staying up after 12AM and watching movies like Hawk, or Kelly's Heros.

If you were a kid and saw this movie all those years ago, I am sure you will agree it was really cool at the time. I still enjoy this movie.

MadKalnod

I also saw this move for the first time recently, also inspired by this review, (in the same showing as Zack who posts above me, actually), and I must agree that it is indeed  "a spunky load of noodles."  Other things to note:

In the sequence where Ranulf is tied to a tree and used as a throwing-axe practice target by the bandits, why doesn't he just slip his stump out of the rope?  He's tied at the wrist, and there's no hand to prevent him from doing so...

Also in the same scene, the two bandits pull their axes out of the tree, walk away from Ranulf, and then turn back to throw their axes again.  Now, before they can complete this action, they turn around again, startled to see Hawk having snuck up behind them.  HOW?!?!  They is no way they couldn't have seen him in the process of returning to the spot where they are startled.  They would have had to walk right up to him, fail to see him, turn around to throw their axes, note that Ranulf has spotted the be-mulleted Rennfaire renegade hero behind them, and THEN finally notice him as they turn around again.  I can only assume that, as so many have opined, this is a live-action Dungeons and Dragons adventure, and the bandits fumbled their Spot checks.

In fact, D&D analysis explains a lot of other things in this movie that don't make sense otherwise.
 Ranulf and Crow are arrow-spraying whirlwinds of doom until the final battle, when they simply pause to get killed?  They failed their Saving Throws.
 The ludicrous "holy food" discussion Baldin uses to scam Gort out of the chicken?  Baldin rolled a natural 20 to Bluff, and Gort rolled a 1 to Sense Motive.  The DM says "Baldin can basically say any dang thing at this point and Gort believes him."

Speaking of Baldin, he's no Dwarf.  A Gnome, or a Halfling, maybe even a Kender, but no self-repecting Dwarf would invite comparison with Baldin.  Frell, Ranulf's a better Dwarf than Baldin, height issues notwithstanding.

In the "Connections with other bad movies" department, eagle-eyed credit readers (or just those that make their Search rolls) will notice that Bernard Bresslaw (Gort) also played Rell the Cyclops in Krull, Patricia Quinn (The Woman) was Magenta in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Declan Mulholland (the fat one-eyed slaver) is better known as "Fat Irish Jabba the Hutt stand-in" in deleted scenes from the original Star Wars Episode IV.  (Yes, some may take issue with the implication that the original Star Wars is a bad movie, and I don't say that it is.  However, the Special Edition, which re-inserts the embarrassing Jabba scene made possible by Declan's presence, is most assuredly a load of Bantha Poodoo.)

ZACK

I actually just saw this movie for the first time (Inspired by the review here, oddly enough) and lemme tell you...it hurt

I respect it for being like the ONLY movie in all of history (that wasn't an incarnation of Tolkien's) that uses actual Dwarves and elves and such, but that's it.

and using them and calling them by name doesn't make them any less gay

...and the guy above me has heard of "Ator the Invincible"...giggle.  warms my heart

Rusty

I remember watching this movie when it was released and thought it was great. Sure it has cheesy special effects but hey... for the time there weren't many to D&D type movies to compete with. Man you thought this was bad, compared to ato the invicible, krull the conquerer or beastmaster this is a gem. :)

David Emami

Just heard that Jack Palance has passed away. Although I'm sure Hawk the Slayer isn't the film he'd most want to be remembered for, it's the one I've watched the most times, so it immediately came to mind for me.

Helmuut

Quote from: David Emami on November 25, 2006, 04:09:49 PM
Just heard that Jack Palance has passed away. Although I'm sure Hawk the Slayer isn't the film he'd most want to be remembered for, it's the one I've watched the most times, so it immediately came to mind for me.

I thought the same thing when I read the news about Jack.

Crap or not, this film transfixed a lot of youths back in the early 80's. That alone is a worthy mention. Good Job Jack. Peace be with you.

Helmuut

dave

OK so it is mild no sex no blood no gore, that is why it is so much more superior to any of the modern violence inspired foul mouthed films of today, I watch it regularly and if you dont tkae life to seriously and enjoy good old fashioned escapism then watch it in the way it was intended.

