Conan the Barbarian (1982): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1982, Conan the Barbarian is an action, fantasy and adventure film directed by John Milius, running about 129 minutes. “Thief. Warrior. Gladiator. King.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. A film adaptation of the classic sword and sorcery hero, Conan the Barbarian. A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom, the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria and Subotai. The group comes upon King Osric, who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills.

Who’s in it. Conan the Barbarian stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom, Max von Sydow as King Osric and Sandahl Bergman as Valeria, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.8/10, Conan the Barbarian has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $79.1M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Conan the Barbarian page.

If you liked it. Fans of Conan the Barbarian tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.