The Sword Bearer

[jonbly]

Didn't really come together for jonbly... well shot and some interesting ideas, but just didn't grab. The tendency of the main character to kill pretty much everyone he meets makes him hard to like.

5/10

[AdeBrown]

Firstly I had to work this morning and so miss the Hatchet commentary by Alan Jones and Adam Green.
Top fun by all accounts.

So work was very busy - of course - and I just got to the OWE in time for Sword Bearer.
Clearly the (russian) director has some great ideas, but the story and editing needed work.

Too many gratuitous leaps (where did that love life come from?) but enjoyable all the same.

[sinplicity]

I'm biased towards dark endings. I'll admit that right out front, and you can ignore the rest of my reasons and subscribe my opininion to that, if you like.

I loved this movie. I did not like Sasha at any point, and stopped liking Katya not too far into their relationship. But none of that mattered. It was always clear what drove Sasha, and it became abundantly clear what drove Katya, and with those dynamics in place, the rest was just a lovely, beautifully shot and paced morality tale. I left the theatre feeling more rewarded by The Sword Bearer than anything else I've watched so far this weekend (although WAZ comes a very close second).

[Jekyll]

Simply stunningly shot and beautiful to look at but a bit on the dull side in terms of pacing and story.

Lead actress was incredible to look at though, really beautiful eyes.

[lupogirl]

Was visually stunning with the same piece of music that seem to get repeated a bit too often in the film. This was one of the weakest films for me. No real story to follow. No characterization which meant when the girl got shot. I was hoping the bloke would die as well.. Oh Dear!

[iam_dan]

did love the ideas behind it but it didnt quite come together..maybe i was just tired and its one of those films if i saw again i would see it in a different light

[Pestilence]

I can't believe I actually sat the whole way through this one. I think I was just hoping, praying, waiting for SOMETHING to actually happen....that maybe towards the end the climax would pay off, but NO.

This, next to Skinwalkers, was the worst film of the festival to me. The lead characters were thoroughly unlikeable, the "love story" so completely nonsensical it seems like it was written by a hormonal 14-year-old and the blade from Sasha's hand could have been removed from the film entirely and not made a lick of difference. Every time that damned piece of score started playing, I just sunk in my seat and thought "here we go again....another 8 minute scene of these two shagging/snogging/staring at eachother/whatever". Absolutely pathetic.

[maxmum]

Phew... I missed this one cause i couldn't get down till the start of signal....

[DavieT]

Its difficult to like someone who whips a blade out from his hand and kills practically everyone he meets - one of the worst of the w/e for me

[Reanimator]

agree one of the worst of the weekend - no real story or action and couldn't care less about the characters

[Gungrave]

Pretty pictures and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[xLeft For Deadx]

I didn't mind it so much as it was early in the weekend, and my tolerence for mediocrity was still pretty high - had it appeared later in the festival I'd probably have hated it. Nothing to like about the characters, dis-jointed story, and as a friend of mine pointed out: just not enough swordbearing.

[soulmining]

As with all the films over the weekend (apart from maybe Skinwalkers), this one certainly had its fans - my mate Steve thought it was one of the best of the whole festival.

For me however it was The Sword Borer... I kept expecting it to suddenly spring into action, but it just limped along... I would have skipped this one if I'd have known it was going to be like that all the way through.

[rawshark]

I actually really enjoyed The Sword Bearer...

Ok, it took me a while to get into (after that terrific opening of the severed logging truck), but as soon as the love story kicked in, I was there with it..

Great visuals, an engaging plot and I'm a sucker for the old anti-hero story, especially one with a sword that can come out of his arm (even if he did look like a cross between Paul Weller and Adrien Brody). Plus his girfriend was gorgeous, and there was some great gore in there too...

[scrobble]

I was so bored by this, couldn't get into it at all, the story seemed pointless, and I didn't 'get' why Katya and Sasha got together in the first place...would you leap into bed with someone who blocked the way into your flat and then kicked you before you'd even introduced yourselves?!

And the ending...stupid, just stupid.

I suppose Katya was pretty to look at, though (I'm female and straight, but could appreciate her beauty - not sure what she saw in Sasha, rawshark's description of him is spot-on!)