Ash

I was surfing around on Youtube and found this cool and informative behind the scenes look at the making of Hawk the Slayer.
It's pretty neat!

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F23Ur8-FTKU

felgekarp

That's great, I'll watch that at home later where I can get some sound on.  I don't think the rest of the office  will be interested in listening to behind the scenes on Hawk The Slayer  :teddyr:

"The Baron"

I remember when this film first came out.

I lived in Sierra Vista, AZ. and I remember getting into quarrels with my friends as to that time-honored game of "Who Plays What In the Film".

This film is my 2nd favorite of all-time.
I pay attention to fans rather than critics, because critics are paid to be jack@$$es.

I love this film enough that I use it as an Online Society handle.

At age 32, I have even sat down and re-written my own version of this film.
If there were EVER to be a consideration of re-working this into a passable 21st Century film, I think I have the answer.
True to the original, yet with better effects that don't require enough money to budget the Pentagon.

Jack Palance and Bernard Bresslaw (Voltan & Gort) are sorely missed.

Nathan Allen

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!  Seriously, it is my favorite B-Movie in the whole world!  There is not another movie so... out there... and so... awesome...  I love it!  I want to make the sequel.  Me and my friend have the entire next 5 movies planned out.  The next one involves Godzilla!  It's going to be awesome...  I'll keep ya posted...  ;)  :thumbup: :thumbup:

The S Man

 :hot:
Oh. My. Sweet. Sci. Fi. Lord!  

I "saw" this film, what, YEARS ago?! I'm 29 now, I must have been about 10 or less when I "saw" this film. Why do I keep saying "saw" in speechmarks?! See Big Fat J's comment. I could honestly echo it exactly word for word.

Do you know how long it's been that I thought I'd imagined the whole film?! I haven't seen it since that time when I was little. I watched it with my Dad, and my brother, and they long since forgot it. But me, something about the film struck a chord and stayed with me - but everyone I've ever spoken to about it just thought I was mad. Nobody believed me. Nobody had heard of the film.

AND NOW IT'S ON BBC TWO TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saw the title, and thought, "Hm, I wonder what that film's about." Googled it, found this site, and VOILA. The film I've always had recurring dreams/nightmares/memories about, but reached the point of believing I'd dreamt the whole thing up....

Man. I'm so relieved. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now I can take off this mental straitjacket and announce my sanity to the world... I just KNEW somehow I wasn't mad... I take on board everyone's comments, good and bad, but I'm now getting set to watch the film as though I'll be greeting an old, welcome friend. And I'm gonna enjoy the effects, the score and the memory...

The S Man.

xinunus

We have to remember this movie was made in 1980, not 2008!! This movie to me is a cult classic. Yes the acting is a little cheesy but I just love the hell out of it. The reason it's so good is because it leaves some things to your imagination. I love the parts in the movie where Hawk is fixing to fight someone and it zooms into him and then the guys he is fixing to fight, it's just like an old western. Part of the music in the movie could have come out of an old western. If you're looking for a not so serious fun entertaining movie, buy it. Check out imdb. Most of the actors in "Hawk the Slayer" went on to have great acting careers. Even the guy who plays Hawk has been in a lot of shows. Everything from "24" to "Lost".

Old Fart

Cool to see other fans of this movie commenting. Like some, I saw this film a looooong time ago on TV and as a kid it really impressed me. A very obscure film, it has been a challenge to find it on the net, but I did, and very happy for it! Sure it is low budget, there is some cheese, but there is a creative quality to it that still impresses me. But we are the old farts. What do the kids today think? All I can say is that Hawk the Slayer is now a favorite movie of my son (11) who has been inundated with LOTR and loads of other big budget fantasy films. Is it a great film? You bet! If it can still entertain me (isn't that the main point of film) and can capture the kids today with all the low budget effects, it still deserves a measure of respect.

alaskabear

 i saw hawk the slayer when i was a kid and loved it to this day
other movies i like are lady hawk , dragon slayer  (do thay have spell check on this thing ) i love these kind of movies so if any  one has any movies like thes please let me know i would very much like to see them

  alaskabear@sbcglobal.net

  frank
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