Posted: 11/21/2003

Ancient Warriors

(2003)

by Gary Schultz

Appearing on DVD shelves everywhere from MTI Home Video.

Ancient Warriors is the new action adventure film produced by and starring former Mr. Olympia, Franco Columbu. To sum it up, this film reminds me of a made for cable television movie with some decent action sequences, a lot of gunplay and some top of the B-list bottom of the A-list celebrity support. Yeah that’s right, there’s a Baldwin in it.

Curtis Mayhew (Richard Lynch) is a terminally ill billionaire who believes the government is responsible for his wife’s death. Seeking revenge, he and a band of mercenaries begin to develop biochemical weapons. Obsessed with the legend of the Ancient Warriors and their life-giving potion, he begins a desperate search for the cure, blowing up deserted mines and destroying the beautiful island in the process. Special Forces Captain Aldo Paccione (Franco Columbu) lives in Sardinia and learns of Mayhew’s evil activities and is determined to stop him at any cost. He enlists the help of Jaz (Daniel Baldwin) and their former World Team Delta Force. Deep within the mines, Aldo, his team, and the Ancient Warriors wage a supernatural battle against Curtis Mayhew in his quest for magical healing and fierce revenge.

Ancient Warriors stars Franco Columbu (The Terminator, Beretta’s Island, Doublecross), Daniel Baldwin (Homicide: Life on the Street, John Carpenter’s Vampires), Richard Lynch (Puppetmaster 3, Crime and Punishment), Michelle Hunziker (Swiss and Italian Supermodel), and Lamont Johnson (Jerry Maguire, Waiting to Exhale). The film was written by Tray McKnight and Walter von Huene (TV’s Sheena), with von Huene also directing. Producing credits go to Franco Columbu, and Liz Ryan (first assistant director for TV’s Lyon’s Den and Watching Ellie). Franco even dished out some of his own coin to finish the film.

Ancient Warriors has some nice action, a simple plot about revenge and old age, but it plays up to a lot of bad stereotypes. The landscapes are beautiful, shot on location in Sardinia, Italy. The cinematography is pretty cut and paste, nothing revolutionary here. The actual caves are cooler in description than on camera and the Ancient Warriors themselves aren’t very intimidating. Aldo (Columbu) loses his father in the opening sequence and it plagues him throughout the film through repeating flashbacks. Which are predictable and kind of annoying. Which Baldwin is this? Oh yeah Daniel Baldwin looks pretty out of shape to be a former member of the special forces but collects his paycheck as he acts alongside Franco and tries to put some kind of comedy into this film. Not that this film needed any additional comedy. This film also suffers from some bad ADR pick up lines of Franco crying out in despair and I’m sorry, I know many people like Franco’s mentally challenged daughter but I just didn’t feel the performance. Richard Lynch, who has played countless evildoers throughout the last thirty years of film and television, delivers the most solid performance of the film. Get this though, he’s playing…an evildoer!!

So…here’s what we’ve learned so far— Franco Columbu is sixty-two and could still kick your ass. Ancient Warriors aren’t very scary because they are dead miners. Since when are miners threatening to humanity? Richard Lynch is still alive. Franco considers Daniel Baldwin better than Alec Baldwin. If you’re hurting for an action film and don’t like to think and love made-for-cable style explosions, this still might not be your film. Oh, and Franco performed most of his own stunts, which is great but next time I’d suggest vocal training and acting lessons.

Gary Schultz is an indie filmmaker from Chicago. Yeah that’s right Chicago, you gotta problem with that?!

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