HERCULES, SAMSON AND ULYSSES (1965) ** ½

Hercules (Kirk Morris) and Ulysses (Enzo Cerusico) go help some fisherman slay a sea monster.  During the battle, their ship capsizes, and they wind up ashore in Judea.  Not long after, Hercules fights and kills a lion, which gets him mistaken for the legendary strongman, Samson (Richard Lloyd).  This naturally draws the ire of the king, Laertes (Andrea Fantasia) and he orders the death of several townspeople, which sends Samson into a fury.  Thinking Herc was the one responsible, Samson goes on a warpath looking for the son of Zeus to get some payback.  Eventually the duo decides they’re stronger if they work together and they set out to bring an end to Laertes’ reign.

Hercules, Samson and Ulysses was directed by Pietro Francisci, the man who started the sword and sandal craze with the original Hercules.  It’s a strange mix of Italian peplum and biblical epic that’s just different enough to be memorable and almost silly enough to be a minor cult item.  It’s also a bit more violent than your typical peplum adventure as lots of extras get crucified, hung, and speared along the way.  

The best part is the battle with the sea monster.  I’ve seen some laughable sea monsters in my time, but this one takes the cake.  It’s nothing more than your average sea lion!  Francisci and his special effects team don’t do much to make it look all that monstrous either.  You’d think they’d film it at odd angles or something to make it appear bigger, but that’s not exactly the case.  That just makes the scene even more hysterical.

Herc also finds time to fight a bull.  This bit is reminiscent of Karate Bull Fighter, but it’s too short to leave a lasting impression.  Herc’s fight with the lion is much longer though and is more entertaining too.

The big Herc vs. Samson scene is quite rousing.  Morris and Lloyd can throw papier Mache boulders around and topple Styrofoam ruins to the ground with the best in the business.  The fight itself is set up sort of like Batman v Superman and ends in a truce that’s just as random (although neither one of their mothers is named Martha).  The final battle where the duo team up against the king’s army isn’t nearly as good, but it’s still better than most of the stuff you see in these toga-fests.

Morris does a great job as Herc and is just as good, if not better than Steve Reeves in the role.  Lloyd isn’t quite in that league, but he certainly does a fine job during the fight scenes.  It’s Liana (Mill of the Stone Women) Orfei who very nearly steals the film as the sultry Delilah.  The highlight comes when she does a sexy dance while a guard whips off her clothes one by one.  (I guess that would make it a whiptease?)  Like most of the women in these movies, there’s a scene where she gives Herc a potion that makes him sleepy, too.  Fans of Ulysses are going to be disappointed as he spends most of the running time captured and/or whining.  You have to wonder why the heck he even got his name in the title because he does very little to earn his billing.  

At any rate, I was sort of glad I saw this.  It’s pretty kooky, although anyone who isn’t a die-hard peplum fanatic will probably be less than enthused.  Bad movie fans will get a kick out of the shitty “monsters” and fight scenes, but I imagine they’ll get restless during all the men-in-togas shit.