Better Late Then Never

Absolutely amazing

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This Italian Indiana Jones inspired adventure, from director Antonio Margheriti, certainly seems to have its fans, but I'm not one of them, finding the low rent action on offer rather tedious.David Warbeck stars as world-class cat burglar Rick Spear who is enlisted to help locate a Turkish temple where, as legend has it, lies the tomb of demigod Gilgamesh, whose jewelled sceptre bestows the bearer with great power. Out to prevent Rick from succeeding is a descendant of the demigod, Prince Abdullah (Aytekin Akkaya), who sends his men to kill the adventurer.With its 'exotic' locations an overcast Istanbul and a drab desert, 'exciting' car chase scenes achieved via remote-control vehicles, two ageing overweight Sallah-style sidekicks, and a 'lost' temple that is so easy to find I'm surprised that there wasn't a tour guide and a gift shop, The Ark of the Sun God is stodgy schlock that rarely kicks into gear, idling away until the predictable ending when the bad guy battles our hero while stone columns collapse around their ears.4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for Susie Sudlow as Rick's eye-candy girlfriend Carol.

First off, I'm a big fan of Italian genre cinema in general and of the director Antonio Margheriti in particular. This isn't film as art but commerce. The Italians were experts at exploiting the popularity of various American films and selling the imitations worldwide. This particular film is (obviously) derivative of Indiana Jones with a little James Bond thrown in.Margheriti was a very competent director who elevated the cheap films he directed. He almost always assembles a solid cast (as is the case in Ark of the Sun God) and packs his movies full of outlandish special effects. His use of miniatures is especially impressive although this film doesn't reflect his best use of them. Although I have high praise for his work both in this film and others, many people will laugh at what is presented. It is a cheap film and the FX aren't always anywhere near Hollywood standards. But Margheriti still consistently produced entertaining films, on the cheap, with exotic locations (in this case Turkey), and wild FX. It's the cinema equivalent of a comic book from the 50s...cheap, disposable, juvenile, but fun as hell.As to this film in particular, Ark of the Sun God is an entertaining adventure film that takes place mostly in Turkey. David Warbeck is solid (as usual) as the lead, as is John Steiner who takes on a secondary role. Lucinno Pigozzi, who is a regular in Antonio Margheriti's films, returns here as Beetle--he was a very solid character actor little known outside of Italy. Of course the whole movie is dubbed (many Italian genre films of the era were filmed without sound and dubbed in post-production). The plot involves finding and stealing a valuable artifact from an ancient tomb, all the while being chased by various goons. Standard boilerplate nonsense. The whole thing is utterly ridiculous and disposable. If you're looking for innovative cinema, look elsewhere. But the movie is fun in the same way as those old comic books were. They were pretty much considered disposable schlock as well until folks began to appreciate the talent that went into creating them.

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 story of a safe cracker hired to help find a lost scepter thats hidden in a lost tomb is nothing more than an entertaining diversion. No, its no where near the level of say an Indiana Jones film or some of the great Hollywood action films, however it is an entertaining little film, perfect for a rainy weekend afternoon. An Italian/Turkish co-production this film sports sights that are not the sort you've seen a thousand times before, indeed it appears to have been filmed in the much under used cities and county side of Turkey. The story is good and moves along nicely. The actors, many of which are Euro-trash and exploitation regulars handle themselves nicely. You'll forgive the lack of detail, but this is a simply a good mindless movie thats worth seeing, even though it will disappear from your brain not long after.