THE FURY OF HERCULES (1961)
Article #268 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 12-9-2001
Posting date: 4-24-2002

Hercules battles sinister court intrigue in ancient times. To do so, he relies on his political savvy, his diplomatic tact, and his—nah, he throws people around like rag dolls.

More sword-and-sandal fun for all, with Brad Harris as Hercules, son of Zeus (to separate him from that imposter Maciste, or Hercules son of Otis). The presence of The Zagreb Opera Ballet in the opening credits should clue you in to the fact that we’re going to have a dance sequence. Hercules even fights elephants this time around. Well, not exactly, but he does look at them in such a way so that they go away without ever entering the same frame as him. There are lots of speeches, some protracted death scenes, and the ever-popular wall of spikes. Hercules wrestles a big cat, knocks down big doors, and lifts a guy over his head and throws him.

Q: How do you tell the bad guys from the good guys in a Sword and Sandal epic?

A: The bad guys wear helmets.

In this one, Hercules has a little friend named Mosquito. Mosquito doesn’t leave with Hercules in the end, though, which is a shame; I think they could have come up with an action comedy series about the exploits of Hercules and Mosquito.

Aren’t these movies fun?