A prime example of the Turkish adventure movie at its cheapest and also most exciting, this action-fuelled odyssey of swordfighting, heroism and danger is a real treat for costume adventure fans. I guess it's the enthusiasm behind the production that makes it so entertaining; despite poor production values, limited acting ability and some of the most slapdash swordfighting you're likely to see in a movie, it's never less than a rip-roaring old-fashioned adventure of good guys, bad guys and romantic interests.
The ubiquitous Cuneyt Arkin (HEART OF A FATHER) stars as the heroic lead, an exceptionally skilled warrior who decides one day to seek vengeance on those who had his father deceitfully killed ten years earlier. The father's death is shown in the prologue and is a hilarious example of the over-the-top nature of Turkish productions - he's not just shot with one arrow, but instead about a dozen, and still manages to keep on fighting! Arkin goes around murdering those responsible, a job that is at first easy enough to do. However he soon finds opposing Byzantine forces up against him and barely manages to stay alive. To make matters more complicated, he falls in love with a beautiful Princess who also happens to be the daughter of his most dreaded enemy. Eventually he starts a full-scale war between the Byzantine and Turkish empires and befriends an old ally, Hammer, who turns from Christianity to become a Muslim like Arkin after being beaten by him in a wrestling match! Arkin then decides to dress up in blackface (using ancient bootpolish, by the looks of it) and infiltrate the castle, but his plan goes awry and he is captured for torture. The gruelling torture sequences go on for an age (and are probably influenced by the WITCHFINDER GENERAL-type films popular during the '68-'71 period) and finish with Arkin getting all of his bones broken.
An end for the hero you might think, and maybe so in an American or English film, but not in a Turkish production. Instead, a squad of handy alchemists come in, dunk Arkin's body in red potion - it may be blood - and encase him in a clay bodysuit! Arkin finds himself healed and must regain his former incredible strength in order to take on the empire and defeat all and sundry, with only three days to go before the love of his life is married off to a chief enemy! The finale of this film is wonderful stuff, packed with tons of swordplay, a huge bodycount, some genuinely impressive locations (old-standing castles come into play) and typically dangerous stunts for Arkin, including life-or-death jumps across high ledges and even some battlement-scaling thrown in for good measure! Lots of blood and nudity are mixed in with the brew to give the film a distinctly adult edge and Arkin's assured, charismatic performance holds everything together as usual. Maybe not the best Turkish costume adventure film out there, but a thoroughly enjoyable one at least!
The ubiquitous Cuneyt Arkin (HEART OF A FATHER) stars as the heroic lead, an exceptionally skilled warrior who decides one day to seek vengeance on those who had his father deceitfully killed ten years earlier. The father's death is shown in the prologue and is a hilarious example of the over-the-top nature of Turkish productions - he's not just shot with one arrow, but instead about a dozen, and still manages to keep on fighting! Arkin goes around murdering those responsible, a job that is at first easy enough to do. However he soon finds opposing Byzantine forces up against him and barely manages to stay alive. To make matters more complicated, he falls in love with a beautiful Princess who also happens to be the daughter of his most dreaded enemy. Eventually he starts a full-scale war between the Byzantine and Turkish empires and befriends an old ally, Hammer, who turns from Christianity to become a Muslim like Arkin after being beaten by him in a wrestling match! Arkin then decides to dress up in blackface (using ancient bootpolish, by the looks of it) and infiltrate the castle, but his plan goes awry and he is captured for torture. The gruelling torture sequences go on for an age (and are probably influenced by the WITCHFINDER GENERAL-type films popular during the '68-'71 period) and finish with Arkin getting all of his bones broken.
An end for the hero you might think, and maybe so in an American or English film, but not in a Turkish production. Instead, a squad of handy alchemists come in, dunk Arkin's body in red potion - it may be blood - and encase him in a clay bodysuit! Arkin finds himself healed and must regain his former incredible strength in order to take on the empire and defeat all and sundry, with only three days to go before the love of his life is married off to a chief enemy! The finale of this film is wonderful stuff, packed with tons of swordplay, a huge bodycount, some genuinely impressive locations (old-standing castles come into play) and typically dangerous stunts for Arkin, including life-or-death jumps across high ledges and even some battlement-scaling thrown in for good measure! Lots of blood and nudity are mixed in with the brew to give the film a distinctly adult edge and Arkin's assured, charismatic performance holds everything together as usual. Maybe not the best Turkish costume adventure film out there, but a thoroughly enjoyable one at least!
