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Red Sonja

  • 1985
  • PG-13
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
47K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,965
88
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:10
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Sword & SorceryActionAdventureFantasy

The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.

  • Director
    • Richard Fleischer
  • Writers
    • Robert E. Howard
    • Clive Exton
    • George MacDonald Fraser
  • Stars
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Brigitte Nielsen
    • Sandahl Bergman
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.1/10
    47K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,965
    88
    • Director
      • Richard Fleischer
    • Writers
      • Robert E. Howard
      • Clive Exton
      • George MacDonald Fraser
    • Stars
      • Arnold Schwarzenegger
      • Brigitte Nielsen
      • Sandahl Bergman
    • 148User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    Red Sonja
    Trailer 2:10
    Red Sonja
    Late-Breaking Summer of '85 Movie News
    Clip 3:07
    Late-Breaking Summer of '85 Movie News
    Late-Breaking Summer of '85 Movie News
    Clip 3:07
    Late-Breaking Summer of '85 Movie News

    Photos234

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    Top cast23

    Edit
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Kalidor
    Brigitte Nielsen
    Brigitte Nielsen
    • Red Sonja
    Sandahl Bergman
    Sandahl Bergman
    • Queen Gedren
    Paul L. Smith
    Paul L. Smith
    • Falkon
    • (as Paul Smith)
    Ernie Reyes Jr.
    Ernie Reyes Jr.
    • Prince Tarn
    Ronald Lacey
    Ronald Lacey
    • Ikol
    Pat Roach
    Pat Roach
    • Brytag
    Terry Richards
    Terry Richards
    • Djart
    Janet Agren
    Janet Agren
    • Varna
    Donna Osterbuhr
    Donna Osterbuhr
    • Kendra, the High Priestess
    Lara Lamberti
    Lara Lamberti
    • Gedren's Handmaid
    • (as Lara Naszinsky)
    Hans Meyer
    Hans Meyer
    • Red Sonja's Father
    Francesca Romana Coluzzi
    Francesca Romana Coluzzi
    • Red Sonja's Mother
    Stefano Maria Mioni
    • Barlok, Red Sonja's Brother
    • (as Stefano Mioni)
    Tutte Lemkow
    Tutte Lemkow
    • Wizard
    Kiyoshi Yamazaki
    • Kyobo
    Tad Horino
    Tad Horino
    • Swordmaster
    Ottaviano Dell'Acqua
    Ottaviano Dell'Acqua
    • Gedren Guard
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Fleischer
    • Writers
      • Robert E. Howard
      • Clive Exton
      • George MacDonald Fraser
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews148

    5.146.8K
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    Featured reviews

    6ma-cortes

    Sword-and-Sorcery epic with female lead accompanied briefly by a He-man taking on multiple adventures

    Thrilling and spectacular movie full of imagination and fantasy that introduces us a brave heroine , female counterpart to Conan , and appointed to juvenile public and full-blooded adventure aficionados. Sword-and-sorcery saga with silly action , spectacular images and fantastic scenes with witchcraft and necromancy . This is a tale of fantasy , magic , imagination, blood and wizardly set in a mythical primitive world of barbarisms. This is an amusing adventure saga inspired on Robert E Howard's pulp tale , it stars Brigitte Nielsen ( by that time married Silvester Stallone) who join forces with the mythic and valiant warrior Kalifor ( a super-swordsman Arnold Schwarznegger in a brief guest spot), a Hyborian Age hero , a Conan-alike , taking on heinous forces of devil and evil minions . A nasty sorceress kills the keeper (Janet Agren) of a powerful green bulb that gives her great power , but Red Sonja is sister of the keeper and seeks vengeance on villainess Gedren who also massacred her family . A selfish little boy prince named Tarn (Ernie Reyes Jr) and his underling Falkon (Paul L. Smith), whose kingdom was wiped out by Gedren soon joins them . They undergo on a perilous trip to find the talisman , confronting magicians , spectres and dangerous adventures. Our heroine fights the evil hoodlums of brutal Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) who seeks the total power and leading a vibrant ending.

