Not a Spartacus for the new millennium

Rating: 6/10 (30 June 2000)

I was really looking forward to see this one, everybody said it was great, critically acclaimed and a place in the Top 250 must be something special. But this was not what I expected. This is nothing else than your average Death Wish - one man goes for revenge flick, only difference is that it's set in the roman empire. Why do we have to see the same story over and over again? Where are new, fresh ideas? Yeah, you don't see a $ 100 million movie for intellectual advance, but this is Ridley Scott!
Remarkable is the physical presence of Russell Crowe. Since his cool-as-hell performance in `The Quick and the Dead' he was the man for the important roles, and here he shows that he's able to carry a whole movie. A truly breathtaking performance, he's the man right now!
Good action scenes and SFX, amazing sets and great acting are not enough to distract from the weak plot, but makes at least a typical popcorn movie, and isn't that what most movies are all about? 6/10