Hawk the Slayer is a masterpiece and I am fully prepared to die on that hill.

This is like the first movie which captured the essence of D&D. An adventure with dwarves, elves, clerics, witches, and magic. They even have side quests. That's why it's so cool.

I adore Hawk the Slayer to an unseemly degree. I wish I could have the "Hawk Theme" play every time I enter a room.

Hearing the music play everytime you said Hawk the Slayer was hillarious!

I remember my brother and I always renting this out from the video shop when we were kids. Happy and simpler day, I miss 'em

This was one of my favorite movies to watch on HBO in the 80s. Good times

This movie is everything you want in a sword and sorcery fantasy flick. Jack Palance is always great. The soundtrack belongs in every dance club across the country.

Hands-down one of the most enjoyable and re-watchable films of all time.

Have this on Blu Ray (well worth the gold). Don't care what anyone says. Hawk the Slayer is a delicious masterpiece hands down!

I watched Hawk the Slayer for the first time when I was 13 and into D&D. It was PERFECT!!! Even though being aware of its faults, it will always be a classic to me that I need to revisit from time to time to re-enter that innocent world of swords and sorcerers!!

I love your commitment to the coughing sound effects all the way through!

I can't believe I never saw this when I was younger. I would have lapped this stuff up!

Now, this is an under appreciated. This used to be on Showtime all the time in around ‘81. I always thought this film was very cool.

The climax of Hawk the Slayer is the most unintentionally funny thing I've ever seen. It's like watching an episode of 70's Doctor Who trip over its own feet, and break its nose.

Hawk the Slayer! Up there with Ladyhawke, which also had the goodness of a progressive rock soundtrack, plus the convience of Rutger Hauer.

I absolutely loved Hawk the Slayer… it was just pure cheesy fun, worth multiple viewing

Love this, we've arrived at ITC and the "Raise the Titanic" catastrophe. You know you need to cover that soon, it'll be hysterical.

I seem to remember this one as a young teenager in the 80s from when we'd go to the video shop and rent whatever seemed good based entirely on the back of the box. The only one I actually remember from those days was "The Keep". But films like this make me remember more of them.

Had the pleasure of seeing this at the cinema in 1980 and now the pleasure of this review -- can't say fairer than that -- cheers!

Did you know there's a HAWK THE SLAYER comic book series being published right now in the UK? It's published by 2000 AD and is written by Garth Ennis with art by Henry Flint.

Coincidentally watched both Raise the Titanic AND Hawk the Slayer for the first time today. Both just happened to be on regular old TV.

Yes!! This is why I sub to this channel. I saw this on Betamax as a kid. Didn't think much of it until it was being shown about 1am on TV in about 1997. When I went into college the next day some people looked a bit tired and they said they'd stayed up to watch Hawk the Slayer. People may laugh at the cheapness of this but it was one of the first sword and sorcery films, before Conan. I'm just disappointed I missed the kickstarter for a sequel, although there is a comic now.

Hawk the Slayer is one of the few films I can sit through twice in a row. Once upon a time some of my friends spontaneously improvised a musical version, after a few too many hearty ales. (Sings) "I am not a messenger, but I do bring you a message..."

Hawk The Slayer is a classic.

still one of my favs despite its many obvious flaws and failures.....I grew up on it, was mesmerized by it (especially Crow running in slo-mo..) and even recently watched it on here replete with goosebumps, fond childhood nostalgia and a giggle or two. The music alone is incredible. Tell me that's not worth its weight in gold....or a few sacks from the Hunchback's slaver box. Apparently, he has nothing left to say about this..........

Still great to watch.

As someone who grew up watching Carry On films in the school holidays and such, I can't possibly dislike anything with Bernard Bresslaw...who also played the Cyclops 'Rell' in Krull.

Stam Fine does it again! A cracking review of a thoroughly entertaining movie. I was enjoying this installment immensely until the missed opportunity of a LGCU was mentioned. Now I am somewhat crest fallen at never being able to watch the amazing cross-overs we would have had!

I take Crow over Legolas any day of the week. There's a genuinely mysterious, ethereal quality to him as opposed to Orlando Bloom imitating a chair leg in LOTR. And that jump-cutting bowmanship just ... works. It shouldn't. But it does.

I sat through the entire run of LOST as it was originally airing. Christian Shepard was the role John Terry was born to play: a dead guy.

The automatic crossbow was the thing my army mates loved, but then Sword and Sorcery was a big thing back then. Seems like I grew up with all those ITC series here in Oz. Even some of the soundtrack still echo 50+ years later.

