TARKAN VS. THE VIKINGS (aka Tarkan: Viking Kani) (DVD)

Although Tarkan Vs. the Vikings is filled with the cheapest costumes imaginable, cardboard sets, inept special effects, and cheesy monsters, it's the best Turkish movie we've ever seen from the '60s or '70s. It really does have that kind of "big epic-spectacle film" feel to it. And it's great fun in spite of all its obvious (sometimes really obvious) weaknesses. The story centers around a vicious Viking miscreant who wants to rule all of Vikingdom and get his lustful hands on a Hun ruler's gorgeous daughter. There is a myriad of action-battle sequences and the film is downright violent at times, yet without excessive gore: a bevy of Turkish women are slain, a baby (obviously a dummy) is hurled through the air to its death, women are tortured, and even a little dog is murdered. One of the things we were also surprised about is the amount of nudity, which is pretty amazing considering this film was made in a Muslim country. And then there's the killer octopus to which people are sacrificed. This Octopus is soooo cheesy it makes the end of Bride of the Monster look like Academy Award stuff. You'll howl. Yet somehow it all kinda' works. Tarkan Vs. the Vikings may not be the greatest movie ever made, but it's definitely a good companion for a rainy afternoon. Subtitled in English.

• adventure