Outlaw of Gor
| Outlaw of Gor | |
|---|---|
 A promotional film poster for "Outlaw of Gor." | |
| Directed by | John Cardos |
| Written by | Peter Welbeck Rick Marx |
| Produced by | Avi Lerner Harry Alan Towers |
| Starring | Urbano Barberini Rebecca Ferratti Jack Palance Donna Denton Russell Savadier |
| Cinematography | Johan van de Vyvfer |
| Edited by | Mac Errington |
| Distributed by | Breton Film Productions |
Release date | 1989 |
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Countries | United States South Africa |
| Language | English |
Outlaw of Gor is a 1989 American film directed by John Cardos. It is loosely based on the Gor novel series by John Norman, but has strong plot differences from the original book Outlaw of Gor (first published 1967). It is the sequel to Gor, and is also known as Gor II. It was parodied on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Synopsis
While drinking alone one night and reminiscing of his previous adventures on the planet Gor, Professor Tarl Cabot comes across Watney Smith, a fellow professor with a keen interest in women, yet little success in pursuing them. Watney insists on accompanying Cabot to his next drinking spot, and during the car journey Cabot's ring activates and transports both him and Watney to Gor. Cabot is overjoyed at the thought of being reunited with his lover Talena, and the townspeople of Koruba are similarly overjoyed at Cabot's return. After fending off a brief attack by slavers, Cabot meets Talena, and also discovers that her father, King Marlenus is now married to an ambitious woman named Lara. At a feast that night, Marlenus announces that he will soon step down from the throne, and names Cabot to succeed him.
Lara desires the throne herself, and gets the high priest Xenos to agree to help assassinate Marlenus. She then recruits the easily-persuaded Watney to provide her with an alibi, and proceeds to kill Marlenus, framing Cabot for the murder. While Cabot protests his innocence, and Talena believes him, the guards capture her, and Cabot is forced to flee along with his diminutive sidekick, Hup. Recognising the danger that Cabot represents, Lara and Xenos hire a "Hunter" to pursue and capture him. In the meantime, Lara betrays Watney and has him thrown in the dungeon, and attempts to have Talena killed by putting her in a fight with two female gladiators, only for Talena to easily triumph.
In the desert, Cabot and Hup two encounter another band of slavers, and after attacking their encampment, rescue a female slave. That night the Hunter finds Cabot, Hup and the freed slave, and captures them while they sleep. Upon being brought back to Koruba, the three are thrown into the dungeon by Lara, despite Xenos's attempts to persuade her that even being held hostage, Cabot is too dangerous to be left alive. Xenos attempts to persuade Cabot to return to Earth, and Lara tries seducing him, but both attempts are unsuccessful, as Cabot is now determined to bring them to justice over Marlenus's death. The alliance between Lara and Xenos breaks down, with the former becoming frustrated at Xenos's lack of loyalty, and the latter realising just how disastrous it would be for Lara to rule Koruba, which leads to the two double-crossing and attempting to kill each other, though Lara's attempt ends up being the successful one.
The following day, Cabot, Talena, Hup and Watney are brought outside the castle for a ceremonial execution. However, the four repeatedly fight off their executioners, until Lara sends in her entire guard and the Hunter, rapidly overwhelming the four. As the Hunter prepares to strike the death blow on Cabot, Watney reveals that Lara was the actual killer of Marlenus; the Hunter believes this without question and throws a spear at Lara, immediately killing her.
With Cabot and Talena now crowned King and Queen respectively, they prepare to finally consummate their relationship. However, Cabot's ring then starts glowing, causing him to be worried that he's about to be sent back to Earth. Instead, Watney ends up being the person sent back to Earth, where he promptly finds himself being arrested for jaywalking in a busy road.
Differences from the original novels
- Transportation to / from Gor is via Priest-King spacecraft, not magic ring teleportation
- There are no horses in the novels
- Talena is from Ar, not Ko-Ro-Ba
- Marlenus is Ubar of Ar, and is still alive in the books
- Marlenus is a strong warrior on par with Tarl Cabot, not a old man
- There is no old age in the books (except when the Stabilization Serum fails)
- Lara is Tatrix of Tharna, not Queen of Ko-Ro-Ba
- Lara does not die in Outlaw of Gor, but is redeemed in the end
- Hup appears first in Assassin of Gor and is an agent of Priest-Kings
- Bosk is the name Tarl Cabot assumes, in Raiders of Gor
- Tarl does not accede to the Ubarship or Kingship of any city in the novels.
