Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Arnold Schwarzenegger | ... | Conan | |
James Earl Jones | ... | Thulsa Doom | |
Max von Sydow | ... | King Osric (as Max Von Sydow) | |
Sandahl Bergman | ... | Valeria | |
Ben Davidson | ... | Rexor | |
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Cassandra Gava | ... | The Witch (as Cassandra Gaviola) |
Gerry Lopez | ... | Subotai | |
Mako | ... | The Wizard / Narrator | |
Valérie Quennessen | ... | The Princess (as Valerie Quennessen) | |
William Smith | ... | Conan's Father | |
Luis Barboo | ... | Red Hair | |
Franco Columbu | ... | Pictish Scout | |
Leslie Foldvary | ... | Sacrificial Snake Girl | |
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Gary Herman | ... | Osric's Guard |
Erik Holmey | ... | Turanian War Officer (as Erick Holmey) |
Beyond the mists of time, having witnessed the brutal death of his blacksmith father and the massacre of the entire village by the murderous followers of Thulsa Doom, the undead evil wizard and servant of the serpent-god, Set, Conan, the orphaned young Cimmerian, is condemned to a life of slavery. Chained to the perpetual Wheel of Pain, the helpless boy grows into a man, and after years of rigorous training as a fierce gladiator, Conan, now an unstoppable mountain of muscle, regains his precious freedom. But, with the image of the blood-soaked raid etched on his mind, Conan teams up with Subotai, the Hyrkanian thief, and Valeria, the Queen of the Bandits, and embarks on a peril-laden journey to the mysterious Mountain of Power, and the impregnable Snake Cult Temple. Will Conan avenge his parents? Written by Nick Riganas
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.