White Warrior (1959)

Cast:

Steve "Hercules" Reeves is Hadji Murad
Silla Gabel is Princess Maria Vorontsova
Gerad Herter is Prince Sergei
Giorga Moll is Sultanet, Haslem Bey's Daughter
Nikola Popovic is King Shamil

What the box says:

Steve Reeves (Hercules) starts as Haji Murad, nicknamed by the natives "the White Warrior", in the story of a man who leads a small group of followers to victory over the evil Czar Nicholas I and his army.

Plot:

The mountain people resisted Russian control. Hadji Murad, AKA the White Warrior, was the greatest mountain chief that resisted Czar Nicholas who retaliated.

Riders attacked a village and set fire to the houses.

Czar Nicholas is briefed on the attack. He is disgusted with his generals who haven’t been able to dominate the mountain people. The Czar will take direct control of the operation.

Later, Czar Nicholas greets his goddaughter, the Princess Maria. Sergei, Princess Maria’s husband, is being relieved of command of the mountain operation. Nicholas changes his mind and wants Sergei to negotiate a peace treaty with the mountain tribes. For this, Sergei must talk with the White Warrior. All the while, Czar Nicholas is trying to hit on his blonde goddaughter.

A stagecoach ride ensues. This is turning into a Western. Wait, Princess Maria is talking about the White Warrior when the rebels attack. The ladies are robbed. Hadji returns the jewels. Maria doesn’t realize who he is. The military escort drew the rebels’ interest. They apologize and ride away.

Later, Hadji is greeted by King Shamil. He was the last chieftain to arrive.

A war counsel considers how to destroy the key fort to control the Black Mountains. Hadji and his men will take the fort. He has a plan that is kept secret.

Princess Maria arrives at the Russian headquarters and gives Sergei his new orders.

Hadji pays a visit on his old friend, Haslambei. Hadji’s son, Yusef, is being raised by Haslambei’s daughter, Sultanet. Apparently, Hadji and Sultanet are in love. She is afraid her father will marry her off for some cattle. Hadji promises to marry her soon.

The next day, Ahmed Khan, the sleazy looking chieftain, hits on Sultanet. She shoots him down in a blaze of disgust.

Hadji spies the fort across the plains. His men ride across the plain to begin the attack. A couple of Hadji’s men are next to the fort wall planting dynamite. The Russians hold their cannon fire until the attackers get closer. Cannon fu ensues as the mountain tribe charges forward.

The dynamite explodes. Hadji’s men are at the remains of the fortress to accept the surrender of the Russians.

Hadji and his men bring the Russian captives with them. A big celebration is held to honor the victory. Line dancing ensues.

Get on the floor and crank up the 1990s dance hits. Afterwards, large muscular men grab each other for the entertainment of the crowd.

Sultanet is readying herself for when Hadji arrives.

The Russians are imprisoned. Several men bring the Russian bodies back to the square. Hadji is angry. He promised the Russians wouldn’t be harmed. Ahmed Khan claims that Hadji bought victories and is a Russian servant. Our evil chief is doing his damndest to break the alliance between King Shamil and Hadji.

King Shamil is insulted by Hadji thanks to Ahmed’s devices. Hadji and his men leave.

Hadji arrives at Haslambei’s to visit Sultanet. Apparently, the wedding has been cancelled. He still wants to marry her. Her father lets the couple go.

Sultanet and Hadji are talking about staying together forever. They plan to return to Hadji’s people.

Russians are searching through the woods.

Hadji and Sultanet awaken and are unaware of the Russians. They demand that Hadji surrender. He tries to escape but is shot. Eventually, he is overpowered by the numerous Russians.

Sultanet manages to escape.

Hadji is taken off with the Russians.

Ahmed Khan accuse Hadji of dealing with the Russians. Khan wants King Shamil to brand Hadji a traitor. The King reluctantly agrees.

Haslambei is being questioned about his daughter. The troops take Hadji’s son away.

At the Russian mansion, Hadji awakens and is being treated by a doctor. Sergei pays him a visit. Hadji is giving his captors the silent treatment. Sergei wants Hadji to negotiate a peace treaty.

Hadji tries an escape. Hobbling away, he hides in Princess Maria’s room before passing out.

Ahmed pays a visit to Sultanet. She is positive he turned Hadji over to the Russians. Ahmed longs to sample her borscht…naked….He is sure she’ll see his way.

Princess Maria pays a visit on the bound Hadji. She leaves after he claims to be a prisoner.

