The Ultimate Warrior (1975)

Not to be confused with the former WWE wrestler of the same name (aka the late Jim Helwig), The Ultimate Warrior is one of a slew of post apocalyptic movies turned out by Hollywood during the seventies.  It has to be said that The Ultimate Warrior is one of the lesser entries in this style, made on a very limited budget, that didn't stretch to any location filming, but it does boast some strong leads and a fair amount of action.  Having seen it on TV as a teenager, I retain a soft spot for the film, despite its inadequacies.  The scenario is very simple: in the far flung future of 2012, the world has been devastated by a pandemic, which has not only wiped out most of the human population, but also much of the planet's plant and animal life, resulting in restricted food supplies for the survivors.  One group, led by Baron (Max von Sydow) has secured a fortified base in New York, where they are constantly harassed by rival survivors, principally a group of violent brigands led by Carrot (William Smith).  One of Baron's followers has succeeded in breeding plants resistant to the viruses that caused the pandemic, providing them with a constant source of food.  In order to protect the community and its food supply, Baron secures the services of mercenary warrior Carson (Yul Brynner).  Eventually, Baron realises that the only chance for the survival of bis pregnant daughter and the future of humanity is for Carson to take her and the disease-resistant seeds from which the plants are grown, to a safe haven on an island off the coast of North Carolina, escaping via the defunct New York subway system.  

To the film's credit, it tells its story efficiently and simply, without much in the way of plot complications, focusing on the action.  Its problems lie in its limited resources, making its depiction of its post-apocalyptic world somewhat bland.  IT's all filmed on the Warner and MGM backlots and looks it - no matter how much the street exteriors are redressed to represent a post-apocalyptic New York, they look overly familiar, not to mention far too clean and tidy.  The script also does nothing to elaborate on the plot's background - once the cause of the apocalypse being a pandemic is established, it is never expanded upon.  In fact, it is never mentioned again - we have no idea what viruses caused it or where they originated.  It is all too obviously merely a plot device.  Moreover, despite the presence of the likes of Brynner and von Sydow in the main roles, their characters are barely sketched in by the script, leaving the actors little work with.  Perhaps most damagingly in this respect, having established Brynner's character early on as an enigmatic, stoic warrior - he advertises his services by standing atop a building, shirtless and motionless, not speaking to, or even acknowledging, von Sydow and his delegation when they go to recruit him - once he joins the community he becomes overly talkative, losing his aura of invincibility in the process.  Even Brynner's charisma and screen presence aren't enough for him to really make anything out of the character.

Most disappointing. though, are the action scenes.  While there are no shortage of them, most come over as somehow underwhelming and repetitive.  With Robert Clouse, a specialist in action films whose work included Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon and Darker Than Amber (which also featured William Smith as the villain, engaging in a ferocious fist fight with star Rod Taylor at the climax), directing, audience expectation for the quality of the action scenes is naturally high.  But they disappoint.  Like the rest of the film, they never really seem to spark fully into life.  Only at the climax, as Brynner squares off against Smith in the subway, amongst abandoned trains, does it come anywhere close to fulfilling its potential.  Yet, despite all of this, The Ultimate Warrior remains an enjoyable enough second tier post-apocalypse action film, if somewhat bland and generic in its depiction of the post-apocalyptic world.  It at least moves along fairly smoothly and at a decent pace and at just over ninety minutes, never quite outstays its welcome.