The mid '80s...
Wife: I'm back dear. I've rented that video you asked for.
Husband: Great! I've been wanting to see Conan for ages.
Husband takes video box and looks at the tape.
Husband: Wait a minute, this is Gunan, King of the Barbarians, not Conan the Barbarian.
Wife: Gunan. Conan. It's the same thing isn't it?
Husband phones solicitor to begin divorce proceedings...
Such a scenario might seem a little far-fetched, but I can only imagine the complete and utter disappointment of those who have watched this film hoping for anything approaching the greatness of Arnie's barbarian classic. I saw Gunan armed with the knowledge that it was a total stinker, but I was still astounded by the level of ineptitude in every department, from the dire script to the terrible acting to the pitiful direction.
Gunan opens as the Ungat horde, led by the savage Nuriak (Emilio Messina), rides towards the peaceful village of Solmen, where the chief's wife is giving birth to twin boys. As the barbarians attack, the elderly midwife flees the village to carry the newborns to the safety of a friendly tribe, the Kuniats. Cut to many years later, and the twins are fully grown, competing to become Zukahn, the invincible warrior prophesied to free the land from the tyranny of the fearsome Ungats. The two brothers race each other and battle with swords, with Gunan (Pietro Torrisi) the victor. In order to prove himself, Gunan's brother steals the winner's talisman and sets off to kill Nuriak, but ends up with his head on a stick. Now Gunan must avenge his brother, as well as his mother and the rest of his village.
Equating slow-motion with epicness, director Franco Prosperi ensures that all of his action scenes are slowed riiiiiiight dooooooown, the result being a film that is even more boring than it would have been if played at normal speed. The fight choreography is especially poor, and looks even worse when given the opportunity to study every move in detail. None of the sword blows result in bloodshed. Desperate for anything that might hold the viewer's attention, Prosperi throws in a few attractive warrior women, with fleeting glimpses of nudity, but so mind numbingly banal is the rest of the film that a few flashes of bare skin does little to help.
Easily one of the worst Conan rip-offs ever (which is saying something, given how many there have been), Gunan is fully deserving of the lowest possible rating possible: 1/10.
Such a scenario might seem a little far-fetched, but I can only imagine the complete and utter disappointment of those who have watched this film hoping for anything approaching the greatness of Arnie's barbarian classic. I saw Gunan armed with the knowledge that it was a total stinker, but I was still astounded by the level of ineptitude in every department, from the dire script to the terrible acting to the pitiful direction.
Gunan opens as the Ungat horde, led by the savage Nuriak (Emilio Messina), rides towards the peaceful village of Solmen, where the chief's wife is giving birth to twin boys. As the barbarians attack, the elderly midwife flees the village to carry the newborns to the safety of a friendly tribe, the Kuniats. Cut to many years later, and the twins are fully grown, competing to become Zukahn, the invincible warrior prophesied to free the land from the tyranny of the fearsome Ungats. The two brothers race each other and battle with swords, with Gunan (Pietro Torrisi) the victor. In order to prove himself, Gunan's brother steals the winner's talisman and sets off to kill Nuriak, but ends up with his head on a stick. Now Gunan must avenge his brother, as well as his mother and the rest of his village.
Equating slow-motion with epicness, director Franco Prosperi ensures that all of his action scenes are slowed riiiiiiight dooooooown, the result being a film that is even more boring than it would have been if played at normal speed. The fight choreography is especially poor, and looks even worse when given the opportunity to study every move in detail. None of the sword blows result in bloodshed. Desperate for anything that might hold the viewer's attention, Prosperi throws in a few attractive warrior women, with fleeting glimpses of nudity, but so mind numbingly banal is the rest of the film that a few flashes of bare skin does little to help.
Easily one of the worst Conan rip-offs ever (which is saying something, given how many there have been), Gunan is fully deserving of the lowest possible rating possible: 1/10.