Gianfranco Parolini Movies

One of two 1976 Italian-Israeli co-productions starring Lee Van Cleef and Leif Garrett (Joseph Manduke's Kid Vengeance was the other), this spaghetti Western stars Van Cleef in a dual role as twin brothers. One of the brothers, Father John, is gunned down by the ruthless Sam Clayton (Jack Palance), allowing Sam's gang to take over Juno City. Young Johnny (Garrett) crosses into Mexico to convince the priest's twin, a retired bounty hunter named Louis, to strap on his guns one more time and save the town. Van Cleef is compelling, even in his somewhat laughable wig, and the familiar cast also includes Richard Boone and Sybil Danning, but it somehow misses the mark. Irwin Yablans, who made his name with Halloween two years later, co-produced with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

In this sword-and-sandal fantasy, the mighty Goliath must battle the evil Bokan who has usurped him from his throne. He must also deal with feisty Amazons, tremendous tempests, and scary sea monsters before he can save the beautiful Elea. He does, and of course, he wins. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This adventure-themed Biblical epic from director Gianfranco Parolini (with a misleading title - it only covers a small portion of the Old Testament) unfurls a century and a half prior to the birth of Christ. It finds the Jews ruled by the oppressive and tyrannical Syrians. The king of Damascus, Antiochus, shuttles governor Apollonius off to Jerusalem and demands the he instigate order among the resident Jews. Unfortunately, Apollonius's efforts backfire when he ill-advisedly places a statue of the pagan god Jove in the holy temple, drawing ire from nearly everyone; warrior Judas Maccabeus leads an uprising to protest this. After Judas is killed, he's promptly replaced by his less bellicose brother Simon, who then vows to lead the rebellion, taking on Apollonius and the other Syrians in his late sibling's stead. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Samson (Brad Harris), the hero of the ancient Middle East, is taken prisoner along with his two friends near the city of Sulom -- this surprises him because the city was known to be friendly, and the queen, Mila (Irena Prosen), is a personal friend of his. He is more surprised when he learns -- after breaking out of the palace prison -- that Mila is no longer queen, having been replaced by the ambitious Romilda (Mara Berni) and the ruthless mercenary leader Warkala (Serge Gainsbourg). He survives various attempts by Romilda to drug him and sway him romantically, while the lady-in-waiting Jasmine (Brigitte Corey) works to secure Mila's release. But Warkala -- who wants the kingdom's treasure and will stop at nothing to get it -- proves almost too devious and treacherous for any of them, including Romilda. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi