Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film from the USA, directed by John Milius, running 129 minutes. reelscum files it under sword & sorcery.
- Year
- 1982 · 1980s films
- Country
- USA
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Director
- John Milius
- Updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Obscurity
- canon (1/100)
Defined in the glossary: Sword & sorcery
The good one that caused all the others. Poledouris score is the best part.
The good one that caused all the bad ones. John Milius takes Robert E. Howard seriously, gives Arnold Schwarzenegger almost no dialogue and a great deal to do, and hangs the whole thing on a Basil Poledouris score that is better than the genre ever needed.
It is grand, humourless and mythic, closer to a Viking saga than a sword-and-sorcery quickie. James Earl Jones makes an actual villain of Thulsa Doom. Then forty cheaper barbarian films followed, and none understood what made this work.
The riddle of steel, delivered straight.
Trailer
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Where to watch
Legal options in USA
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Filed alongside
The Beastmaster
The one that is actually fun. Ferrets steal the film.
The Sword and the Sorcerer
A three-bladed sword that fires two of the blades. Sold on that alone.
Deathstalker
Corman in Argentina. The genuine article, for better and worse.
Yor, the Hunter from the Future
Starts as caveman fantasy, becomes science fiction with no warning.
Ator the Fighting Eagle
Joe D'Amato's Conan, giant puppet spider and all. Miles O'Keeffe swings the sword.
Barbarian Queen
Corman's Argentine Conan-with-women, honest bottom-shelf swords and loincloths.
Conquest
Fulci does Conan through so much fog you can barely see the gore. Somehow that helps.
Hawk the Slayer
Jack Palance chewing a fantasy kingdom to splinters while a sword flies about on wires. Beloved for it.