Iron Claw the Pirate (1969)

Like most Turkish superheroes Iron Claw the Pirate has no real superpowers. He can shoot and he can fight, have a sexy sidekick and is obsessed by defending his dear Istanbul from evil masterminds. In this case his name doesn’t even make scene. He has no iron claw and his looks not even slightly resembles a pirate – but he’s still one of the coolest and most violent Turkish superheroes I’ve seen so far, and his leather outfit and square-faced look is damn cool! I would go so far to say that Demir Karahan is the hottest superhero-actor in Turkey! But Iron Claw the Pirate has a lot to offer for dykes and straights to, don’t worry!

Fantomas, the French master criminal has arrived to Istanbul to take revenge on something. Not clear what actually, but he’s very vengeful and wants to kill Iron Claw. Our superhero also want to take revenge on something, but nothing more is mentioned regarding that… anyway, Fantomas has also set up a weapon factory and is planning to use these weapons to create terror everywhere, to sooner or later gain world domination of course! He has a blonde female companion to, and another girl that dances almost butt-naked dressed only in three golden leafs! (Hey, that was for you dykes and straight guys!). So Iron Claw, the female ass-kicking sidekick, his old uncle (don’t ask…) and a guy (maybe a cop) in a nice moustache takes it on to crush Fantomas once and for all!

I’m not by any means an expert on Turkish cult cinema. I watch the stuff I can find and that’s it. But Iron Claw the Pirate could so far be my favourite. On the surface it looks like any other film in the genre, but it has several things that set it apart from the rest: a stylish, cool superhero-outfit. Yes, it actually looks professional and not homemade. Fantomas is a great villain and this version of his rubber mask looks very creepy. The ladies, for those who like them, are extra sexy and cool. I’ve already mention that Demir Karahan is stunningly handsome, so that’s already a plus. The script is thin, but it has an absurd amount of action and stunts. Not that they could afford to do any big set-pieces, but the fights and shoot-outs are among the best I’ve seen in Turkish cult cinema so far.

Everything kinda explodes in the end with a huge body count. I’ve never seen so many henchmen getting shot in the face! A very sadistic detail I must add, and it looks even more painful with their screams and spastic movements when they fall dead to the ground. We’re also treated with some very creative camera movements. The best is when we follow the camera through four-five floors and sees fights and kills on each floor, all the way down to the bottom were Iron Claw makes the final kill. I’m not 100 % sure how they made this, but I guess they used an elevator with open doors – but no matter how they did it, it looks great and is one of the action highlights of this crazy little film!

Torture, executions, explosions, shoot-outs, fist-fights, nudity, blood and moustaches – you’ll find everything in Onar Films awesome official DVD release from 2008, a must buy! So take your chance and order it before it’s out of print – and after that it will never be out again.