One of the most vicious and forceful films to come out of a foreign market, The Last Warrior (“The Scythian”) should play well to adventure/thriller fans. The settings are amazing with excellent cinematography, costuming and a story pulsating with a world gone mad as it moves to the edge of the 11th Century. The film plays out in either the native language of Russian or can be changed to dub-in English. The film has been released in DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and Digital HD.
It’s the High Middle Ages Eurasia and with settlements being invaded by stronger tribes the gleaning of the continent is evolving slowly. As the film starts the following is explained:
“On the edge of an ancient Land across rolling hills and rocky cliffs, along the shores of two seas lay the principality of Tmutarakan. It was the time when the mighty Scythians succumbed to the ravages of history. When the last of their people disappeared, along with their ancient gods and many heroes, it was the time for new battles and the glory of heroes, those brave at heart and strong of spirit. And now the time had come for new legends.”
Son of a local tavern, Marten (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) gets a chance to step up and fight for his father’s business when it gets invaded by a band of marauders. Making quick waste of the brutal men, he impresses his father. In another part of the area Lord Oleg (Yuriy Tsurilo) and his son meet in an open plain on the outskirts of their village to welcome an envoy who offers the Lord some land as a gesture of confidence from his ruler. The group gets attached by henchmen and Oleg’s warrior Lutobor (Aleksey Faddeev) leads a charge that brings a quick end to the fight. Oleg commends him for his swift work in saving his life and he earns the Lord’s favor.
Following the birth of his first child with his wife Tatyana (Izmaylova Vasilisa), Lord Oleg pays a visit to Lutobor’s village. As part of the revelry Lutobor must fight Kumai (Rustam Mosafir) the son of neighboring tribe leader Lord Vladimir. Embarrassed by his loss to Lutobor, Kumai races away from the village. Later than evening spies living in Lutobor’s village kidnap Tatyana and the baby. Meeting up with Marten, Lutobor continues a trek to find his wife and child, free them and get them back to safety.
The film is a bone cruncher and a vision of what the Middle Ages may have looked like in the vast areas of Eurasia. Director Rustam Mosafir makes the film look real and dangerous as he moves his crew and cast across the plains, ocean sides and mountains capturing the beauty and majesty of Russia. Under some rugged conditions Mosafir gets shots of the fighting and the choreography from many angles. It’s a tough shoot and in many instances it’s a bit off kilter, especially the distance shots where swords are swinging and men are dropping. But, still in control, he brings in his film with a lot of imagination and creativity.
His actors do well with the very demanding scenes. I especially liked the battle in the caged arena (think Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome) where Marten and Lutobor have to fight the very brutal Berendey (Boris Zverev). It takes up most of chapter four, but the fight choreography is so good you will want to watch it again. Here’s where the make-up, prosthesis and costume department excel with a very vicious and bloody fight for life. Body parts fly and it’s a physical endurance that looks so real it baffles reality.
The Last Warrior is good and should appeal the action junkies who love their movies hard and fast with a lot of fighting. I am a fan of foreign films and although the DVD does have the option of a dub in English choice in the “Set Up” menu, you may like the film better in the Russian language. The dubbing was not so good here and lacks energy. It is best to leave the Russian setting on and read the subtitles. Besides in the film like this, you will be more into the action than the dialogue.
The movie has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme bloody violence, rape, sex/nudity and brutality. The film should not be watched with immature children present. The film is much like the cable show Vikings where brutality is shown as a way of life. It is available in DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and Digital HD.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good action/drama. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Aleksey Faddeev, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Yuriy Tsurilo, Izmaylova Vasilisa
Director: Rustam Mosafir
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, Contains bloody violence, nudity/sex, brutality
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Video Release Date: August 14, 2018
Original Theatrical Release Date:
Language: Foreign chose dubbed in English or English subtitles
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Surround
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: 4Digital Media
Released in: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and Digital HD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
