Where to watch Hawk the Slayer
1 1/2 Stars
Hawk, having suffered the ignominy of watching both his father and fiancée die at the hands of his brother, Voltan, sets out on a quest for companions to aid him in his fight to stop his brother’s reign of evil and free the Abbess.
The Sword & Sandals genre is littered with cinematic travesties, and Hawk the Slayer is another in a long list of mid-evil set turkeys. While impressively designed in the costume and art departments, the narrative is an absolute bore that mixes in spare elements from at least a half dozen other (better) stories. The scenery-chewing Jack Palance, who wears a ridiculous helmet inspired by Darth Vader, is the only pulsed cast member. Main star Terry Marcel and company seem to be sleepwalking through this dreary picture.
Hawk the Slayer has been photographed handsomely, other than a laughably elongated final battle sequence shot in ultra slow-motion, and money was spent getting the look of the production right. But to what end? Compared to the other swordfight movies of its era, Hawk the Slayer is a good-looking, dull programmer. Cool poster, shitty movie.
Directed by: Terry Marcel
Written by: Terry Marcel, Harry Robertson
Starring: Jack Palance, John Terry, Bernard Bresslaw