I predoni della steppa

Tribal chief Sandar Khan (Kirk Morris) kidnaps Samira, the daughter of the powerful Yesen Khan. He hopes to exchange her for a treasure in gold but falls in love with Samira, who isn't too happy over the fact that her father wants to marry bad guy Altan Khan, and things gets complicated.

Especially with Malina, a women jeolous of Sandra's attention to Samira, who stirs things up ...

Kirk Morris as Sandor Khan doesn't look like a "Khan", the acting from everyone is hammy, the swords don't look too sturdy, but in spite of this it is an enjoyable pulpesque romp- actually the story is quite good, it's fairly engaging. Some decent action too, the wrestling match stands out. The log fight - they looked oversized pencils - was a bit odd but it makes a change from clashing swords. Nice sets. Beautiful women. The music score adds drama to the pulp and circumstance!

Yesen Khan (Peter White) is afraid of Sandar Khan (Kirk Morris) and his little rebel army. He has him chased, captured and sentenced to slave labour. With his friend Kublai (Furio Meniconi), Sandar Khan escapes quickly and plans more rebellion. Of course there is also a pretty woman, namely Samira (Ombretta Colli), to be rescued from a luxurious life in a palace. If you think you've seen this plot a hundred times before - yes, you did.

The best thing about this movie is the powerful music by Carlo Rustichelli. Fast beating drums and aggressive trumpets drive the action forward when those Mongol hordes ride into their next attack. The rest is bordering on the ridiculous. Kirk Morris with his coloured hair looks like an Irishman rather than a Mongol. His thin little sabre is made of plastic, obviously - he touches the blade several times with his bare hand, knowing that can't hurt. The advisor (Giulio Donnini) wears a Dracula cape which is totally out of place, what was the costume department thinking? But in the end it is a colourful epic, not too bad to spend this rainy Tuesday with.

I did not expect much from this one, having been underwhelmed by previous efforts from both director and star (Kirk Morris); however, the end result was quite tolerable – indeed, highly entertaining, if mainly in an unintentional way (more on this later)! Thematically, the film presents the usual ingredients: villainous potentate, rebel-leader hero, heroine intended to be sacrificed for the common good but saved in the nick-of-time from a fate worse than death, duplicitous other woman, etc.

As I said, this viewing was undercut – or, rather, eclipsed by – a constant stream of hilarity that met such priceless occurrences as: Morris' tents unaccountably being fitted with doors (also the fact when forced to make a run for it, they are able to re-erect the tents, doors and all, elsewhere at the drop of a hat!); genre regular Giulio Donnini's campy appearance as a vampiric adviser (dressed in a red-black cape which he never bothers to change, sporting wiry long moustache and with a sinister expression plastered on his face throughout, I kept expecting him to bare his fangs!); Morris' unceremonious disrespect for mistress Moira Orfei once he has been smitten with the heroine; her own betrayal of him and his sidekick in a tavern (when she cannot possibly have had knowledge of their whereabouts, having been banished from the clan some time before!); the ridiculously-elongated hat worn intermittently by Morris (making him look like a veritable gnome and decidedly conspicuous in enemy territory!); and the novel climactic showdown involving a duel with logs carried around like a cross by hero and villain alike (besides, when Morris – whom his opponent has never actually seen – offers this solution to the apparent battle stalemate, he blasts him with the unflattering remark to his official standing: "You think I'll listen to what the first scumbag who turns up before me has to say!").