The Barbarians (1987)
Genre: Fantasy / Adventure
Duration: 87 minuten
Alternative title: The Barbarian Brothers
Country:
United States / Italy
Directed by: Ruggero Deodato
Stars: Peter Paul, David Paul and Richard Lynch
IMDb score:
5,0 (5.893)
Releasedate: 1 March 1987
The Barbarians plot
"Warriors. Conquerors. Heroes."
The Barbarians are twins captured at a young age and transformed into true gladiators. However, identical twin brothers Gore and Kutchek eventually discover their true identities and try to escape from the deadly hands of the evil tyrant Kadar.
Actors and actresses
Kutchek
Gore
Kadar
Kara/Ismene
Canary
China
Dirtmaster
Jacko
Ibar
Allura
Reviews & comments
Zinema (crew films)
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- 10276 messages
- 7314 votes
Viva VHS.
When the many Italian names, followed by the darn Golan & Globus, appear on the screen, you already know what's going on. The thumping, terribly off-color disco tune immediately confirms this fear. Pulp. But will it be entertaining? The B-list actors are omnipresent, and there's talk of a magic stone. Exciting!
Everyone is dressed up in their Mad Max meets the Pharaohs style, and there's... More disco. 
And gore, ahem. And of course, two walking billboards for banned bodybuilding drugs. It's probably also affected the men's brains, because their motor skills are strange, to say the least. Not to mention their verbal skills (they laugh like wild boars).
In the wake of Schwarzenegger's unexpected success with Conan, the Cannonboys thought they'd cleverly capitalize on the market. The two Arnie films weren't great either, but this? Brrr. Anyway, the brothers are constantly oiled and doing their best. Although, the fights don't look good. So, let's hope for a monster. And sure enough. After about an hour, the dragon appears with green blood. Shiver. At least they've cobbled together something that passes for a dragon with rubber and papier-mâché. Oh well, pretty cool (hehehehe).
Many forest scenes (due to the lack of scenery) and the occasional waterfall offer us at least some atmospheric shots. Or am I really seeing blue screens? Anyway, it's clear to you...
One and a half stars and viva de VHS. They're definitely not going to release this on DVD or Blu-ray. After seeing the film, that seems highly unlikely. Although, it could be worse. Because after Challenge of the Lady Ninja, this one actually felt pretty good to me. No. Don't ask...
Very moderate.
Translated from Dutch · View original
dutchtuga
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- 16970 messages
- 4101 votes
A delightful bit of nonsense and just a really cool studio film. The Barbarian twins, however, are quite annoying at times and slow the film down. Pino Donaggio's score is, once again, excellent.
3*
Translated from Dutch · View original
jordandejong
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- 4774 messages
- 1432 votes
I was a bit confused. I initially thought this was by Lucio Fulci, but it's actually by Deodato. The Barbarians is somewhat reminiscent of Fulci's Conquest (1983), although that film is cooler, more entertaining, and more atmospheric.
The story is wafer-thin. The acting, especially from the steroid-fueled brothers, is subpar. Still, I'm a fan of these kinds of fucked-up Italian fantasy films. Pino Donaggio has created another fantastic soundtrack. It really shines during the fight between the brothers. Definitely one of the funnier scenes (including the spectator whose hand accidentally gets chopped off. 
).
I wouldn't be surprised if the script was just keywords, and the filming was done around them. It must have looked something like this: circus freaks, oiled-up steroid-wielding brothers, important pearl, werewolf-like monster, dragon -----> film it. As you can see from these keywords, all the bizarre ideas of Deodato and writer James R. Silke are discussed, without any real reason or depth to them. But it's all entertaining nonetheless, even if it is occasionally hopelessly obtuse.
3.0*... Deodato doesn't create as captivating a fantasy world as Fulci did with Conquest, for example. Positives include Donaggio's music, enjoyable supporting roles from Berryman and George Eastman, and some nice dialogue here and there. It's all entertaining, but I had hoped for an even better final result.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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