miloustein I just saw this movie in German version, didnt'n know the author, the film and whatever. Before I say something of the film, I want to complain an unfair and rather stupid behaviour on IMDb.The problem with IMDb is one can emphasize without proving to be on the level. I collect films from the 50ties + 60ties (amongst other) and sometimes I get angry when some youngsters rate a film from that period with 1 just because they have no clue how it was then, the postwar culture, the cold war feeling, which led to feel-good cinema etc, the whole atmosphere, and these kids from the app era want to make us believe they are able to judge such films? they are still green behind the ears and cry mommy when they get hurt. Worse to me is that only sub 18 y old rate the film below 2 and yep mostly from Poland. Don't you know you are torpeding your OWN country rating on IMDb and that you should be GLAD that someone at least tried to put the book to the silver screen? You are so pathetic insisting how bad the movie is and how good the books are. Be happy for a frist try and hope and lobby for someone else to take the story.I certainly read more SciFi, Horror, Fantasy etc books in my youth than most of you, I am really certain. And I never ever cared for Tolkien. You people are so narrow minded. There are hundreds of good novels and books. And one should not glue to one author, that is a problem because you have not enough experience with other themes, books, possibilities etc. Again, you should CHEAR UP Poland Cinema and not kill it. I am now too old to read such books, because I read only art history and architecture and history books because of my work. No time for fiction anymore. But I regularly look films because I can still do some work. Reading needs more concentration.Of course most of the negative reviews are 10 y old, as said I did not know the stroy author film. I don't care. It is watchable as a TV movie and I gave him 7 points just for the freshness of the story and 1 for a Poland film. My normal rating would be 5. I think some of you youngsters should correct your terrible 1 ratings. Not fair at all. give a 3 or 4 for Gods sake. There are truly bad films, but agian, you are too young and to fixed on the ONLY book you might have read besides comics.

steven-222 Methinks the vicious slams against this film, made by hardcore fans of source author Andrzej Sapkowski, are a bit out of line. Sapkowski's books, very popular in Poland, are not available in English yet (a UK edition comes out in 2007), and I have not read them, so I watched the film with no expectations. There is some excellent film-making here, an unusual atmosphere (helped by a fine music score and great scenery), and, most memorable, the magnetic performance of Michal Zebrowski in the lead. In WITH FIRE AND SWORD, Zebrowski seemed merely ornamental (he is very good-looking); here, he truly claims the role of the lonely warrior moving through a broken world determined to find a higher moral code.Comparison with Tolkien is largely misplaced, although this fantasy also clearly grows out of the catastrophes of the 20th century. In HEXER, we enter a world of vicious power struggles and atrocities. When a ruthless band resembling Teutonic Knights wipes out a sacred retreat of women, you can't help but think of the Nazi atrocities in Poland. The content also draws on older Polish history, such as the 17th century practice of impaling captives; you won't find that in Tolkien! The resonance of this exotic background and the seriousness of these themes give the film a welcome sense of gravitas that results in some haunting images and moments.Regarding special effects, I grew up in the 1960s on Ray Harryhausen claymation, and while I appreciate the tremendous advances in FX, they don't make or break a film for me. The special effects here are certainly not Hollywood state of the art, but nor are they cheesy; they are respectable.The film's biggest weakness seems to stem from the fact that a longer version appeared as a TV series in Poland, and this feature release was edited from that. Indeed, some developments seem too rushed and some characters pop up very abruptly; the story is not unintelligible, but does require a bit of concentration from the viewer. I would love to see the longer, more fleshed-out version on DVD someday.

paulinhob Wiedzmin books (the first two volumes are stories on which this fatal movie is based) and five further volumes i.e. Wiedzmin Saga are perfectly written piece of fantasy literature. I can agree that their author borrowed a lot from Tolkien but he added so much his own spice that at least in my opinionthey are much more exciting that Tolkien's Middleearth Saga.If only we(Poles) had someone like Peter Jackson to direct the movie based on Wiedzmin Saga (and enough money, but not so much as for LOTR) that potential movie would shake Hollywood.But for now we can only cry in despair that someone spoilt such piece of great fantasy.Kind regards, Paul Wiedzmin's(book version) fan

JakubDemianczuk Yes, that's true. That movie is a horrible piece of... you know what. Almost all fans of Sapkowski's books in Poland think the same. The truth is that polish cinematography can not afford producing fantasy films. It's a shame when you compare "Wiedzmin" and "Conan the Barbarian" for example. I hope no one outside Poland will ever see this nightmare.