Maciste in the grip of the tyrant

In order to resist the onslaught of the Tartars, the Chinese Emperor Wung calls the Mongolian Great Khan and his troops to his aid. However, he has him treacherously murdered and proclaims himself ruler of the Empire of Heaven. He then tries to kill the rightful heirs to the throne, Prince Tai Sung and Princess Li Ling, but is met by Maciste, who rushes to the aid of the oppressed. The muscular hero allies himself with the rebel leader Chu, who is fighting against the despot.

The energetic, charismatic Gordon Scott, the five-time Tarzan who has managed to make audiences forget the influence of Johnny Weismuller, sets this Maciste apart from the crowd. Intelligent and poised, Scott just looks like a perfect human specimen with really big muscles.
Scott's athletic prowess is also far above that of the average bodybuilder usually seen in other Sandals films.
For this feature film, the producers hired the excellent director Riccardo Freda, a stylist famous for elaborate costume dramas, in a career that goes back to the days of fascist Italy.