Conan the Destroyer

Conan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.

• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Genre:Action / Adventure / Fantasy
• Runtime:101 minutes

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger : Conan
Grace Jones : Zula
Wilt Chamberlain : Bombaata
Mako : Akiro ‘The Wizard’
Tracey Walter : Malak

A yet-unseen Wizard (Mako) narrates the story. As a young Cimmerian boy, Conan witnesses the destruction of his village at the hand of three Vanir warlords: Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and Doom’s lieutenants, Rexor (Ben Davidson) and Thorgrim (Sven-Ole Thorsen). Conan’s father (William Smith) valiantly fights the bandits, but Thorgrim and Rexor mortally wound him, finally killing him with their pack of trained dogs. Doom himself hypnotizes and then decapitates Conan’s mother (Darci Belt). The battle standard carried by the invading Vanir – two snakes facing each other over a moon and a rising sun – is burned into the memory of young Conan.

Sold into slavery along with the other children from his village, Conan is forced with others to push a human-powered mill, The Wheel of Pain. Reaching adulthood as the sole survivor, he has become broad and strong, (at this point the viewer is introduced to an adult Conan via the massive back and stoic stare of a 33-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger). After a period of enduring the elements, a lone horseman appears. Conan, it appears, is purchased on the premise that his size alone is enough to qualify him to fight as a gladiator. The Wheel of Pain that he has pushed for so long becomes his symbol, worn around his neck and on a standard which his “purchaser” holds. After success competing in the gladiator arena, as Akiro describes, Conan discovers his own worth. His owner sees such potential in Conan that he is later taken to the Far East. There Conan is trained as a swordsman by “War Masters.” While still a slave, Conan studies language and writing including poetry and philosophy. After many successful fights, he was still but a slave. He eventually however is set free by his master and soon discovers a sword from an ancient Atlantean king in a tomb. Conan thus dedicates his life to vengeance.

During his travels, Conan meets two thieves: Subotai (Gerry Lopez), a Hyrkanian archer; and Valeria (Sandahl Bergman). The trio learn that a doomsday cult has arisen, one which makes extensive use of snake symbolism. While breaking into one of the cult’s fortified temples in Shadizar, Conan discovers Rexor overseeing a human sacrifice, a confirmation of the cult’s connection to Thulsa Doom. The thieves succeed in making off with (among other things) a large jewel famously dubbed “The Eye of the Serpent,” and a jade amulet in the shape of Thulsa Doom’s Vanir battle standard; the emblem of the Snake-god Set. In the process, Conan and his fellow thieves are forced to kill Thorgrim’s pet, a giant snake guarding the treasure. Read more

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