Despite being saddled with a grossly misleading title - purporting the film to be a muscleman flick when in fact it's a costume adventure yarn - HERCULES AND THE BLACK KNIGHT is still enjoyably lively fare for the genre which benefits from charismatic heroes, a wealth of action, and a plot which has no time to drag. Sure, the various plot elements will be familiar to anybody who has seen any other genre offerings, but the fact that likable actors and actresses play the main parts makes for all the difference. Ettore Manni takes the lead role as Don Juan, who occasionally dons a red mask to fight the bad guys in an imitation of the old Zorro story thus giving the film its title.
Meanwhile the bad guy - Don Ramiro - is an old-school villain, a moustachioed scoundrel who has obviously been watching too many Basil Rathbone performances too much as he struts through the movie barking orders and causing evil acts to be committed. You just know that come the end of the film, he's going to get a sound beating as the result of his crimes. Love interest is supplied by Italian beauty Pilar Cansino, although the film does take lots of time out to portray lots of romantic subplots between minor characters which threaten to kill the pacing but thankfully don't.
The sets and costumes as as authentic-looking as ever, the film's ambiance helped by a lively score and attention to period detail for a change. The film offers a pleasing mix of swashbuckling adventure and strongman action which keeps it moving fast and always exciting. And what of Hercules, you may ask? Well, the mythical hero is relegated to a supporting role in the movie as the member of a bandit gang, but thanks to the imposing presence of Alan Steel (HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN) he still cuts an important figure. Thankfully Hercules gets lots of attention in the action sequences as he fights off numerous guards and the finale, in which he wields a hanging scaffold as a weapon against the guard, is a real crowd-pleaser. While it still covers the same old ground as other Italian epics (other than the unusual mixture of genres which was the norm for muscleman flicks in '64 as they struggled to remain popular by charting new territory), HERCULES AND THE BLACK KNIGHT is an enjoyable old-school adventure yarn with plenty of charm and action to recommend it to fans.
Meanwhile the bad guy - Don Ramiro - is an old-school villain, a moustachioed scoundrel who has obviously been watching too many Basil Rathbone performances too much as he struts through the movie barking orders and causing evil acts to be committed. You just know that come the end of the film, he's going to get a sound beating as the result of his crimes. Love interest is supplied by Italian beauty Pilar Cansino, although the film does take lots of time out to portray lots of romantic subplots between minor characters which threaten to kill the pacing but thankfully don't.
The sets and costumes as as authentic-looking as ever, the film's ambiance helped by a lively score and attention to period detail for a change. The film offers a pleasing mix of swashbuckling adventure and strongman action which keeps it moving fast and always exciting. And what of Hercules, you may ask? Well, the mythical hero is relegated to a supporting role in the movie as the member of a bandit gang, but thanks to the imposing presence of Alan Steel (HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN) he still cuts an important figure. Thankfully Hercules gets lots of attention in the action sequences as he fights off numerous guards and the finale, in which he wields a hanging scaffold as a weapon against the guard, is a real crowd-pleaser. While it still covers the same old ground as other Italian epics (other than the unusual mixture of genres which was the norm for muscleman flicks in '64 as they struggled to remain popular by charting new territory), HERCULES AND THE BLACK KNIGHT is an enjoyable old-school adventure yarn with plenty of charm and action to recommend it to fans.