Valley of the Wolves: Gladio (Turkish: Kurtlar Vadisi: Gladio) is a 2009 Turkish action film directed by Sadullah Şentürk. It follows the retired security intelligence agent İskender Büyük, as he strikes back against his one-time employers by revealing all he knows about Gladio. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on November 20, 2009 (2009-11-20), was the fifth highest grossing Turkish film of 2009. It is part of the Valley of the Wolves media franchise, based on the Turkish television series of the same name, along with Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (2006) and Valley of the Wolves: Palestine (2010).
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Synopsis
Retired security intelligence agent Iskender Buyuk (Alexander the Great) has kept his government's secrets for years, but when the men he has sworn to protect suddenly deserts him, he finds himself in the defendant's chair, with only young and inexperienced lawyer Ayse to represent his interests. Angered by this turn of events, he strikes back against his one-time employers by revealing all he knows about covert missions.
Cast
Musa Uzunlar – İskender Büyük
Tuğrul Çetiner – Bülent Fuat Aras
Ayfer Dönmez – Ayse
Ali Başar – Shahid Major Ahmet Cem Ersever
Sezai Aydın – Turgut Özal
Işıl Ertuna – Semra Özal
Hakan İlçin – Gendarmerie Commander
Köksal Engür – Process notes General
Ali Rıza Soydan – Şener Pasha
Sinan Pekinton – Judge
Uğur Taşdemir – Announcer
Hakan Vanlı – Journalist Ali
Celalettin Demirel – Head guards
Yurdaer Tosun – Ercüment
Buket Aslan – İskender's Girlfriend
Hüseyin Yirik – İskender's lawyer
Erol Alpsoykan – Av. Haşim İçtürk
Sinan Altuntaş – Security
Mustafa Develi – Abdullah Öcalan
Serap Ergen – Kurdish Women
Rafet Özdemir – Prime Minister
Cengiz Gürkısmet – Maestro
Sinem Öçalır – Clerk
Yıldıray Yıldızoğlu – Usher
Ülkü Şahiner – Pasha's wife notes client
Release
The film opened on 311 screens across Turkey on November 20, 2009 (2009-11-20), at number 2 in the box office chart with an opening weekend gross of $1,510,896.
Reception
Commercial
The film was the fifth highest grossing Turkish film of 2009, making $4,703,086 worldwide.
Critical
Turkish Daily News reviewer Emrah Güler, states that the film "comes to theaters in the heat of the Ergenekon investigation, an alleged ultra-nationalistic organization with ties in the military, media and justice, and accused of terrorism, a media-favorite for the last six months", with "real questions on the terrorist organization PKK, coups in the last half-a-century, and alleged assassinations against previous presidents are answered through a fictitious deep throat". He recommends the film to "those who couldn’t get more of the original series, and those who feed on state conspiracies", but warns "the movie features a plethora of plot holes, inconsistencies within the script, with real time events, and with its predecessors. Those who are hoping for impressive action scenes like in Kurtlar Vadisi – Irak go home empty-handed as well." He finishes by saying "those who refrain from subjective political dramas, and those who’re tired of hearing and reading about the never ending Ergenekon stories" should avoid it.
According to Betül Akkaya Demirbaş in Today's Zaman, "it addresses Turkey’s years-long adventure with the deep state and illegal formations nested within the state" and "aims to provide an opportunity for movie fans to closely look at the 'deep gangs' that attempted to stir and divide Turkey with subversive plots".