“Sword of Vengeance” may seem a bit video game-like with its presentation and the direction to primarily focus on the action but for those who love popcorn action films and want to be entertained and are in the mood for a film with less talk and more action, may find “Sword of Vengeance” worth checking out!
TITLE: Sword of Vengeance
FILM RELEASE: 2015
DURATION: 87 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 Aspect Ratio), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English SDH
COMPANY: Well Go USA Entertainment
RATED: NR (Not Rated)
Release Date: May 26, 2015
Directed by Jim Weedon
Story by Matthew Read, Julian Unthank
Produced by Rupert Preston, Huberta Von Liel
Music by Stephen Hitlon
Cinematography by August Jakobsson
Edited by Tommy Boulding
Casting by Jasmin Cvisic, Colin Jones
Production Design by Jelena Sopic
Costume Design by Stefan Savkovic
Starring:
Stanley Weber as Shadow Walker
Annabelle Wallis as Anna
Edward Akrout as Romain
Misa Beric as Marin
Peter J. Chaffey as Lucan
Gianni Giardinelli as Artus
Milica Jevtic as Udela
Vid Krkeljic as Wann
From the creator of HAMMER OF THE GODS, starring Stanley Weber ( Borgia ) and Annabelle Wallis (ANNABELLE) comes the story of a Norman prince, freed from slavery, who seeks revenge on his father’s murderer his ruthless uncle, Earl Durant (Karel Roden). Gaining the trust of a band of exiled farmers, he leads them into battle against Durant, exploiting them in his quest to satisfy his code of honor. Will the prince sacrifice everything and everyone to quench his thirst for bloody retribution?
Featuring the directorial debut of Jim Weedon, “Sword of Vengeance” is an all-action film set for release in May 2015 courtesy of Well Go USA.
The film would star Stanley Weber (“Not Another Happy Ending”, “Le Premier Jour”), Edward Akrout (“Dead in Tombstone”, “Swinging with the Finkels”), Peter J. Chaffey (“Lockout”, “3 Days to Kill”) and Annabelle Wallis (“X-Men: First Class”, “Peaky Blinders”, “Body of Lies”, “Annabelle”).
The film begins with showing us of how William the Conqueror and his army led to genocide in North England after the 1066 Battle of Hastings known as “The Harrowing” (William the Conqueror and his army killed innocent people, destroy their herds and burned all their harvests leaving many to die of starvation before the cold winter).
The film would show a man in cloak known as the Shadow Walker (portrayed by Stanley Weber) to be chased down by men of the Earl of Durant (portrayed by Karl Roden) for walking the roads. The Shadow Walker kills them easily.
The body of one of the men arrives back to Durant’s castle which leads to a manhunt led by Lord Artus (portrayed by Gianna Giardinelli) and Lord Roman (portrayed by Edward Akrout).
As the Shadow Walker walks to another village, he sees food being cooked and as he eats, he is knocked out by the villagers. When he awakes, he is tied up and hears a woman screaming and in an altercation with men sent by Lord Roman.
As the Shadow Walker is able to escape captivity, he helps the villagers and kills all of Lord Roman’s men. He defeats Lord Roman and has him lose an eye for his life and sends him back to his castle to give his father, the ruthless Earl of Durant a warning.
The village leader, Anna (portrayed by Annabelle Wallis) decides to put her faith in the Shadow Walker and the village are trained for an upcoming battle with Durant’s army, but will they survive?
And what relationship does the Shadow Walker have with the ruthless Earl of Durant?
VIDEO:
“Sword of Vengeance” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:39:1 aspect ratio). The film is more on the cool side and emphasizes on using a lot of blacks and emphasizing on shadows. The look and feel is intentional but gives the film this edgy feel to it. Close ups are full of detail but for the most part, the film has an interesting and edgy style to it.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Sword of Vengeance” is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There is very good use of surround and LFE during the more action intense sequences of the film. While dialogue is clear, the film is primarily dominated by ambiance, its musical score and action scenes.
Subtitles are in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Sword of Vengeance” comes with the following special features:
- Interviews – Featuring interviews with producers Rupert Preston and Huberta Von Liel (8:03) and interview with Director Jim Weedon (15:45)
- Behind the Scenes – Featuring the behind-the-scenes making of “Sword of Vengeance”: Broll “First Encounter”, “Night Battle” and “Shadow Walker vs. Romain”.
- Theatrical Trailer – Theatrical trailer for “Sword of Vengeance”.
If anything, “Sword of Vengeance” is a popcorn action film for those who want to see violent and bloody battles on the battlefield.
The film is not about great acting, nor is it about being too attached to characters…what we have here is a film about one man wanting to exact his revenge (which you will learn what is driving the Shadow Walker) and trying to achieve what is necessary to make vengeance possible.
Of course, there are instances where I was in disbelief because you see a group of villagers taking on small members from armies accompanied by Lord Artus and Lord Roman and you can’t help but be in disbelief that they would only bring a five man crew, when they could have easily brought hundreds of men and easily stomped out the opposition.
But that is me being analytical and having my mind race of why didn’t they do this or that.
But despite its story shortcomings, I do like the feel of the film, almost like a Spaghetti Western, utilizing indie ways to make the film look much grander. Less on dialogue, letting the visuals, violence and action speak for itself.
The Blu-ray release features solid picture quality and the lossless soundtrack is also crystal clear and utilizes the surround channels and LFE. Special features feature interviews and making of.
Overall, “Sword of Vengeance” may seem a bit video game-like with its presentation and the direction to primarily focus on the action but for those who love popcorn action films and want to be entertained and are in the mood for a film with less talk and more action, may find “Sword of Vengeance” worth checking out!
