Kilink Istanbul'da

TV editor and chess player Yılmaz Atadeniz reforms his old gang to put his disparate skills to good use paying homage to the American serials of his youth with the now forgotten first entry in a long running series of once popular films loosely based on the Italian photo novel creations of Max Bunker and Magnus.

King of rogues Kilink is resurrected to complete his plans for world domination but as Kilink is in Istanbul so can be Superhero, the son of Kilink's victim given powers by the wizard Shazam, however let us not forget that Kilink really exists, while Superhero is an imaginary hero, in the ludicrous set-up to this brutish boys-own adventure.

İrfan Atasoy puts in a square-jawed central performance worthy of George Reeves and Buster Crabbe as the highly unauthorised Captain Marvel/Superman hybrid hero whilst as usual far more fun is to be had by Yıldırım Gencer who turns the gentlemen thief of the source material into the sociopathic titular villain of this piece.

Muzaffer Tema heads up a powerful supporting cast which includes turns from Hüseyin Peyda and Feridun Çölgeçen as well as the über-vampish Suzan Avcı, veritable victims Aynur Aydan and Pervin Par and a scene stealing Mine Soley who expresses herself by removing the glasses and white coat of a victim to reveal the black dress of a vamp underneath.

The filmmakers do a surprisingly good job of recreating the feel of a classic American serial, albeit some twenty years too late and infused with Turkish machismo fuelled sex and violence, which if nothing else firmly paved the way for the later excess of Turkish pop cinema's copyright defying remakes that were inevitably to follow.

"Adventure and danger are the meaning of my life."