Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

FlixChatter I rented this when it arrived on Netflix and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's stylishly-shot and the decidedly stark, bleak color scheme actually looks quite artistic in contrast to all the red of the spurting blood from those who get in our hero's way. The simple, no-frills plot suits the piece. I mean the title says it all. Obviously the protagonist is seeking vengeance and once it's revealed what's taken from him, you get why he does what he does. Yes, a bit more character development is always nice, but at a brisk 87 minutes, it was entertaining enough without overstaying its welcome.The mysterious Shadow Walker quipped 'vengeance is my only belief.' You know what, he lived by that rule in the movie. He didn't seek out to be a hero or has aspiration to lead a nation or anything like that, he just wants vengeance. It's as minimalistic as it gets, so if you go in expecting a whole lot more, then you set yourself up for disappointment.French actor Stanley Weber is freaking bad ass in the lead role, sporting a historically out-of-place corn rows but who cares, it looks so damn cool! Apart from that hairstyle, he looks suitably grim and gritty, and his rugged costumes look believably soiled and grubby. His character is the strong silent type who's as efficient with words as he is with his sword fighting. He's like an 11th century John Wick! I also like his fellow French actor Edward Akrout. There's a great mano a mano sword fight between the two that's fun to watch, but my favorite scene is the one in the woods where the Shadow Walker get to show his action hero prowess. The movie has the look and smell of the dark ages, the set pieces look appropriately harsh and gritty, the fact that it was shot on location in Serbia in the middle of Winter. Even from the opening sequence when we first met Shadow Walker slaying off people in the rain, I love Jim Weedon's style and his use of music. Weedon started out as an award-winning commercials director who also worked on some SFX work for films like 'Gladiator' (the Elysian Field sequences).So yeah, I have no qualms about liking this flick. It's not for everyone but if you're into this genre, I'd say give it a shot.

rushknight It starts off slow and moves on at the same pace throughout. After 10 minutes, I realized that it wasn't going to speed up.But that's OK, because this movie is about the hero. He is, quite literally, all that matters. The hero is right out of feudal Japan, with his honor-bound "only vengeance matters" ethics, and his short clipped way of speaking with an accent that doesn't belong in Scotland. His fighting style is completely out of place and would be laughably ineffective in real life. Good thing he learned to hold his sword backwards, otherwise he'd have killed all the baddies twice as fast and the movie might have been tempted to run at a normal pace..No other characters matter. There is a "love interest" that doesn't really make any deep connection and only exists to give the hero exactly ONE dynamic character lesson, a trio of bad guys that have exactly ONE motive each, and a plethora of other characters that might as well be nameless as they don't do much else except perform all the basic necessary menial tasks involved in making a hero look heroic without trying too hard.There is no accuracy in terms of dress, speech, military action, governmental oversight, etc. These things don't matter, only the hero matters. He looks cool and is a total awesome dude. The movie has to rock because the hero does. Right? In addition, it was filmed in the "bleak style" that is so prevalent among stylized films. This means they removed most of the color. I have never understood this particular method of filming. Can the world not be bleak in its own right? And lastly, the soundtrack spends most of its time being out of place. Sometimes it sounds like something out of a sci-fi film (mostly when the hero is spinning his sword around, complete with whirly sound effects), sometimes it sounds like moody atmospheric mush (mostly when the hero is looking stoic and heroic), and usually moves itself into the typical drum-heavy orchestral epic sounding stuff (mostly when the hero is killing lots of people while holding his sword backwards). There is no reference, or even an implied reference, to any sort of traditional gaelic or celtic musical form, melody or instrument.This is getting long, so I'll cut it off here with a final comment:This movie is so empty of substance that it's like a skeleton of ideas that are designed to be easily fit into any genre. Take this hero and stick him into a sci-fi feature battling the evil space barons that killed his family. You don't even have to change the soundtrack. Next throw it all into a pirate feature. It will work just fine, just need to tweak the costumes a little bit.This movie is bland and devoid of any real character. Very forgettable.

duvernetphotography As one poster stated, lots of powder, but not much bang. All the cute tricks of off angles, dark grey coloring, moody lighting and extreme close ups. But where does a band of ragged rebels find the oil, the iron, the food, and more while trying to fight off the enemy? The story line goes all over the place, pitting family loss against family loss in feud form. Crude tools and grit against superior numbers and horses. Without the soundtrack to create the mood, there wouldn't be much sense to some of the "action". Actors in grubby clothing running through a field. One aspect it does catch well is the primitive life and offers some pretty good fighting moves. The acting is mostly grunts and threats and screams. No much nuance! But it is different and entertaining. Worth a relaxed watch.

DareDevilKid Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 2.5/5 starsWith a stylish look and 86-minute runtime, "Sword of Vengeance" is chock full of action, violence, retribution, and minimal dialogue. The script revolves around a Norman prince (Stanley Weber) who seeks revenge on his father's murderer - his ruthless uncle, Earl Durant (Karel Roden). Gaining the trust of a band of exiled and beleaguered Saxon farmers, he leads them into battle against Durant and his army, exploiting them in his quest to satisfy his code of honor. Does the prince find his retribution, and will he be willing to sacrifice everything and everyone to quench his thirst for bloody vengeance forms the crux of the story.The film showcases a great use of color, making the battlefield look hazy and depressing. It's also heavy on style, has a great production design (considering its budget), and boasts impressive sets. There is an interesting background score to boot - very electronic and not at all what you might expect from a film set one thousand years ago, but nevertheless refreshing and merged well with the scenes.The bleak and desolate landscape, the depiction of the silent warrior, and the tyranny of the Normans over the Saxons are all well- portrayed. Unfortunately, the plot feels scattered, and the character development, subpar. The audience is only treated to flashbacks of our prince's past; how he got to where he is remains open to conjecture (and not of the less known the better kind). Though Weber does a good job of portraying his character, the writing and story does not provide adequate depth for the audience to sympathize with him, nor to be wholly engaged in his pursuit. Also, the historical authenticity of the portrayal of female Saxon warriors with one of being the leader (no less) of the ragtag and of Saxons is dubious to say the least. It's a given that the movie is a fictitious tale set against a historical backdrop, meant solely for entertainment, but this stretch of liberty taken by the filmmakers is somewhat hard do digest. And, as much as I'm an advocate for gender equality, it cannot trump reality."Sword of Vengeance" is basically one long battle sequence against a dark, brooding landscape interspersed with morose characters. Standing out from the bunch is Annabelle Wallis who breathes life into her battle worn character Anna. She is shown as a brutalized form in her introductory scene, and, then as the movie progresses, her inner warrior comes out. Obviously, Anna has to mix it up with the men, in battle and in the, um, bedroom, and Wallis has the proper combination of beauty and brawn to be believable in both aspects.Among the pros of 'Sword Of Vengeance' are its scenery, costumes, and score, which are pretty good, considering it's limited budget. The battle scenes are engrossing, barring certain portions where the use of slow-motion becomes excessive. The final battle looks epic with arrows, flames, pits, swords, axes, and plenty of mayhem. If you can look past the weak narrative and lack of character development, the film is worthy of an Itunes or Amazon download, especially for action buffs.