Review of Hawk the Slayer (1980) by Michael L — 24 Jul 2011

Hawk the Slayer is one of the great films along with films like Star Wars and Time Bandits from my childhood. As a child of the 70s and 80s I didn't mind the bad acting or the terrible special effects (remember children of the 70s and 80s were scared by the special effects of Doctor Who).

Watching the film today is still just as much fun. John Terry as the lead is a wooden as a cherry tree and Jack Palance is totally over the top as Voltan. One of the great joys of the film though are the supporting cast, Bernard Bresslaw plays against cast in many ways as the giant Gort and is always enjoyable to watch, Peter O'Farrell Dwarf is fun and makes a character that would normally be annoying fun. Morgan Sheppard a stalwart of the British acting community adds a sense of soberness to the film (which isn't a bad thing). The crown for bizarre acting though goes to Ray Charleson who's Elf Crow is a cross between Brett from The Magnificent Seven and Spock from Star Trek.

The plot is a long the lines of The Seven Samurai but with only six heroes (I include Patricia Quinn's Sorceress). The script is clunky but always enjoyable with one of my favourite lines from any film "I am no messanger. But I will give you a message. The message of DEATH!". The directing isn't as bad as many believe, though never spectacular and the cinematography works well. The editing for most of the film is sensible right up until it comes to showing the amazing abilities of Crow, the editor suddenly must have taken lots of strange drugs.

The special effects are of similar quality to those of Blake Seven and Dr Who, with the best being the use of silly string as a weapon by the Sorceress). People forget how bad most films special effects where in 1981, especially low budget British films. The music for the film is completely strange, with a mix of orchestration and synthesizers, bringing a disco beat to the film.

I must admit that I still love this film and own it on DVD. If you compare the film with Lord of the Rings it is bound to come off badly but is much more enjoyable. It has a cult following and everyone I know who watches the film enjoys it. If you want a good film with great acting and special effects you will hate this film, if you want a B movie which is enjoyable and will make you feel like a child again, you can't beat Hawk the Slayer.