The Devil's Sword (Indonesian: Golok Setan) is a 1984 Indonesian sword and sorcery film directed by Ratno Timoer. The film stars Indonesian action star Barry Prima who appears in such films as Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters and The Warrior. The Devil's Sword crosses over into many different genres of film. The film features martial arts, and also elements of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and also some mild sexual content due to the portrayal of the Crocodile Queen.

The Devil's Sword
DVD cover
Directed byRatno Timoer
Written byImam Tantowi
Produced byGope T. Samtani
StarringBarry Prima
Advent Bangun
Yos Santo
CinematographyHerman Susilo
Edited byE. Muksin Hamzah
Music byGatot Sudarto
Distributed byRapi Films
Release date
  • 1984 (1984)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryIndonesia
LanguageIndonesian

Background

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Just like the better-known character Jaka Sembung, the protagonist of the film is taken from a comic book. 1987 film Mandala Dari Sungai Ular (Mandala from the Snake River), a sequel to The Devil's Sword, is an eponymous adaptation of the cartoon. The main difference between two characters is that Mandala is a warrior from the mythical pre-Islamic times of the Archipelago while Jaka Sembung is a Muslim and West Javanese freedom fighter against Dutch colonial rule.

Plot

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The Devil's Sword follows a quest to find an ancient sword that was forged from a mysterious metallic substance that fell to earth in the form of a meteorite. An old man who finds the meteorite creates the Devil's Sword, and he hides it after it burns down his hut. Whoever wields the sword holds the greatest power imaginable in his hands. Banyujaga (Advent Bangun) is sent by the Crocodile Queen (Gudhi Sintara) to steal the fiancé of a local village's princess (Enny Christina) to keep as her own subject. During the raid on the village, Mandala (Barry Prima), a one-time colleague of Banyujaga, sees the scuffle and helps defend the village, and ends up helping the princess recover her husband-to-be. Mandala recovers the Devil's Sword and must defeat the Crocodile Queen and Banyujaga.

Reviews

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