Hercules (Steve Reeves) journeys to a Mediterranean kingdom—specifically on the Italian Peninsula—to help a king prepare his son for leadership. Along the way, he meets the king’s daughter (Sylva Koscina), investigates an old murder, participates in athletic competitions like discus throwing, battles both a lion and a bull, navigates the ocean seeking the Golden Fleece, and has dealings with the Amazons. "Hercules," released in 1958, is an Italian sword-and-sandal film similar to “Samson and Delilah” (1949) and “Ulysses” (1954). I find those other films more engaging. This one serves as a decent introduction to the character, but the complicated plot feels like just a way to move Hercules from one action sequence to another. Reeves, an American bodybuilder, embodies the hero/god perfectly. He’s best remembered for portraying Hercules, though he only took on the role twice—in this movie and the better “Hercules Unchained” (1959). A positive outcome of watching Reeves is that it might motivate men to improve their fitness, like Stallone does when he watches Rambo films. Sylva Koscina as Iole is attractive in a classic style; she only became more beautiful with age—you can see this later in “Hornets’ Nest” (1970), for example. There are other striking women too, such as Gianna Maria Canale who plays Antea, Queen of the Amazons. The film has a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes and was filmed at Titanus Studios in Rome, Lazio, Italy. GRADE: B-

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