Friday, June 10, 2016

Import/Export: Turkish Mad Max (aka Last Step of Death)

There's a reason that this is more of an informal Title.  Today's Film is Last Step to Death aka Turkish Mad Max.  So where did it get this reputation?  Well, it features the Star of Turkish Star Wars.  To be fair, that Film used Star Wars Stock Footage and was a Sci-Fi Film.  In this case, the Film is actually *not* Post- Apocalyptic, doesn't feature The Humongous (I know, right!) and is not about Oil.  The Star does dress like Mad Max for the latter half of the Film though.  Good enough!  The actual Plot involves our man teaming up with friend and a lady to save a Scientist behind a breakthrough.  Will cheesy Kung-Fu and shooting help?  To find out, read on...
This is our Hero.  He doesn't always drink, but when he does he does it while holding Dynamite.
When a Scientist has been kidnapped, he must team up with two other people that love both drinking and patronizing their enemies.
Here is Cuneyt Arkin dressed like Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior.  Quota met!
He also shoots people with a bow, so is this also Turkish Rambo: First Blood, Part II?

No, no it is not.
The Plot is basically people shoot other people, run away and fight, so let me just cover the silly stuff.

For example, why is there a string tied to this gate?  Oh- it's too pull it down for the 'explosion.'
Muzzle Flash technology sure has evolved in the last 30 years, right Bob?
In one of my favorite bits, this guy takes a bullet to the chest, does a turn and flips himself over!
In one last bit of silly, this 'grenade' blows up about four feet in front of these guys and they...flip towards the blast?!?
In the end, we get a little Mad Max as they...escape in a truck.  The Scientist's so-called cure is actually just some drugs though.  Oh.  The End.
Drat- not quite what I was expecting.  Don't get me wrong- it is a fun Film.  It is pure popcorn-fodder.  The Film is mostly just a pretense for silly banter, silly fighting and silly explosions.  I was kind of hoping for some more blatant rip-off stuff, that's all.  It does have Arkin wearing the iconic outfit, but that's about it.  I guess it kind of has a desert-like area for the end and people do get shot.  Does people being shot with arrows qualify this as Mad Max?  The only real problem here is that the Film just kind of runs together.  It isn't great, so the bare bones Plot really needs something else to hook you.  That certain something (if only there was a French phrase for this!) just isn't there.  It is fun, silly and shallow, but that's it.  If you want a more fun Turkish Film, watch Turkish Star Wars.  On the plus side, I beat The Cinema Snob to this one!  I can take solace in that and this motivational phrase...
Next up, a multi-Film look at the Universal Library by way of Japan.  When in doubt, turn Bela Japanese.  Stay tuned...

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