Sword Of Vengeance

Without its gratuitous slo-mo, this gleefully daft medieval hack 'n' slasher would last somewhere in the region of 15 minutes.

There is a brutal simplicity to the action that will appeal to some, but in terms of non-violent content Sword of Vengeance seems stretched even for a relatively short film.

The ritualised action sequences work well enough. It's just a pity the film-makers did not pay as much attention to the plotting as to the design of the movie.

It's the kind of film that confuses slow-motion with significance: a shot of some rain dripping from the end of someone's nose takes minutes but tells us nothing except that the umbrella has not yet been invented.

As opportunistic Game of Thrones cash-ins go, this perversely watchable low-budget quickie at least improves upon its producers' risible Hammer of the Gods.

Despite all the action and the relatively short running time, we seem to spend large portions of the film waiting for something to happen.

Fans of samurai movies, historically inaccurate hairdos and a video camera's slow-mo button should lap up this daft swords and sandals slasher.

Glum, dumb and (even at 87 minutes) bum-numbing.