I love this movie, and yes the soundtrack is brilliant.

I saw this first run and loved it! As a matter of fact, I can't see Legolas without thinking of the Elf in this. Yes, this really was fun to watch and Palance has some great lines. "So, I see you have the power that is rightfully mine". In his voice, it's priceless.

This is one of my favorite movies as a kid-- and i loved the jump cut editing for the elf rapid fire arrows, and the automatic crossbow- so awesome! :D I always wished there might be a sequel some day.

Hank The Slayer. Bloody Lovely.

I watched this with my brother on Betamax at my Uncle's house one family event. We were in the other room while the adults partied. It had a huge impact on me especially the hunchback being killed by releasing the rope with the club attached to it. That alone felt Metal as fuck. I think I was really young. Maybe 8 or 9. Anyway, very memorable film. Totally wanted to be that elf dude loosing arrows at crazy speeds. Fantastic.

This is one of my favorites! A guilty pleasure!

Love this film. And I will not hear a bad word about Raise the Titanic. 😀

Harry Robertson who did the music was a composer on many Hammer horror movies. He said once that sometimes all he did was move a few notes around from a previous score and somehow got away with it :)

Two things 1. Thanks to my brother I've seen 95% to 98% of all sword & sorcery movies pre-90's. 2. This one sure is smokey. Perhaps that's why Hawk is so sleepy. 3. Jack Palance never overacts

Fair play to ye for stickin in the clip from Spaced!

The Lew Grade cinematic universe!!!!! Wow that's a great thought.... Couldn't work now tho....all the great actors in those shows are dead 🤔 Love that concept. Great video 👍👍👍

I have this fantastic movie on DVD...Classic movie and even more classic soundtrack...thanks...

The archer stole the light in this film.

I remember recording the theme tune off the television by turning the volume up and pressing play on my portable tape recorder and then being very quiet whilst it recorded. I think I still have the tape stashed in a drawer at my parents house somewhere.

I admit it's B-movie quality. I admit the looped shot of Crow shooting the bow is cheesy as hell. I admit that Voltan is essentially wearing a Vader helmet. The Mindsword is clearly a blunt prop. The dwarf is just a shortish man. It stars Bernard Bresslaw without any boob jokes. The general scenery and props are almost comparable to Dr Who in quality. I love it.

I love this film

Surely time for a remake of this one. Could be done really well with modern techniques.

Jack Palance is great in everything.

Stam.. you are too funny .. many thanks for the review of this great movie that I have enjoyed for decades…

Brilliant

The owners of 2000 AD were trying to crowdfund a sequel more recently, but I think they didn't get enough pledges.

Bernard Bresslaw was immediately recognisable from the Carry On Films. I started to search for other alumni, I could swear I saw a dead ringer for Kenneth Williams.

One of the quintessential so bad it's good films

I was 9 when this movie came to "Channel Z" or whatever, and LOVED IT. Wandered around with a toy sword on my back for months.

ITC did two of my favorite shows in the 70s: The Muppet Show and Space 1999.

At any given time, there are, like, thirteen actors in Britain who show up in all movies and TV shows being made that year.

I love this one. It's great.

I swear that half the scenes in the movie look like they're posing for a metal album cover.

Ohhh, I saw this after all. It was on TV, but I only got to see the forest fight and all these years thought it was some PBS D&D TV movie I had seen. I tried for decades to find info on it. Had I only seen Jack Palance I'd have realized. Cool, mystery solved.

Oh man. Deep cut!

When I was a kid, through watching shows like Dungeons and Dragons, Knightmare, reading the Fighting Fantasy books, Lord of the rings, playing Heroquest, I saw that a fantasy film called Hawk The Slayer was on.. Well excited I put a tape in and set my VCR to record when I was asleep. I can't tell you the depths of my disappointment. "He's meant to be a giant!?" "That's bloody silly string!!" "Thousands of bouncy balls?!?!?" I was 11. Never got the love this film got. Never. "LARPING" Yes.. spot on.

I didn't think any movie could out-fog Excalibur

Awesome... I want a side by side of all the British actors and their Doctor Who roles... My god it's Henry Jago!

One small correction: farrell plays a dwarf, not an elf.

7:09 "Jack Palance's long career had him play villains in every genre you can think of." I don't think he was ever in a musical.

I love this movie!

You did it again. I f-ing love this channel and thank you.

And Roy Kinnear, love him!

