Hercules Against the Mongols (1963)

Maciste contro i Mongoli (1963) or Hercules Against the Mongols (USA) uses the same two sons of Genghis Khan that were in Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964).Mark Forest as Hercules/Maciste is again a stiff bore.Hercules/Maciste fights against the three sons of Genghis Khan. Not much happens. Scenes are recycled from this and put into Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964).Sub-standard peplum/Sword-and-sandal flick that has nothing to do with the Sword-and-sandal genre. I think it's just a re-titled Maciste (a Hercules-like figure) flick. Hercules aides the Russians against a Mongol invasion in the 13th century.Mark Forest plays Hercules and he's a complete bore. Most scenes are dull and boring. There's a bit of interest in the Mongol bad guys played by a few hefty European or American weight lifters, other than that, it's sub-standard stuff.

This particular peplum finds Hercules/Maciste going up against the sons of Genghis Khan and I have to say that these three are about as lousy a set of progeny I've seen on the screen since My Darling Clementine and those inbred Clantons.Genghis Khan has died, but decreed that the Mongol empire would now live in peace with its Christian neighbors. But the three sons have different ideas, they want to go back to the old Mongol plundering ways. They kill the shaman giving Genghis Khan his last rites and then proclaim Christian treachery. Then they ride in and sack the Kingdom of Judela, kill the king and start looking for the boy prince, they take prisoner after awhile his sister.Enter Mark Forest and Hercules/Maciste who performs the usual who performs his usual feats of strength like killing a lion and lifting a cement pillar. Of course the three brothers all want to be top dog and that's an apt description of them. And the Christians have one traitor in their midst. It's all in a day's work for our hero.

As far as Sword & Sandal films go, HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS is a pretty good effort. The film moves at a really fast clip. Technically, the film is well directed, with a little more thought put into it than most cardboard actioners from Italy. The cast is uniformly good looking: Mark Forest is in top shape and is basically shirtless throughout the movie and he has a couple of stand-out scenes which showcases his muscular physique (he even gets hurt by an arrow!). José Greci, a regular in these kind of films, is truly gorgeous and makes an impressive "royalty". The actors playing Mongols don't look like Mongols but then I believe there were few Mongol actors back then (or even now).Like so many of these movies, there's a kid (or a little people). His name is Alex and the kid is not really that annoying but the female actor who supplies his voice is just awful. Every time I heard her voice, I wanted to smash the TV.The sets (interior and exterior) are excellent and believable. Most of the film was shot outside, which gives some credence to the whole film. No studio-bound exterior sets like the ones in HERCULES AGAINST THE BARBARIANS, which also stars the exact same cast but with a completely different story. The costumes and the music are also above average. Nothing earth-shattering but I really had a good time.

The version of this movie I saw was called "Hercules Against the Mongols"Hercules, dubbed within an inch of his life and his loins covered within an inch of his modesty, is told he is to fight the Mongols by an oracle.A female voice then tells us it's 1227. She continues to tell us of the leaders of Mongolian tribes that Hercules will fight. They are the three sons of Ghengis Khan and they lust for conquest. To incite their people to go to war they kill one of their own and blame "THE WHITE MAN!" THE WHITE MAN must be punished!The Mongols burn houses (in this movie symbolically represented by a miniature hut) and kill many WHITE MEN or take them as slaves. Amid all the confusion you can always tell the Mongols from THE WHITE MAN. The Mongols are hairy, manly and wearing leather. THE WHITE MEN are shaved, feminine and wearing felt.The Mongols discover that an heir to THE WHITE MAN's throne has escaped. "We must find him!" exclaims one son of Ghengis Khan. "We must kill all the legitimate heirs to the throne!" The boy, Alexander, wanders through the woods and comes across Hercules who is playing pick-up-sticks with tree trunks. "Why are you moving those trees?" asks Alexander, his dubbed voice sounding like he is speaking in a wind tunnel. "What are you doing out here, little boy?" asks the grinning, mostly unclad Hercules in what is the movie's creepiest moment.It isn't long before Hercules is fighting the Mongols. Hercules picks up a tree trunk and stands there as the Mongols ride their horses into him. Defeated, the Mongols sneer "We will meet again!" and run off.Beefcake films are more of a curiosity nowadays but I must admit I enjoy watching them. They are, by no means, Great cinema but they are fun to watch: half-clad men fighting, posing, and delivering absurd lines.The only disappointment was the lack of the midget actor usually found in these films. How can it be an Italian production without a midget?Afterthought: There is one fight with a lion that is pretty harrowing and could be considered cruelty to animals. If you are squeamish about such things be forewarned: you may want to skip this one.Loincloth!