LION MAN (1975)
aka Aslan Adam
Article 3522 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 3-12-2011
Posting Date: 4-6-2011
Directed by Natuk Baytan
Featuring Cuneyt Arkin, Barbara Lake, Charles Garret
Country: Turkey / UK
What it is: Turkish swashbuckler

When a king is overthrown by rebels, his son is left in the forest where he is raised by a pride of lions. When the usurper turns out to be a tyrant, the people wish to rebel against him, but they need to find the lost son to lead them. But the son has grown up as a wild man with lion-like strength in his hands.

This may be only the second Turkish movie I’ve seen for this series, but despite that, I’m not in unfamiliar territory; anybody who has seen a few martial arts and sword-and-sandal movies will find themselves in very familiar territory here. The highlight here is the freaky and frequently hilarious fight scenes that owe more to gymnastics than any real fighting technique; my favorite bit has the lion man battling villains while doing spins on a pole. I guess every culture needs its own goofy, over-the-top action movies. It’s energetic, silly, and quite entertaining.