L'arciere di fuoco

Very much in the style of the Errol Flynn version of the Robin Hood tale from 1938, this is quite an enjoyable and entertaining historical romp with "Sir Henry" (Giuliano Gemma) as the wronged nobleman who leads his band of rebels against the tyranny of "Sir Robert" (Luis Dávila), his equally ruthless lady Helga Liné and of course, Prince John (Daniele Dublino). There are plenty of escapades, a bit of romance with the feisty "Lady Marianne" (Silvia Dionisio) and a cast of Hood regulars that ensure the well choreographed combat scenes keep coming thick and fast. It's been done on a small-ish budget, but luckily the sheer gusto of the ensemble as well as a good underpinning story and a jolly score from Gianni Ferrio make this at least as good as any of the British Hammer adventures from the late 1960s. As ever, the dubbing really does let it down - but with a story this well known, the quality of the dialogue is much less important and impacts less on what is really quite a watchable and colourful action-adventure film.