The only realistic movie about ancient Rome history

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2001)

The producers of this movie must know well ancient history, and, in the same time, they know well how to add fantastic elements to transform a simple movie into an awesome one...
Surprisingly, this movie shows high class elements in scripting, direction, acting, photography and action scenes.
The opening is epic; it represents a battle between Romans and ancient Germans. Never a movie on ancient history has shown a battle scene so well realised; not only it is highly exciting and dramatic but also, there is a historic realism in representation, battle technics, nomenclature. Apart classic elements, like an exciting show of the Roman phalanx in action covered with shields repelling German's arrows, You will see a series of innovative realistic historic features: very good costumes, war dogs, catapults and so long. The battle shown in "Spartacus", although good, was less realistic, and surely was far less enjoying and thrilling.
Another important thing is that this movie, unlike all other of its genre, shows the real religion of ancient Romans (substantially, the adoration of ancestors) with realism, respect and seriousness, not like old movies of this type, where this religion was considered only "paganism" and never showed.
And then, after this, You have wonderful actors and fantastic plot, perhaps a free variation on the real story of the despotic Commodus (in the reality, Commodus was killed in 192 a.c. by an ambush of a gladiator, Narcissus, hired by his sister and the Senate).
It is really the case to say: thumb up!