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Scorpion Mustafa (Akrep Mustafa)

Scorpion Mustafa (Akrep Mustafa) (translated)

Movie · 1972 · 3 people

Though billed as a Turkish adventure film, Akrep Mustafa (Scorpion Mustafa) mainly tells a crime story, shot in black and white in 1972. Semih Evin directed, wrote and produced it, with cinematography shared by Mustafa Yılmaz and Muzaffer Turan. The film, made by Roket Film, runs 73 minutes. İstanbul Film handled dubbing and film preparation, and lighting came from Ender Işık Servisi.

In the lead, Erol Taş plays the title character Akrep Mustafa, a villain remembered as one of Turkish cinema's memorable bad men. Around him, Tugay Toksöz plays Police Chief Murat Kartal, Deniz Erkanat is Doctor Ümit and Kadri Ögelman is Cicoz Ali; Haluk Orçun plays a commissioner, Ferhat Ünal a policeman and Yılmaz Kurt a robber. Mine Sun's character is billed as the Lonely Woman.

As was usual in the period, the film is dubbed: Sadettin Erbil voices Erol Taş, Hayri Esen voices Tugay Toksöz, Nedret Güvenç voices Deniz Erkanat, Rıza Tüzün voices Kadri Ögelman, Timuçin Caymaz voices Haluk Orçun and Fatoş Tez voices Mine Sun. In the technical crew, Refik Onubil is credited with the title design, Demir Arakon with sound recording and Şehmuz Doğalp with negative editing.

DirectorSemih Evin
Production companyRoket Film

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Cast

Erol Taş Erol Taş Actor · died at 72 Tugay Toksöz Deniz Erkanat

More from this director

Through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Seeing Erol Taş, one of Yeşilçam's memorable bad men, not on the sidelines but in the title role is a particular treat for lovers of old films. The black-and-white photography and the dubbing tradition of the period, an Erol Taş speaking with Sadettin Erbil's voice, create a texture that recalls the cinemas of those years. But this is a crime film; anyone looking for Yeşilçam's warm, heartfelt side may not find much of it here. In my view the film leans more on one actor's charisma than on feeling.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Robbery, a plan, an escape, snow and Bursa: on paper, every ingredient of a crime film is here. Having the villain in the lead makes the balance interesting; the suspense hinges on whether Police Chief Murat Kartal can catch up with Akrep Mustafa. Still, don't expect modern choreography from a film shot in the early seventies; the chases and fights may feel slow to today's eyes.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Semih Evin taking on direction, script and production himself sums up the small-studio model of the period well: fast, economical production tied to one person's vision. That the film was billed as an adventure while actually telling a crime story also shows how loosely genre labels were used in those years. What is really interesting, though, is how the acting is split. Because every performer was dubbed afterwards, Erol Taş's performance becomes a joint work of face and voice, of Taş and Sadettin Erbil. Cast names reduced to a mere type, such as the Lonely Woman, also suggest that the film works with stock figures more than characters; that is both the genre's strength and its limit.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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