Although it represents a transitional softening of the title character, Strip and Kill is easily my favorite of the three Kilink films I’ve seen. I don’t know if subsequent films continue along the same trajectory, with Kilink as the super-cool anti-hero who foils the plans of other criminals while still finding time to befuddle whatever the Turkish version of Scotland Yard may be. There’s not much reason to mourn Kilink only killing bad guys when there are just so many bad guys on hand to kill. Strip and Kill is full of action, and I really like the move away from comic book superheroism and toward the world of espionage adventure.

Unfortunately, we only get the gist of things here, as the latter half of Kilink Ucan Adama Karsi has been, as far as anyone can tell, forever lost. Onar films did their best to fill in the gaps by summarizing the rest of the action via a series of stills and narration that take us through to the final shot of the film — which is Kilink lying dead — apparently — in the street after taking a tumble in what looked like it would have been a pretty awesome fight with Superhero, had we been able to see it. So they make due with what they got, and it’s not their fault, but that doesn’t change the fact that the presumably “forever lost” status of the second half of this film (mixed with the fact that half of the first half is just a summary of the first film) is disappointing, because it looks fabulous.

Despite Kilink’s dubious crowning as the King of Rogues (sort of like Justin Timberlake being the new King of Pop — because really, who else is there, and I guess Justin Timberlake is as good as anyone else who might be up for King of Pop coronation), Kilink Istanbul’da is top notch entertainment. The episodic structure of the film keeps it from ever getting dull, and there’s usually not more than a minute or so before a skeleton is ripping off a woman’s top or a superhero is punching a villain’s car. As silly as the idea of a grown man dressing up like a skeleton and demanding to rule the world may be, it works in the fantastical context created by films like this and the luchadore movies. Kilink has a more menacing, detailed suit than Kriminal did, plus he accessorizes with a holster and pistol.

The skeleton costume looks a bit ludicrous, but even Glenn Danzig could never really pull a skeleton body stocking off. Within the context of the film, set in such a bizarre universe as the one inhabited by all the fumetti anti-heroes, we can quickly learn to accept the skeleton costume. Plus, as goofy as it looks, it’s also sort of awesome. I mean, he puts on a skeleton costume, throws daggers at people, steals from the Queen of England, and makes love to gorgeous Italian women. Truly, Kriminal leads THE LIFE.