The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
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The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR directed by ROBERT CLOUSE
The year in this one is 2012 - now a couple of years in the past (and no relation to the film 2012 from 2009). According to this one, things fell apart in the early eighties. I believe that plague was the cause. Cities are mostly empty and falling into ruin. There are small pockets of humanity here and there. I use the term 'humanity' very loosely. One such enclave is headed by a man mostly nicknamed as 'The Baron' (Von Sydow). His group has enclosed a city block with various junk and makeshift gates to form a tottering little fortress. The Baron clings to the last vestiges of civilization and one of his men, Cal (Richard Kelton), is successful at creating new seeds; they have a vegetable garden set up on a roof and it's precious. The Baron rules with pragmatism and common sense; the others seem to look up to him simply because he's the smartest. His daughter (Joanna Miles) is pregnant; her husband is dead.
ABOVE: Brynner contemplates the future and has no patience for ruffians
The film has obvious limitations, due to budget constraints. These last inhabitants of the city wear clothes which, rather than looking tattered and very worn, have the appearance of being just stitched together the day before, like movie costumes. The main set seems just like what it is - a movie studio set made up to look dilapidated. Clouse, however, was able to convey the desperation and brutality which informs the lives of most of the characters. There's really not too much difference between the two groups of people; each and everyone would probably kill for a fresh tomato.
Brynner was still impressive here; this was almost his last film role, just after Westworld (1973). Von Sydow lent dignity to the role of the Baron. The film ends with a chase in some subway tunnels and a final duel between Carter and Carrot. A similar post-civilization film was Ravagers (1979). There are also obvious parallels to the plot of The Road Warrior (1981), in which Mel Gibson was in the Brynner role. BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10
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