_**Hercules, the Mediterranean, Sylva Koscina, murder, seers, a lion, a bull, sailing and Amazons!**_ Hercules (Steve Reeves) travels to a kingdom on the coast of the Mediterranean, the Italian Peninsula, to assist a king in training his son to take over. He meets the lovely daughter of the monarch (Sylva Koscina), unravels a murder from years earlier, throws the discus, fights a lion & a bull, sails the seas in search of the priceless Golden Fleece and encounters the Amazons. "Hercules" (1958) is an Italian sword & sandal flick in the mold of “Samson and Delilah” (1949) and “Ulysses” (1954). I prefer those two because the stories are more compelling. This one is a good introduction to the character, but the convoluted storyline is basically an excuse to thrust Hercules from one adventure to the next. Californian muscleman Reeves plays the titular hero/god to perfection. He is most known for his Hercules role but interestingly only played the part twice, in this film and the superior sequel "Hercules Unchained" (1959). One good side-effect of watching Reeves is that it will likely inspire guys to get in shape (the way Stallone does when watching Rambo). Sylva Koscina as Iole is cute in a statuesque way. She would only get more beautiful as she matured. See her, for instance, in “Hornets’ Nest” (1970). There are several other breathtaking women, like Gianna Maria Canale as Antea, Queen of the Amazons. The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and was shot at Titanus Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy. GRADE: B-

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