Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kirk Morris | ... | Maciste | |
Massimo Serato | ... | Czar Nicola Nicolajevic | |
Ombretta Colli | ... | Sonia | |
![]() |
Gloria Milland | ... | Nadia |
![]() |
Tom Felleghy | ... | Hakim (as Tom Felleghi) |
![]() |
Giulio Donnini | ... | Igor |
![]() |
Dada Gallotti | ... | Katia |
![]() |
Ugo Sasso | ... | Petrovic |
![]() |
Arnaldo Arnaldi | ... | Alessandro |
![]() |
Howard Ross | ... | Chief of the Raiders (as Renato Rossini) |
Attilio Dottesio | ... | Chief of the Rebels | |
![]() |
Luigi Scavran | ... | Boris |
![]() |
Consalvo Dell'Arti | ... | Ivanovich |
![]() |
Spartaco Battisti | ||
![]() |
Giovanni Sabbatini |
The czar Nicolas sends a secret mission of experts to find a hidden treasure. But at the same time he prepares a group of mercenaries who should kill the members of the mission after their return. Written by Volker Boehm
As the "sword-and-sandal" genre inspired by Steve Reeves' "Hercules" began to run out of fresh material, outlandish variations began to appear. One of the most accomplished and amusing is this bizarre melange which has our bare-chested strongman, (referred to in the dubbed dialog as "Maciste"), revived in late-medieval Russia where he fights the tyranny of an evil czar. Just imagine -- Cossacks in fur hats and baggy pants fighting off a muscleman wearing nothing more than a leathery loincloth! Of course it's silly and easily scorned but it's done with a straight face and darn if it doesn't hold one's interest. The sets, by the way, look more Arabian Nights than Moscow and there's not much in the way of spectacle, but leading man Kirk Morris -- despite his unconvincingly "blond" hair -- has an impressive set of pecs. As is usual in these cases, he sweats and strains in glorious fashion as he passes a test of strength and courage involving two teams of horses which try to snap him like a wishbone.