A clean-shaven Steve Reeves, it seems, can run faster, jump higher, and shoot straighter than anyone else- which he does, handily winning the Olympics. As farmboy Phillipedes, Reeves is a natural athlete who isn't to be trifled with: when an unscrupulous wrestler has the unmitigated gall to grapple with him, he squeezes the stuffing out of the guy. As in most of these sword and sandal epics, there's behind-the-scenes political intrigue and plenty of action. There's also the stunningly beautiful Demongeut as Andromeda: in her see-through gown, she's just about all the reason ANYBODY would need to get motivated (to do anything)... Tourner and Bava (or one or the other) handle the million-man mêlées about as well as anyone's ever handled a crowded battlefield and, as the movie nears its end, Phil must utilize all of his Olympian skills to save the day (a good excuse to showcase said skills), running and jumping and swimming like, well, a true Olympian. The aquatic attack at film's end is VERY well-staged and I'll be ****ed if I can figure out how they faked the numerous spearings: it looks to me like some of those guys might've actually been seriously hurt. One of the combatants makes this timeless observation: "There is no justice in war!"
Review of The Giant of Marathon
