The Ragnicks, a tribe of peaceful travelling entertainers, are attacked by the evil tyrant Kadar, who takes their queen Canary hostage.
Canary, however, manages to hide her magic ruby, the lucky jewel of the Ragnicks which Kadar seeks to bolster his power.
In the woods, they find their old tribemates, who have led a life of misery ever since Canary's kidnapping, and a girl named Ismene, a thief imprisoned by the Ragnicks.
Following Canary's advice, the twins and Ismene first travel to a secret tomb to recover several magical weapons to fight the dragon, and then proceed to the Forbidden Land.
The brothers encounter the tyrant and do battle, and after Kadar tries to shoot them with a crossbow, but attempting to pull the trigger with his missing fingers, he is killed when they both throw their swords through his chest.
The ruby remains in place, and Ismene finally reveals herself as Kara, Kutchek and Gore's old tribemate who had since left the Ragnicks for a life of her own.
[2] In November 1985, The Hollywood Reporter stated that screenwriter James R. Silke was finishing his script for The Barbarians and along with Serbian director Slobodan Šijan, he began scouting locations.
[5][6] A contemporary review by Michael Wilmington, published in Los Angeles Times, opined that "[s]eldom has a movie looked so good and sounded so dumb", referring to "moronic" dialogue and the constant bellowing of Peter and David Paul.
He was not happy with the screenplay but noted that "director Ruggero Deodato and his crew have contrived to make what must have been an inexpensive production shine with an ersatz sumptuousness, a 'Road Warrior' raffishness and gleam.
[5][6] Matthew Hartman of High-Def Digest called The Barbarians "[o]ne of the biggest and arguably one of the best Cannon Group films of the 80s," praising its "intricate costuming and elaborate sets" as well as the comedic vigor of Peter and David Paul who are "clearly having a great time here".
He awards the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and praises the quality of the remaster, but gives a mediocre score for the special features.