"The oddest and most insane piece of filmmaking that I’ve ever laid eyes on."
- Bleeding Skull



Perhaps the most improbable DVD release of the year, 3 DEV ADAM is also the most fun, the most weird and aparantly, the most underseen among cult fans. As detailed yesterday Onar Films has had trouble selling copies of this little masterpiece, which is just a crime. So, gathered here for the first time, is every review I could find online for 3 DEV. If these written testimonials (as well as the above trailer) don't convince you that you NEED to buy this disc, then, well let's just say you're probably no fun at parties and more than likely just like to stay home playing checkers and watching reruns of FULL HOUSE. But true Cult Film Fans will find a treasure of bizarre, no-budget action, sadism and sexiness that you will find hard to resist and easy to revisit time and time again.

We'll start, humbly enough, with our own review posted originally about three weeks ago.

Secondly, we're proud to present a guest review from our friend The Undead Film Critic! Here it is in it's complete glory!

3 Dev Adam (1973)


I remember when I first read Pete Tombs fascinating book Mondo Macabro. I made a mental list of movies mentioned that I HAD to see. 3 Dev Adam was at the top of that list.

I was an avid film fan and I knew a thing or two about foreign cinema, but I was about to be schooled. As I read about Turkey and their blatant disregard for copyright laws and fascination with America pop culture, I wanted to see it for myself. I was in disbelief that a movie even existed where Captain America & Santo would battle Spider-Man. I had to see it.

All that was currently available were bootleg VHS copies, of a copy, of a copy. Poor quality and in my opinion hardly worth the dough. I just couldn't bring myself to fork over $20 buck plus shipping and handling for a VHS copy, I knew would be washed out and edited beyond recognition. It just wouldn't be the same movie I had read about and so anxiously wanted to see.

Well, we should all thank the cinema gods. Thanks to ONAR FILMS, you can now own 3 Dev Adam in what I am sure has to be the best presentation since it played Istanbul.

If the idea of Captain America and El Santo throwing down with Spider-Man is not enough to peak your interest, just watch the first 5 minutes and you will undoubtedly get hooked. Spider (man), who has eyebrows like Tammy Faye Baker, and his gang have buried a woman up to her neck in sand on the beach. What did she do? Did she make fun of Spiders beer gut? Did she steal his mascara? What ever she did, it must have pissed Spidey off good, because he & his henchmen plow a roaring motorboat blade into her face. This all happens before the opening credits roll!

El Santo and Captain America are called in to help capture Spider and his men, as Spider has been breaking into peoples houses and apartments. He is stealing priceless knickknacks and other things that look like the kind of crap my grandmother has displayed in her living room for no good reason. I hope it's worth something because it smells like mothballs grandma.

Anyway, I really like the way Captain America is played as a smooth son of a bitch. There was one scene where Cap and Santo are enjoying a drink at a burlesque show, they are in plain clothes mind you, and some bodyguard types approach the Captain. One of the men taps him on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow and Cap just looks up at him like "I'm trying to finish my drink and see some boobies, do you mind?"

And I love how the filmmakers clue us in to who El Santo is, by having him wear what looks like a Navaho Jacket with an eagle on the back. Just in case you weren't sure if he was Mexican or just tan. And El Santo must be hard up for cash, because he steals money from every person he beats up. He's like Robin Hood, but with better tights.

If sounds like I'm making fun, it's only because the film itself is so much fun. It is by far one of the craziest damn things I have ever seen & worth every minute. What I found most fascinating was seeing another culture's take on American & Mexican icons and how they twist them to suit their own regional taste.

ONAR FILMS has gone above and beyond to bring 3 Dev Adam to DVD. Presented in the best possible picture quality that has ever previously been available, this is a must buy. Featuring interviews, a photo gallery & filmographies, if your DVD player will support the PAL region 0 format, you owe it to yourself to seek this title out. But don't drag your feet. There are only 1,200 out there. I myself, am the proud owner of ..138. I'm a sucker for limited editions.

Now that I have seen 3 Dev Adam, I must check out ONAR FILMS other titles and pray for the day that Turkish Exorcist or, dare I say, Turkish Star Wars reach american soil.

6 FEET DEEP

Fantastic! And now, just follow the links below for more outstanding reviews! You'll notice that it's pretty unanimous, Onar's DVD of 3 DEV ADAM is one for the ages!

Twitch!

10K Bullets!

Mondo Digital!

Poptique!

Unbelievable that it hasn't gotten more press than this, but that seem to be the very problem, not enough people are buying this DVD,not enough people are seeing this film, NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE CARE AS MUCH AS WE DO!!!
Hopefully we can change that a little here this week.
I leave you with some more quotes from Bill made during the production of the DVD. This is what he goes through to bring you the pure joy that is Turkish Pop Cinema. I think we all owe him a present come Xmas.

"Whatever can go wrong, WILL go wrong", says one of Murphy's laws. I always thought I was a jinx and bad luck was not only after me but also after the people I like and love. To start with, this project looked cursed from the beginning. In December, I had a great friend in Istanbul who was helping me find producers, movies, materials, connections, etc. You must know that no producer there speaks english. Suddenly, my friend disappeared. And after 3 months I found out he was attacked and injured by some criminals and was hiding away from Istanbul!

Now, I found a turkish guy who would do the subtitling for the movie and the 3 interviews. He already sent me the movie subs and they were EXCELLENT! And he was about to do the interviews which were supposed to be ready over a week ago. But ALAS! He has disappeared too! For the last 10 days he doesn't reply to my e-mails and his phone is out of service. And he wasn't even paid for the movie subs. I fear that he may be dead or something, maybe a coma in the best case. Now, unless he miraculously pops up with some good news and a simple explanation, I will have to search for another subtitler. And this would mean at least 2 more weeks delay. So, let's forget April 10th. Late April looks more likely under these circumstances. SORRY!! Oh, in a couple of days the cover will be ready and it will be up here for you to check.

I forgot to add what happened to my very first turkish connection last year. He got divorced all of a sudden and, obviously, quit helping me! Now, some MORE BAD NEWS! The guy who was going to do the subs and disappeared for 12 days rang me up today! He said he had a terrible accident. He took a dive with the lift he was in, from the 4th floor, and was in hospital in critical condition for over a week! Now, am I a bloody jinx or these movies are cursed? Whatever it is I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! WHAT DOESN''T DESTROY ME MAKES ME STRONGER!

Now, the DVD had to stay behind once more. Oh, did I tell you that the assistant of the guy who's building the menus and etc broke his leg, and now he has to do two people's work and finally let my DVD move even slower? So, the new estimation says that the BLOODY DVD will be ready round May 5th. Next week I believe I'll take the master to the factory and then I will have a very precise release date.

Whew! And you thought your life was tough.
NEXT: Our brand new review of Onar's previous two releases KILINK IN INSTANBUL and KILINK VS SUPERMAN/KILINK STRIP AND KILL!!!