Set in the medieval kingdom of Ehb, a man known only as Farmer is caught up in the battle for the kingdom. A powerful magus by the name of Gallian is using magical powers to control the orc-like Krug. Also working with him is Duke Fallow, the King's nephew, who wants power for himself. Farmer wants nothing to do with the war but when his son is killed and his wife taken he has no choice if he is to save her. He heads off in search of her with his friends Norick and Bastian; together they face various difficulties and are ultimately separated. Farmer later learns a hidden truth about himself before helping lead the fight against the Krug and ultimately facing Gallian.
I was surprised to see just how negatively reviewed this film has been; it may not be great but it is far from terrible. There is plenty of impressive action; this is exciting and stylishly choreographed by Siu-Tung Ching. The story may contain many clichés but just about every film in this genre does to some degree. Jason Statham does a solid job as Farmer and there is solid support from Ron Perlman as Norick. Some people weren't too keen on Matthew Lillard's performance as Duke Fallow but I rather liked it; the character was never meant to be heroic in anyway. Not all the performances impressed though; I never bought Burt Reynolds as the king and the less said about Ray Liotta's Gallian the better... he was more camp than commanding; certainly he never looked a match for Statham. While the highlight of the films were the battle scenes there were other impressive moments; I particularly liked the mysterious women of the forest and the way they moved on long vines. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre; it may not be the best example but neither is it the worst that I've seen, by quite some way.
I was surprised to see just how negatively reviewed this film has been; it may not be great but it is far from terrible. There is plenty of impressive action; this is exciting and stylishly choreographed by Siu-Tung Ching. The story may contain many clichés but just about every film in this genre does to some degree. Jason Statham does a solid job as Farmer and there is solid support from Ron Perlman as Norick. Some people weren't too keen on Matthew Lillard's performance as Duke Fallow but I rather liked it; the character was never meant to be heroic in anyway. Not all the performances impressed though; I never bought Burt Reynolds as the king and the less said about Ray Liotta's Gallian the better... he was more camp than commanding; certainly he never looked a match for Statham. While the highlight of the films were the battle scenes there were other impressive moments; I particularly liked the mysterious women of the forest and the way they moved on long vines. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre; it may not be the best example but neither is it the worst that I've seen, by quite some way.