Sam J Jones - Flash Gordon

We all kinda know the story of Flash Gordon. The All-American football player goes to do celestial combat against Ming the Merciless in the great unknown. In this version, Flash (Sam J. Jones) and his girl, Dale, are kidnapped by Dr. Zarkov and taken on his rocket to defeat Ming's evil plans to destory the earth.That Ming just wants to blow up the planet for kicks is a good sign.

Upon landing in the rocket ship, they get caught and Flash spends a good chunk of the remainder of the movie in some sort of bondage. They get taken to the great hall where they meet the Emperor and watch tribute from his galactic Empire flow in. Then, Ming decides he wants Flash's girl. Flash won't part with his gitl (by this time, the jacket he was wearing has disappeared and he has a tight thshirt with the word "Flash" streaking across the front). He starts a football-esque fight, but an inoperune pass KOs the hero. He gets hoisted by six guards and Ming, not amused and thankfully despite his daughter's pleas, says the following great line: "This one here has defied us before our subjects, we order him disposed of tongiht, by public execution."
The next time we see Flash, all of his clothes are gone except a very skimpy pair of black shorts. His hands are in binders lifted up high and he is in an iron mask. After his last request, a final talk with Dale, he is escorted to drumbeat to the gas chamber. There, he gets strapped down and gassed.
Later, Flash is brought back to life so that he can be captured yet again and lowered in a cage into a swamp.

Oh, so many. One is the public spectacle made of Flash's execution. Two is the dundgeon they hold him in prior to gassing hom, the mask and all. There are several full-length shots of Sam nearly naked in binders walking to the gas chamber. He resists but to no avail at several points. This is just a near complete victory for the bad guys.

Not too many and they're almost all abstracts. One is Flash himself. Sam is great, but some else might just have made this the perfect movie (someone a bit younger and a bit more built). Another is the lack og torture before they kill him. They had him in a dudgeon. They could've at least DONE something while they were there. Also, after he comes back to life, you never get to see Flash without his shirt on again. That would've been nice. But, all said and done, this is a definite keeper.