Well, I said I would review it and here it is.
First things first, this is not a review of the professional wrestler with the moniker "The Ultimate Warrior". This is instead about the 1975 post-apocalyptic Science Fiction film starring Yul Brynner and Max Von Sydow. Also in the cast are Joanna Miles and William Smith (the last Marlboro Man and also recognizable from a lot of films like Red Dawn, Twilight's Last Gleaming and other such 70s-80s productions).
As settings go, this is a precursor to the "post apocalyptic warrior" film (things like Steel Dawn) as opposed to the "last man on earth" type (like "The Omega Man"). The plague here did not create zombies or infected - it simply killed a lot of people and also made most common food plants unable to grow. The film itself is set in New York apparently a couple of decades afterwards.
So, is it good and if yes why?
In my opinion, this is a good one. There are several reasons.
First, the setting is well realized. The producers managed to create a cityscape that is part desolate but part inhabited by starving savages very effectively. And the starving savages do not look like gladiators - no Mad Max style stuff here. They look ragged and desperate. It gives the film a proper feel - things really are winding down and people are losing hope, even starting to turn to cannibalism.
Second, the performances are good. Yul Brynner gives his character a more complex and layered portrayal than the material would indicate - his role in the film is as a freelance "fighter" but he makes the character come alive as more than that. Likewise Max Von Sydow as the leader of a small group trying to hold onto civilization exudes a combination of increasing resignation (that the group won't make it) and hope (that the experimental seeds they have been developing could ultimately save the race) that makes his character really work. As their enemy, William Smith is a savage - and he has no compunctions about it. He isn't the maniacially laughing villain but rather a totally ruthless leader who isn't necessarily "evil" but rather is brutal. He makes a good adversary for Brynner and Sydow.
Third, the action is properly understated. What do I mean by this? Instead of big explosions and gunfights we get knife fights and brawling / MMA style action. This makes more sense in a world degenerated to savagery. Plus, the understated action lends again to the movie's somewhat more serious tone - the film does not feel like a comic book as a lot of the films in this sub genre do but rather it feels like a grim survival story. This is not to say it does not have comic moments - for instance Brynner revealing to Sydow that it was the offer of cigars that swayed him to join his group (not the promise of food or clean quarters or such) had a quiet type of humor to it and was well played by both characters. But even the humor is appropriate to the overall tone.
To me, this film is worth the watch. It is on Amazon streaming and also on DVD.
First things first, this is not a review of the professional wrestler with the moniker "The Ultimate Warrior". This is instead about the 1975 post-apocalyptic Science Fiction film starring Yul Brynner and Max Von Sydow. Also in the cast are Joanna Miles and William Smith (the last Marlboro Man and also recognizable from a lot of films like Red Dawn, Twilight's Last Gleaming and other such 70s-80s productions).
As settings go, this is a precursor to the "post apocalyptic warrior" film (things like Steel Dawn) as opposed to the "last man on earth" type (like "The Omega Man"). The plague here did not create zombies or infected - it simply killed a lot of people and also made most common food plants unable to grow. The film itself is set in New York apparently a couple of decades afterwards.
So, is it good and if yes why?
In my opinion, this is a good one. There are several reasons.
First, the setting is well realized. The producers managed to create a cityscape that is part desolate but part inhabited by starving savages very effectively. And the starving savages do not look like gladiators - no Mad Max style stuff here. They look ragged and desperate. It gives the film a proper feel - things really are winding down and people are losing hope, even starting to turn to cannibalism.
Second, the performances are good. Yul Brynner gives his character a more complex and layered portrayal than the material would indicate - his role in the film is as a freelance "fighter" but he makes the character come alive as more than that. Likewise Max Von Sydow as the leader of a small group trying to hold onto civilization exudes a combination of increasing resignation (that the group won't make it) and hope (that the experimental seeds they have been developing could ultimately save the race) that makes his character really work. As their enemy, William Smith is a savage - and he has no compunctions about it. He isn't the maniacially laughing villain but rather a totally ruthless leader who isn't necessarily "evil" but rather is brutal. He makes a good adversary for Brynner and Sydow.
Third, the action is properly understated. What do I mean by this? Instead of big explosions and gunfights we get knife fights and brawling / MMA style action. This makes more sense in a world degenerated to savagery. Plus, the understated action lends again to the movie's somewhat more serious tone - the film does not feel like a comic book as a lot of the films in this sub genre do but rather it feels like a grim survival story. This is not to say it does not have comic moments - for instance Brynner revealing to Sydow that it was the offer of cigars that swayed him to join his group (not the promise of food or clean quarters or such) had a quiet type of humor to it and was well played by both characters. But even the humor is appropriate to the overall tone.
To me, this film is worth the watch. It is on Amazon streaming and also on DVD.
