The Ark of the Sun God (1984)

Rough'n'tumble professional burglar and safe cracker Rick Spear (the late, great David Warbeck in fine rugged form) is hired by smarmy, crippled British millionaire Lord Dean (a pleasingly smooth portrayal by John Steiner) to retrieve a sacred scepter that belonged to the god Gilgamesh from a temple in Istanbul. The nefarious Prince Abdullah (neatly essayed with sneering aplomb by Aytekin Akkaya) also wants to get his evil hands on the scepter. Capably directed by Antonio Margheriti, with slick cinematography by Sandro Mancori, a steady pace, a lively, rousing score by Aldo Tamborelli, a loose and engaging chemistry between Warbeck and Steiner, a groovy rocking theme song, a likable breezy tone, and several stirring well-staged action sequences (I especially dug the nice use of funky miniatures for the car chase scenes), this film overall delivers the goods in a commendably straightforward and unpretentious manner. Warbeck and Steiner both excel in their roles; they receive solid support from Susie Sudlow as Rick's sweet, fetching girlfriend Carol, Luciano Pigozzi as boozy, amiable old-timer Beetle, Ricardo Palacios as sly criminal Mohammed, and Achille Brugnini as Lord Dean's loyal servant Rupert. A perfectly entertaining little diversion.

The ever likable David Warbeck headlines in this highly enjoyable Raiders Of The Lost Ark inspired yarn as a professional burglar/safe cracker hired by a rich British Lord (John Steiner) to locate and retrieve a priceless artifact (a sacred sceptre) from a lost temple somewhere deep in the Turkish desert.This being tauted as an all action film however, you can probably imagine that the task proves far more complex and dangerous than initially sounding as the artifact is also craved by some less than pleasant individuals who wish to get hold of the sceptre for their own nefarious ends and who most certainly do NOT wish to share it with anyone else.Plenty of the promised action inevitably ensues with a plethora of high speed car chases (which utilise some cool looking Gerry Anderson style model work), fist fights, shoot outs and James Bond style intrigue together with a healthy dose of humour which all add up to produce a highly satisfying 90 or so minutes.Warbeck is on top form here and is ably supported by a great cast which includes the previously mentioned and always great value John Steiner, and perennial favourite Luciano Pigozzi (who appears to be in pretty much EVERY Italian B-movie ever made!!!) Tremendous fun from beginning to end, this is typically rip roaring stuff from the ever dependable Antonio Margheriti and is certainly well worth watching.

The dream team of Antonio Margheriti, David Warbeck and John Steiner reunite for a thematic sequel to Hunters Of The Golden Cobra, and its a beauty, as good if not better than the earlier film. Warbeck is on top form and John Steiner is as magical as ever in a rip roaring adventure that will keep you hooked until the credits fade. Good guys, bad guys, fisticuffs, car chases and a lovely in joke about Roger Moore. This is a wonderful film.

A fun movie to watch maybe once. Unlike Margheriti's earlier Warbeck films, this one seems oddly much more aimed at children. Well it's a pretty weak ripoff of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, but it is fun in many ways. One of the most annoying theme songs in film history, though.. Contrary to what many say, this is NOT the same film as "Hunters of the Golden Cobra" which was made a year earlier. The two just had similar casts and crew, but different plots entirely! This one takes place in the desert and is much more slowly paced and dull. Warbecks's a cool guy though, too bad he died so young.