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Who needs epics about Ancient Rome, Egypt, or Greek mythology when we have a thousand years of exotic Central and South American civilizations to exploit? Well, it's only been done a handful of times. This cinematic concatenation of nifty architecture, fruity multicolored headgear and athletic oiled warriors is, well, nifty, fruity and athletic!   Kings of the Sun Kl Studio Classics Savant Blu-ray Review 1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date May 26, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95  Starring Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field, Richard Basehart, Brad Dexter, Barry Morse, Armando Silvestre, Leo Gordon, Victoria Vettri, Rudy Solari, Ford Rainey, Chuck Hayward, James Coburn (narrator). Cinematography Joseph MacDonald Film Editor William Reynolds Original Music Elmer Bernstein Written by James R. Webb, Elliot Arnold  Produced by Lewis J. Rachmil Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Epics don't get wilder than this. According to producer Walter Mirisch, 1963's Kings of the Sun...

Fans are drumming up support for a  "Garrison's Gorillas" TV movie based on the 1967 ABC TV series, featuring a "Dirty Dozen" scenario of training Allied prisoners for World War II military missions.

The original TV stories focused on a sordid group of 'wronged-guys', recruited from stateside prisons to use specialized criminal skills against the Third Reich during World War II.

The men were promised a parole at the end of the war if they made the grade. And if they lived. The alternative was an immediate return to prison. If they ran, they could expect execution for desertion.

The four main characters were con-man 'Actor' (Cesare Danova),  safecracker 'Casino' (Rudy Solari), cat burglar 'Goniff' (Christopher Cary) and native American 'Chief ' (Brendan Boone).

Led by West Pointer 'First Lt. Craig Garrison' (Ron Harper) from a secluded English mansion serving as a headquarters, the group ranged all over Europe in exploits...

"Garrison's Gorillas" was an ABC TV series broadcast 1967-1968, with a total of 26 hour-long episodes produced. The series was 'inspired' by the 1967 war action feature "The Dirty Dozen", which featured a similar scenario of training Allied prisoners for World War II military missions.

"Garrison's Gorillas" focused on a motley group of commandos recruited from stateside prisons to use their special skills against the Germans in World War II.

The men were promised a parole at the end of the war if they worked out. And if they lived. The alternative was an immediate return to prison. If they ran, they could expect execution for desertion.

The four main characters were the con-man 'Actor' (Cesare Danova), a safecracker 'Casino' (Rudy Solari), a cat burglar 'Goniff' (Christopher Cary) and a native American with a switchblade 'Chief (Brendan Boone').

Led by West Pointer 'First Lt. Craig Garrison' (Ron Harper) and headquartered in a secluded mansion in England,...