Hercules, The Legendary Journeys: 'Siege at Naxos'

November 5, 4:10 PMClassic TV ExaminerDoug Krentzlin

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Keven Sorbo & Brian Thompson in "Siege at Naxos"
(Universal Pictures)

Howard Hawks’ classic western Rio Bravo (1959), starring John Wayne and Dean Martin, has been remade many times. Hawks redid it himself seven years later as El Dorado with Wayne and Robert Mitchum standing in for Martin. John Carpenter used the plot for his first major film Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) which was recently remade four years ago. But, without a doubt, the strangest remake of Rio Bravo was the episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys entitled Siege at Naxos (originally broadcast on Sept. 25, 1995).

Directed by Stephen L. Posey and scripted by Darrell Fetty, Siege at Naxos begins with Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and his sidekick Iolaus (Michael Hurst) playing hooky from heroics and hanging out at a fishing hole. They then start to take their catches to Dax (Robert Hart), a friend of theirs who owns an inn, but when they arrive they find Dax has been impaled by a spear.

He’s been murdered by barbarian war lord Goth (frequent TV heavy Brian Thompson) whose men are looting the village. Herc and Iolaus kick some barbarian butt and capture Goth before his brother Bledor (Ray Woolf) arrives with reinforcements. Knowing that Goth is wanted for war crimes in Athens, Herc vows to take him there and hand him over to the authorities.

As they escort Goth through the woods, Iolaus remembers that there is a fort at Naxos and suggests they turn Goth over to the soldiers there. They arrive at the fort only to find that the soldiers manning the battlements are actually corpses (a touch barrowed from Beau Geste). The only living inhabitants of the fort are Charidan (Patrick Smythe), an old man chained in the cellar for stealing bread to feed his family, and his daughter Elora (Rebecca Hobbs) who has remained there to look after him.

Bledor and his men surround the fort believing that there is still a full garrison there. To even up their odds, Bledor has sent for a “giant monster,” Tetanus, which turns out to be a huge catapult that can bombard the fort with boulders and fireballs. Charidan assures Herc that the soldiers will return eventually, so it’s a matter of waiting and biding there time. Adding to their troubles, it turns out that Elora is Goth’s former mistress…

Hercules, The Legendary Journeys: Siege at Naxos can be watched on-line at Netflix’s Watch Instantly and is also available for rent (Season Two, Disc One).