Utter genius! I mean of course The Stam Fine Review!

3:33 Bolton is the dwarf not an elf. The sound track is the best part of this film. Jack Palance is a close second. The flying sword is tied for last with Hanks father

I love this movie in my teenage years in the 1980s, and I thought that was the coolest sword, ever! (I also used “Firehawk” as a D&D character name for years.)

There was a Kickstarter a while back to crowdfund a sequel "Hawk the Hunter" but it didn't make anywhere near enough.

It has the feel of a pricier Childrens Film Foundation production, which adds to its charm.

Nothing but love for Hawk the Slayer. Now, if I can only find the dimension with the Hawk the Slayer TV series, that would be sweet. I wonder if it would also have seasons 2-10 of Firefly?

I've seen 'Hawk the Slayer' many times... just never all in one go and never in order. It used to play as the late film occasionally and I'd catch bits of it but, 'though it's the sort of thing (and era) I usually adore, it somehow never quite had that "spark" enough to hook me in. Though saying that now I'd probably just love it from the array of British actors from that era and as a "what might have been" piece of cinema. Much of it was filmed around Black Park lake, just a couple of miles over from me. Which is no surprise for anything made by Pinewood Studios (ditto just over from me), as half the Carry On films, James Bond films, Harry Potter, classic Doctor Who and just about everything else has been filmed there at some point! I turned into one avenue of trees when walking there one day to find them setting up with a train to film a big Harry Potter scene. Though that's nothing compared to my grandmother often serving Hattie Jacques in the local charity shop, or local children 'hilariously' hailing "Taxi!" as then-local resident Sid James drove up the High Street following the release of 'Carry On Cabby', or countless other delightfully trivial occurrences.

I saw a review that said that John Terry almost acted as Hawk.

I think I saw this back in the day... all I remembered about this movie was the spinning hoops.

Ah yes, the film with a not very short dwarf, a not very tall giant, weapons using the power of jumpcuts, an ending consisting of the worse fireworks display put to screen, death by silly string and brothers with a 60 year age difference.😎

Playing G major on a banjo is such a niche joke and I'm here for it!

I love this movie with all its faults. I love the soundtrack CD. I think Palance's performance in the Buck Rogers episode "Planet of the Slave Girls" must have been from around the same time, it's similarly - er, unrestrained. Must mention The Darkness's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us" which audio samples Voltan's son Drogo: "I am no messenger, but I will give you a message - the message of death!"

SEE HOW IT GLOOOOOOWSbrother!

The sharp editing turns what would have been hokey into something rather exciting.

Great film and a great review, cough...

I saw this at the cinema. It was a double bill with Saturn 3.

Arthur, Krull, Hawk, Conan, Beastmaster, Sonja: S&S ReAssemble !

These are so good, you should have 100k subs by now. Brilliant Tamatoa "diversion" too ;)

"witch of the woods, what is your power?" points staff SILLY STRING😄 '

All those pine trees are a dead give away for being filmed in Black Park - which is used as a location for 99.9% of films made at Pinewood And the idea for the LGCU staring Wyngarde, McGoohan and Moore would have been a disaster because you know they would have hired Michael Winner and McGoohan would've walked out within 2 mins.

The LGCU would have been amazing!

I need to watch spaced again.

If you explained this to someone,its The Magnificent Seven meets Lord Of The Rings. This should be remade giving a awesome story, Call Amazon.

This reminds me of a scene from the Channel 4 series Spaced - Bilbo Bagshot : I was like you once. Blond hair. Scraggly little beard. Childlike ears. Full of beans and spunk. I let my principles get in the way sometimes. I punched a bloke in the face once for saying "Hawk the Slayer" was rubbish. Tim Bisley : Good for you. Bilbo Bagshot : Yeah, thanks. But that's not the point, Tim. The point is I was defending the fantasy genre with terminal intensity, when what I should have said is "Dad, you're right, but let's give Krull a try and we'll discuss it later."

i’m sure it’s unrelated but Hawk the Slayer always reminds me of Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, just in a different timezone

..."His actual birth name is"Hank", the Slayer."...😂

Lew Grade universe sounds ace.

I think Excalibur is the best British swords and sorcery film

Hawk the Slayer, ready to replace Steve Howe in Yes at any moment.

I think this is the long lost movie whose only memory i have is about an elf with an arrow! Lol but i rember it as something darker and he had about an army of foes. But i was just 4 or 5 then so. Lol

I'd like to see that version of Godzilla vs. Mothra.