Sergei is told of men who broke in. One man was captured. It is Eldar, the right hand man of Hadji. Eldar is taken to the dungeon for torture. Sergei stalls off on ordering his execution.

The next morning, Hadji is taken to Sergei. The firing squad is readying for Eldar. The only way to save Eldar is for Hadji to sign the treaty.

Princess Maria is told of the forts that have been attacked. Sergei is angry that Hadji is stalling about signing the treaty. Sergei wants Hadji dead as an example. Maria doesn’t want Hadji to be killed. Sergei will have the treaty signed even if Hadji has to be tortured. He apologizes for upsetting Maria. Sergei is ready for some loving. However, Maria has a migraine in her borscht.

Hadji is taking a stroll around the compound. Maria warns him about Sergei. If Hadji agrees to sign, he will rule his people. Hadji refuses to do it. Maria starts throwing herself at him. Her borscht is ready and willing for Hercules. He turns her down.

Hadji’s son and some guy are taken in front of the King and Ahmed. They are to be executed. The guy is executed. Yussef is next. Sultanet pleads for Yussef’s life. She vows to marry Ahmed if Yussef is spared. Ahmed asks the King to spare Yussef. He agrees o it before falling over.

Sultanet manages to send a letter to Hadji.

Hadji receives the letter, learning that Yussef is a hostage. Sergei starts lecturing him about not worrying about people. Sergei is behind Ahmed. The mountain people hate Ahmed but love Hadji. If Hadji signs the treaty, everything will be fine. If not, Ahmed will poison King Shamil. Hadji refuses to sign again.

In the dungeon, Hadji is being tortured.

Sergei toasts the Czar before the ball begins.

Hadji is being tortured until he signs the treaty.

Princess Maria meets with Sergei about Hadji. She knows about the torture. Sergei is angry that everyone will assume that Maria planned all of this. Maria admits to being in love with Hadji. Sergei is brought the news that Hadji will sign the treaty. Sergei gloats to his wife how Hadji isn’t so heroic and noble. Everything will be better between them after returning to the capital.

Hadji enters the room. He admits defeat and asks for his son to be brought to him. Sergei will take care of it as soon as the treaty is signed. Hadji wants Eldar brought in to witness the signing. Maria leaves the study disgusted.

Hadji greets Eldar before the signing. Suddenly, Hadji and Eldar make a break and escape on horses. They ride through the ballroom.

Ahmed talks with Sultanet before their marriage ceremony.

Apparently, a lot of tribes are rallying to Hadji as soon as they learn of his escape.

Hadji’s force is to save the people and stop Ahmed.

Ahmed and Sultanet are about to walk down the aisle when Hadji arrives.

Hadji is attacked by a sword-wielding Ahmed. They fight up a staircase. Hadji is able to disarm Khan. He runs away with Hadji in pursuit. They struggle on a mountainside. They fall down ledges as they grapple. Suddenly, Khan collapses dead.

Sultanet rushes to Hadji’s side. Yussef is freed and everyone rejoices….The End.

What I say:

Warning: I use almost enough Dune references for Shai Hulud to shake a gom jabbar at...


Rogue Reviewers Roundtable

The February Roundtable of Hunky Heartthrobs is a problem. What kind of movie would be appropriate? I started looking through the couple of stacks of movies that are to eventually be reviewed. A man's man who is a fighter trying to save his people. Well, a movie that has a couple of women chasing after our hero. That sounds Hunky and Hearthrobbish enough...In fact, this movie being based on a novel by Leo Tolstoy that also makes this a classy movie, too.

What does the Russian author Leo Tolstoy have to do with Hercules star, Steve Reeves? Imagine if you will, Hercules starring in an adaptation of a Russian novel. I’m having a hard time imagining that. Kevin Sorbo could star in War and Peace. Lou Ferrigno could star in an adaptation of Crime and Punishment.

The late 50s and early 60s saw the rise of Steve Reeves in the Italian Hercules movies that brought for the peplum, the sword and sandal subgenre. Who could be better for the mythological Greek god than a former Mr. Universe? Reeves eventually grew to be afraid of being typecast into the peplum roles. Several times, he would try to branch out into starring in different genres. However, a former bodybuilder turned actor only has so many roles that will be offered to him. The White Warrior was another of these movies.

Although, Steve Reeves wanted to distance himself from the Hercules roles, he still had to lose his shirt to wrestle with a guy. In way, it could be considered that Steve Reeves was like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his time. Both men came from body building backgrounds before trying acting. However, Reeves eventually quit. Arnold would go through many genre movies before really hitting it big with Terminator 2 and his later movies. I admit it I watched Last Action Hero in the theater and didn’t think it was that bad…..

