(1983)
2.5
Donald Guarisco
Although it was clearly made to capitalize on the success of Conan The Barbarian, Hundra manages to distinguish itself by offering its own take on the sword and sorcery genre. As one might expect, it closely follows the story structure of Conan but writers John Goff and Matt Cimber use the gender-twist of their premise to their advantage. They bend the genre to their whims by downplaying the genre's machismo and mysticism to give the storyline a playful, sometimes satirical touch. As a result, Hundra feels like a combination of an Errol Flynn-style swashbuckler and a Saturday matinee serial, albeit one with enough violence and raciness for grownups. Laurene Landon's performance is rough around the edges but she makes up what she lacks in finesse through pure enthusiasm -- she takes obvious delight in her character's feminist-macho bent and does most of her own stunts to impressive effect. The best aspect of Hundra is Cimber's direction: he gives the film a regal sense of scope and delivers some vigorous action sequences, particularly the opening and closing fight setpieces. In short, Hundra is a fun pulp adventure that dishes up its thrills with a wink and a nudge -- thus, it is perfect for those viewers yearning for old-fashioned, drive-in movie fun.
Hundra on AllMovie
Hundra (1983)
