SANDOKAN THE GREAT (1963)

In Victorian era British Malay, Lord Hillock's forces have ruled using brutal treatment of the natives. We see the execution by firing squad of three rebels who shout the name of the rebel pirate Sandokan as they die. The local sultan is being held in jail and his son Sandokan has vowed to free his father. His plan is to kidnap Hillock's niece Mary Ann and hold her hostage. His chief assistant, the Portuguese Yanez, impersonates a British messenger and tells Hillock that Sandokan is dead, which results in the British letting down their guard and allowing Sandokan and his men to get away with the niece. She is, of course, indignant, but a few things change her opinion about Sandokan: she learns his mission, she discovers that Hillock was responsible for the death of Yanez's wife, and Sandokan saves her from a tiger attack. Oh yeah, and they fall in love. As Sandokan's group heads for a sea escape, the British follow, aided by a traitor among the rebels. Yanez is wounded and gangrene is about to set in when they wind up in a native village and a blue-haired witch doctor woman applies mildew (which we know is related to penicillin) to the wound, saving his life. Eventually Sandokan is captured and set to be executed, but with the help of Yanez and Mary Ann and, most importantly, the natives, the British are sent packing after a number of them are slaughtered, with the natives left in charge of the area and Mary Ann staying with the wandering Sandokan.

Sandokan is a pulp fiction pirate hero from a series of Italian novels. Largely because Steve Reeves plays Sandokan, this movie is often classed as a sword and sandal (peplum) film even though it’s set in the 19th century, has more guns than swords, no sandals, and few bare chests—though we do see Reeves shirtless for a split second. As a pulpy anti-colonial adventure story, it works well enough. Reeves, dressed more like an Arabian Nights character than a pirate, is fine as a heroic lead; he'd only make two more movies before retiring from the screen, still in his 40s and still looking good. Genevieve Grad is a bit lightweight as Mary Ann, seeming more like a college girl than a member of the British ruling class. Better are Andrea Bosic as Yanez, Sandokan's chief support, and Rik Battaglia as Sambigliong, a native associate who actually is shirtless for much of the movie. A handsome fellow named Mario Valdemarin plays one of Hillock's men. There's a good attack scene early on, a not-so-good tiger attack, pulled off with a stuffed tiger, and a great kick-ass action sequence in the last ten minutes with Reeves manning a gatling gun and slaughtering Brits by the dozen. Location filming in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) is an asset. Good Saturday afternoon entertainment. [DVD]