I’m not sure how far the messiah like leader moniker should be given to Reeve’s Hadji. I can almost see a few connections between White Warrior and Dune. A tough desert people battle a huge empire. The empire is known for its fearsome military forces. At least, Hadji doesn’t have prescient powers to see through time and space. What am I saying? I glad we didn’t have a scene with Steve Reeves doing the Duke Leto Atriedes “they have tried to kill my son” speech.

Steve Reeves plays a Muslim war chief. The idea of Steve Reeves as a Muslim war chief is a hard pill to swallow. That elevates this move into the realm of science fiction where John Wayne played Genghis Khan and where Chuck Connors played Geronimo. Movies have normally confused ethnic backgrounds on occasion. Actually, if the mountain peoples’ names are ignored, you would have no idea of any Muslim connection with the movie. All of Hadji's people are swarthy except him and his girlfriend, Sultanet. The villain has a far more ethnic look to make him easy to spot. In fact, Ahmet Khan almost looks like the prototype for Jafar for Disney's Aladdin.

You walk into some movies with an idea of what it is. I thought this movie was going to be in the Braveheart category. A rebel leader opposes a powerful enemy. In the end, the noble rebel dies. The late 90s saw the proliferation of the historical type of this movie. Mel Gibson may die being drawn and quartered crying for FREEDOM. Steve Reeves would just start the kicking of much ass during his TOR-CHUR (from Krankor of MST3K: Prince of Space or MST3K: Invasion of the Neptune Men).

Could Ahmed Khan be any sleazier? Well, he would have to take lessons from Czar Nicholas. The fact that both men are chasing after women that don’t want anything to do with them seems to be their common point. Khan threatens to kill Hadji’s son, the boy who Sultanet raised as her own son. In fact, Czar Nicholas is almost to the point of threatening to executing Princess Maria’s husband, Sergei, for a little indecent proposal of his own…(Hint, hint, wink, nudge, nudge…)

Sultanet is the long suffering girlfriend. How long suffering? She is raising her boyfriend's son while she waits for Steve to commit to her. The ruggedly manly Steve must defeat the Russians before he can settle down with Sultanet. Normally, both women would have a catfight that is tastefully done so they can fall into a pond.

Princess Maria is the blonde temptress. While normally, the tempress dies trying to save the hero that was won her heart. That allows the rugged hero to defeat the villain and return to the long suffering girlfriend. Princess Maria lucks out and manages to survive. Well, Sergei isn't considered the true villain. If he was, Maria would have to die. That would be the James Bond Wooing the Villain's Extremely Hot Female Assistant to the Side of Light Corollary.

My biggest complaint would be the climactic fight with Steve Reeves and Ahmed Khan. In one corner, you’ve got a pissed off buff guy. The other corner has a guy who graduated from the Snidely Whiplash University with a Bachelors in Machiavellian Scheming and a minor in Cowardice. A short dumpy guy doesn’t stand a chance against Hercules. In fact, the fight almost looks like Khan runs off to the side. I thought Steve Reeves was fighting one of Khan’s henchmen. The stuntman for Khan looked as much like Khan as Danny Devito does to Samuel L Jackson.

For a low budget adaptation of a novel only Russian literature fans might know exist, the White Warrior is surprisingly faster paced than what people think of a typical Russian novel adaptation. 900 pages where nothing happens until someone's cow dies. The plot is basically Hercules must stop the Russian empire. The battle scenes are more impressive than what are normally expected in this kind of movies. It does seem like the Indian raid in a western. While not in the category of 2 huge armies charging toward each other, the battle still stands out. Most of the conflict is entirely on Reeve’s character. Will he sacrifice his principles to save his son and people? In fact Sergei could almost be considered the devil trying to tempt him. I think this review has gone on far enough when I start trying to see divinity in the character of Steve Reeves and start throwing around Dune references.

Quotable Dialogue
"I don't believe there is anything to stop Hadji Murad."
"With my 4 wives, have not had less than 19 children."
"I'm sorry what happened to you. But you know what they say in and love and war."
"You're a stubborn man and I like you the better for it."
Morals of the Story
Godfathers hit on their goddaughters.
The Russian military are excellent dog trainers.
Dancing involves torches.
Military officers love swagger sticks.
Married couples sleep in separate rooms.
Mr Ed loves a good harpsichord waltz.