Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

ShangLuda Admirable film.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

juri-nummelin-1 I thought that this was a very interesting, but deeply flawed film. Have to admit that I don't remember much of it, but there was unnecessary playing with film technique, but all in all the film was very critical of the conquistadors and I suppose we should be thinking about parallels between the conquest of the Central America in the 16th century and the Vietnam war in the 1960s. There's one deeply intriguing scene in which the white soldiers massacre a whole Indian tribe and director Irving Lerner (for whom this was the last theatrical film) plays flamenco in the soundtrack! It's as if he were saying: look how we got this cultural heritage, without the conquistadors slaying all the Indians we wouldn't have the American culture. (Which is basically true.)

the_running_paper_tiger Now, watching this movie is like tasting a bottle of fine wine (or beer :)). You may not be satisfied at the beginning, but later... If it weren't for 'Midnight Cowboy' who knows..., then maybe 1969 would be the year of 'The Royal Hunt of the Sun'. Sensational film which depicts brutality, hypocrisy, greed. This awesome picture shows how one peaceful (in comparison with the spanish) world falls apart, shows how reality strikes and hits You real hard (e.g. - Young Martin). Robert Shaw and Christopher Plummer... well... They're absolutely fabulous!!! Christopher Plummer with his attitude and ... c'mon watch Him walking, dancing..., even asking about 'art of writing' ! His unbelievable way of acting goes strictly together as one with the way of thinking, moving, ranting... pointing His finger. Robert Shaw - angry, coping with His injured leg, unbeatable, bursting with force. One world dies, as the other one devours Its essence. In the name of god none gives a damn about that. Well maybe some of them do..., but when They have to choose...WARNING: It's strongly recommended to watch this Movie.

Bob-45 Producer Phillip Yordan had some pretty tough days in the early 1970s. Yordan was charged with tax evasion, I believe as part of his relationship with Samuel Bronston and Pierre DuPont. Bronston had allegedly comingled Dupont's money on several of his productions (most notably EL CID and FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE). Bronston was finished by the late 1960s and Yordan would fall later, which may explain the erratic production values of BAD MAN'S RIVER and ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN.SUN remains, a tattered quasi-masterpiece, despite Christopher Plummer's rather eccentric performance. One wonders what might have been. No matter, what is on display is good enough for the cheap price of the the DVD. Nevertheless, the quality of the DVD leaves much to be desired. The DVD uses a distracting "baby or royal blue" rather than black for its letterboxing. The interlacing is so bad in some sequences, the film is hardly viewable. The sound is uniformly underrecorded. Surely the masters weren't in THIS bad a shape.Worth a look for students of history AND of good drama.

Orca-20 Royal Hunt of the Sun has been called a cult classic. Maybe so, but for me it was an incredible movie with top notch actors. The film takes a different approach to Pizarro in Peru than one would expect. The mental conflict makes for a fascinating story line as well as a riveting performance by Robert Shaw and a jaw-dropping characterization of a Sun god by Christopher Plummer. It is truly a unique movie.