    This exciting film packs noisy action, fantasy, adventure, witchery , and rip-roaring fights . Dumb images , unintentionally hilarious and lots of amusement and entertainment . Made on a fairly big scale with spectacular set design and glimmer photography . Quite budget for an Italian/Netherland/US co-production and lavishly produced by Dino De Laurentiis , her daughter Francesca and Jose Lopez Rodero. This entertaining picture contains frenetic action , tension , necromancy, and moving action scenes . The film is full of freaks and bemusing situations ; it is quite entertaining because being a laborious and intriguing adventure tale with some humor . Colorful cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno , Federico Fellini's usual . Very derivative special effects , grand production design by Danilo Donati ,and matte paintings by Albert Whitlock and Emilio Ruiz del Rio . Impressive musical score composed and conducted by the master Ennio Morricone. The motion picture is middling directed by Richard Fleischer . He's an expert director , with adventure classics (Vikings, 20.000 leagues under sea) and noir cinema (Narrow margin,Clay pigeons,Trapped). The film will appeal to fantasy buffs with enough action to make it worth looking in on . In other words, it seem likely Conan enthusiasts and juvenile viewers will be delighted because thrills, action and adventures are brilliantly presented and edited to offer the maximum impact. Rating : 5,5 ; it's an old-fashioned B film on an acceptable scale and basically enjoyable because of it.
    King_Opossum

    OK I admit I enjoyed it!!

    Let's just settle this before I start - this is a bad bad movie! You will be hard pressed to find such awful acting anywhere as Miss Nielsen, 'veteran' director Richard Fleischer stumbles blindly through a non-existant plot, and you will feel absolutely no sympathy for either the good guys or the bad - in other words you just won't care!

    I would love to have hated this film - as a self-proclaimed 'movie-buff' this is the kind of film I should not even go near. But I'm loathed to admit...I enjoyed it! The two stars, amongst their awful acting, are actually quite engaging in a comedic way (intentional or not!). I began to relish the dialogue scenes just to see if a line could have been delivered with any more wood! The intentional comedy comes from a young prince (Ernie Reyes Jr) and his bodyguard (Paul Smith). Although I wished the prince to find the end of a sword as quickly as possible from his first scene, the interplay between these two characters was amusing, with some one-liners that could not have been more out of place in this film! The villainous queen (played by Sandahl Bergman) is unfortunately bland and forgettable. But one real treat for me was another completely out-of-place commodity - a great rousing score from maestro Ennio Morricone!

    This was Schwarzenegger's return to his CONAN genre after hitting it big with THE TERMINATOR. It isn't too surprising that this was the last 'swords and sorcery' movie he did - but I promise you won't hate it! You'll want to!....but you won't!
    Doogie-01

    I'm glad I gave it a chance

    Not really my bag as far as movie types go (not really into the fantastical) but I'm glad I saw this film. There seemed to be very little use of stuntpersons or body doubles in the majority of fight scenes. Bridgette Nielsen clearly worked it off to put on a good showing. How Schwarzanegger got top billing I'm not sure, but his limited part was, of course, excellently portrayed. Film quality was fair, considering the fantasy-esque backdrop and the fact that it was shot in the early 80s. I'll go out wide on a limb and give it a couple of stars.

    My take: 6.5
    anya_angie

    I enjoyed it

    The movie came out when I was three, so of course I didn't see it then. I saw it on TV when I was about seven, up late and bored. Unfortunately I kept coming into the middle of it, every time it came on. Finally one day I saw the entire thing, and adored it. I was about thirteen. A few years ago I had the fortune of finding it on video for a cheap price, $6.95. I watched it a lot, and loved it every time. This was a very unique movie, to me. It was the first Swords and Scorcery flick I ever saw, and ever since I fell in love with the genre. Fans of medieval, fantasy, adventure movies will have to check this one out, if they haven't already.
    6jjflynn

    Reminds me of the good-old Drive-In movie days.

    This movie gets better with age. If you've got a sense of humor and don't need Industrial Light and Magic special effects, the combination of actors (all playing off the winsome Brigette Nielson) makes this a fun movie to see again...or for the first time.

    It's probably also the movie that got Arnold in hot water during the "recall."

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The only performer who did all of his own stunts was Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 6 mins) When Red Sonja and her companions are climbing a sheer wall to enter Queen Gedren's castle, her hair and clothing items are hanging "into" the wall, revealing that the actors are, in fact, crawling across the floor.
    • Quotes

      Red Sonja: No man may have me, unless he's beaten me in a fair fight.

      Kalidor: So, the only man that can have you, is one who's trying to kill you. That's logic.

      [Red Sonja goes and lies down. Kalidor picks up his sword and holds it to her throat]

      Kalidor: If you yield only to a conqueror, then prepared to be conquered... Little Sonja...

      Red Sonja: Don't be a fool, I don't want to kill you.

      Kalidor: Try it.

    • Alternate versions
      Two brief shots (including a severed head flying through the air) were cut from the Ontario, Canada version of the film in order to reduce the rating from Restricted (no one under 18 admitted) to Adult Accompaniment (anyone under 14 must be accompanied by someone over 18).
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Red Sonja/Back to the Future/Silverado/Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 1985 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Netherlands
      • Italy
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El guerrero rojo
    • Filming locations
      • Celano, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis Company
      • Famous Films (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $17,900,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,948,633
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,263,553
      • Jul 7, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,951,415
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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