The plot: In the far future of 2012, a warrior sells his services to the survivors of post-apocalyptic New York.While there are some obvious flaws to this film, it's clearly a forgotten classic of the era. I don't see how you could possibly go wrong with Yul Brynner kicking ass in post-apocalyptic cities. It's been a long time since I saw this (probably cable television in the 1980s), but I can still quite clearly remember several of what have become (to me, at least) iconic scenes of 1970s action/adventure/exploitation. If this film got broadcast regularly (instead of other inexplicable cable TV favorites), I think it could really attract a cult following.For an obvious genre film, the cast is amazing, the writing and directing are better than expected, and the rest of the film is forgivable. Why? Because the flaws pale in the face of a shirtless Yul Brynner standing in the center of a city plaza, waiting for someone to bid for his services. What do action heroes do when they're not fighting bad guys? Why, they just stand there and wait for the plot to catch up to their awesomeness, of course. It's brilliant. If this resonates with you, then you simply must watch this film. If you're going to start asking questions and trying to debate this inescapable logic, then you should probably watch The Shawshank Redemption instead. That's a great film, too, but it doesn't have Yul Brynner knife-fighting with post-apocalyptic gangs.

...He just might pop them out of your head. The almighty B movie legend plays the antagonist "Carrot" in this reasonably enjoyable post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller from Robert Clouse, director of "Enter the Dragon".An intense Yul Brynner stars as Carson, a loner hired as muscle by a peaceable group struggling to survive in the NYC of the year 2012. This group needs somebody like Carson to protect them from the aggressive forces led by Carrot. Leading the good guys is the Baron (a highly engaging Max von Sydow), and one other thing that they have on their side is their botanist Cal (Richard Kelton), who's developed seeds that are immune to the plague. Eventually Carson must make a trek for freedom accompanied by the Barons' pregnant daughter Melinda (Joanna Miles), with Carrot and his gang in hot pursuit."The Ultimate Warrior" is good fun, if unfortunately not having quite enough "oomph" to make it something truly special. The script, by director Clouse, is on the routine side, and it never does flesh out the characters too much. That said, the actors are still able to make an impression. Both Brynner and von Sydow have commanding presences and Smith, as could be expected, is a very effective bad guy. Among the supporting cast is reliable veteran character actor Stephen McHattie as Robert, one of the Barons' men. Production design, art direction, and set decoration are all heavy assets; the viewer will have a lot to take in while looking at these run down, forlorn "future" locales. Talents behind the camera include cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld, editor Michael Kahn, and composer Gil Melle, whose score helps to drive the movie forward. What *is* great is the ultimate showdown between Brynner and Smith, which is well worth waiting for; Brynner proves to be in real fighting shape.A very grim and gritty tale, this movie doesn't pull its punches and portrays a hard scrabble existence in a straightforward manner. It deserves to be more popular, especially considering the subsequent productions such as "Mad Max" and "Escape from New York" that it surely must have influenced.Seven out of 10.

I felt like watching that because I had seen the names of Yul Brynner and Max Von Sydow.It was a big disappointment.First of all the script is inept,abysmal and terribly (for 1975) derivative :it borrows many of his "ideas" from other movies for the subject was very trendy in the seventies:you will think of 'the omega man" " Solyent green" and even "silent running" ;as for the ending it apes 'planet of the apes" (1968)without a wrist but with a short view of the statue of Liberty.The undergrounds evoke " beneath the planet of the apes". In a way ,it nevertheless predates the "Mad Max" series.-Shall I save first your (pregnant) daughter or the seeds? -The seeds!

I saw this when I was a kid around the same time I saw Planet of The Apes, Logan's Run and The Omega Man. I love this kind of stuff. Yul Brynner was always a cool actor and he's very cool in this piece of dystopian sci-fi. It also has Max Von Sydow in it who's always good value for money.The amazing thing about this film (well ok it's not that amazing, more sort of interesting) is how the plot is so similar to Mad Max. There really was a preponderance of this sort of movie in the early seventies, enough to cover the writing of thesis me thinks.Anyway if you have a spare evening and no idea what to watch why not check Yul in full flow.