SuperDevilDoctor

More or less "Reg Park's Greatest Herc Hits", since huge chunks of this film are lifted lock, stock and barrel from HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD and HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (both 1961). A wraparound story is concocted about Hercules questing for his missing son Xanthus, who is imprisoned in the supernatural domain of Gia the earth goddess. Meanwhile, Gia's evil son Antaeus — himself a demigod — impersonates Hercules and takes over the city-state of Syracuse with the help of its ambitious queen. Ruling as a mad, barbarous tyrant, Antaeus (Giovanni Cianfriglia) starts exiling and slaughtering people at whim, generally soiling the name of Hercules something fierce. Naturally, the real Herc takes umbrage at this...

If you've already seen HAUNTED WORLD and/or CAPTIVE WOMEN then there's really no point in watching this one. All of AVENGER's monster action and FX scenes are borrowed from those films, only with different dialog dubbed in. Its main cheesy pleasure is Gianfriglia's Antaeus. A schoolyard bully in a he-man's body, he's such a cruel, arrogant jerk that you keep watching for the moment when Herc finally kicks his butt. He's at least good for a few laughs, as when barking commands such as, "Drive them into the Valley of Agony... and block the way out!"

Ye old "whip a disparate group of men into an elite commando team and send 'em on a mission" formula, only with a not-so stiff British upper lip and a distinct African flavor. And it all works quite well. Richard Burton is Col. Faulkner, the veteran soldier of fortune hired by an industrialist (Stewart Granger) to rescue an imprisoned political leader from the clutches of a brutal African dictator. Faulkner assembles a force of experienced mercenaries, including old buddies Flynn (Roger Moore) and Janders (Richard Harris), for the daring but meticulously planned raid, which in the end turns out a rather bloody affair. This is a solid if undistinguished action-adventure film done the old fashioned way (no digital explosions!), elevated by a cast of familiar, likable actors and a closer adherence to the real world. Nobody does anything super-heroic or impossible (even with 007 himself on hand), and the high body count ultimately includes a significant number of the mercenaries themselves. The film even addresses the subject of racial politics in post-colonial Africa without getting preachy or slowing down the narrative. Like THE DIRTY DOZEN, it's the antithesis of the "chick flick" -- this is purely a guy's movie, the kind you knock back in the BarcaLounger with a cold beer to. (If you're a guy, that is.) The impatient under-30 crowd may get a bit antsy during the first hour, though, as virtually all the action is saved for the second half.

ENTER THE NINJA fails as an action movie. As far as exploitation elements are concerned it's not particularly gory nor does Susan George (or anyone else) get naked. It's shot in a mostly perfunctory TV-movie style and some of the music accompanying the fight scenes would be appropriate for a Saturday morning kids' cartoon show. The story is just a procession of one cliché after the other. But don't let any of that dissuade you! With its risible dialog and comic book plot, clumsily executed, this movie can be a laugh riot.

For his part, Sho Kosugi fares better here as a stone-faced villain than he ever did as a (stone-faced) hero in REVENGE OF THE NINJA or RAGE OF HONOR. Then there's Christopher George, who fiercely overacts throughout the entire film in the hammiest way possible and gets one of the most memorably goofy death scenes ever. I certainly can't recommend ENTER THE NINJA for any thrilling action or riveting suspense (there's none, really), but as a laugh out-loud unintentional comedy it's pretty darn fun. And it stars the original "Django" himself, Franco Nero, who somehow always comes off totally cool even when appearing in the crappiest of movies. Here dubbed by an American and conspicuously replaced by a stunt double in 80% of the action scenes, Nero is still The Man -- porn 'stache, wide lapels and all.