Expansive but not really expressive; Kubrick's spectacular is entertaining but awfully dour...

Rating: 6/10 (20 August 2006)

Kirk Douglas plays headstrong slave in the Roman Empire who revolts against the tyrannies, forming his own army made up of fellow slaves. Overlong epic directed by Stanley Kubrick and adapted from Howard Fast's book by the prolific Dalton Trumbo; terrifically entertaining for the most part--but, like all sagas, it has its peaks and valleys. Douglas consumes his role with relish, but Spartacus is a one-note character: all dour anger and downbeat proselytizing. Nevertheless, it's engrossing and certainly visually astounding (with Oscar-winning cinematography by Russell Metty). Other statues went to Best Supporting Actor Peter Ustinov for a predictably colorful performance as Batiatus, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Costume Design. Tony Curtis does well as Antoninus (a singing slave!), and has a subtly kinky encounter with ruler Laurence Olivier's Marcus that was deleted at the time but has now been restored (with Anthony Hopkins dubbing Olivier's lost vocal track). **1/2 from ****