MartinHafer
Cameron Mitchell stars in this Viking film that essentially is a traditional western plot but set in the Middle Ages. Mitchell plays the hero--a guy who comes to town and finds that a local baddie is tormenting folks. So, being a noble sort of guy, he comes to the aid of a woman and her son--not realizing that she is a queen living in hiding. While all this sounds pretty exciting, it really isn't. Despite Mitchell tossing knives about and acting manly, it's pretty dull. BUT, I really expected much worse. Considering the zillions of Samson/Hercules/Machiste Italian films (most of which were terrible), I assumed this dubbed film would be just horrible. Perhaps having the talented director Mario Bava (known for horror films) helped a bit. Still, it's far from a must-see film and is easy to skip or see if you've got nothing better to do.
The_Void
I generally can find something to like about all the big cult film subgenres; but the one exception to that is definitely the 'sword and sandal' film. I've only seen a handful and they never fail to bore me to tears. I tuned into this one simply because it has the great Mario Bava at the helm; however, it turns out that Bava is just as bad as Fulci when it comes to films like this, and Knives of the Avenger is heinously boring. What we basically get is a bunch of people that are supposed to be Vikings (I think) running around in silly costumes. The plot has something to do with a woman, or fighting, or something. Anyway, this basically goes on for about eighty five hours...sorry, I mean eighty five minutes and then the film ends. Mario Bava made his name in the horror genre and his directorial style lends itself to the genre so well as Bava is brilliant at creating atmosphere. This film does actually feature some decent camera work and Bava does create a few good atmospheric scenes. However, that's really the only good thing I have to say about this film. Before seeing Knives of the Avenger, I had Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Bombs down as Bava's least fine hour; but now I'd say it's a tie between the two. Both are very much avoidable, although fans of this type of movie (assuming this type of movie has fans) might find something to like here I suppose.
Woodyanders
Noble Viking warrior Rurik (a strong and credible portrayal by Cameron Mitchell) vows to protect the fiery Karin (well played by the lovely Lisa Wagner) and her spunky son Moki (the charming Louis Polletin) from the vile clutches of the savage Hagen (a perfectly hateful Frank Ross) and his army of nasty brutes. Director/co-writer Mario Bava takes a welcome break from his usual horror fare to deliver a surprisingly complex and low-key, but still occasionally exciting period action drama that's essentially a thoughtful and inspired variant on the classic Western "Shane." Bava relates the absorbing story about revenge, betrayal and loyalty at a steady pace and stages the down'n'dirty fight scenes with considerable brio (a protracted confrontation between Rurik and Hagen in a tavern rates as a definite thrilling highlight). Antonio Rinaldi's breathtaking widescreen cinematography takes full advantage of the beautiful seaside scenery. Marcello Giombini's robust, rousing score likewise does the trick. The cast all give sound performances: Mitchell excels in one of his best roles, with sturdy support from Wagner, Ross, and Jack Stuart as Karin's gallant husband Harald. Best of all, the main characters are refreshingly complicated and genuinely engaging. A fun film.
funkyfry
*****SPOILERS******Italian "epic" of revenge provides for lots of viking combat with axes and swords. Mitchell makes a surprisingly good viking despite the ridiculous costume and directionless story (the villains are supposedly searching for the supermodel mom and son but can't find them even though they seem to live just outside of town).Nice atmospheric lighting and colors in classic Bava style. Not as good as "Hercules in the Haunted World" or Bava's horror and suspense films, but worth seeing for fans of 60s Italian muscleman films.
AD
