Hundra (1983)

Morricone's score almost makes the movie worthwhile, 24 March 2008

In the past few weeks, I've watched a number of movies with Amazon-style man-hating tribes who only seek the company of men for the purposes of procreation. In this one, the Amazons are wiped out by a band of men. Wiped out, that is, except for a hunter/warrior named Hundra (Laurene Landon) who vows to get even for the slaughter of her sisters. It's also up to Hundra to repopulate her tribe if it is to survive. But to do so, Hundra will need the help of the very same men she seeks for revenge.

Based on my rating, it should be obvious that I have some real problems with Hundra. Tops on that list would be the film's terribly mixed message. The movie tries to incorporate a lot of pseudo-feminist mumbo-jumbo into its plot with little success. It's all for show. You see the film is terribly hypocritical. On the one hand, the film seems to be trying to explore the empowerment of women - but at the same time the film exploits the very same women it purports to empower. The filmmakers seem to be trying to have their cake and eat it to (Is that cliché enough for ya?). Getting past the film's mixed message, Hundra is, for the most part, a poorly made, badly paced, and horribly acting movie. You would think that a plot involving this much bloodshed and sex would hold a little more interest. I, however, found myself nodding off several times throughout the movie. Dull and uninteresting doesn't begin to describe it. The version I saw clocked in at about 1:45 – or about 30 minutes longer than it should have. As for the film's lead Laurene Landon, she's honestly one of the worst actresses I've seen in a while. Her delivery is so unnatural that it's distracting. Finally, the fight choreography is abysmal. Between Landon's unconvincing movements and the lack of any creativity in the fights, these scenes seem to drag on forever. And it doesn't help that the longest fight during Hundra's climax was shown in slow-motion.

Before I end this, I feel I should mention one very obvious highlight of Hundra – Ennio Morricone's score. It far exceeds anything else in the movie. It might not be Morricone's best, but it's certainly memorable. There's one particular piece of music played during the film's final fight scene that almost makes the movie worthwhile. It's that good.

3/10