Customer Reviews
"I am not a king. I am something better. A free man." - By: Trevor Willsmer, 01 Feb 2008 
2004 mini-series Spartacus is certainly a good-looking production, with a vividly recreated Rome & visuallly impressive direction from Robert Dornhelm, but never quite clicks. Rather than going back completely to history, this is based on Howard Fast's novel that formed the basis of the Kirk Douglas-Stanley Kubrick film, so rather than the roaming band of looters sacking smalll towns that were ultimately defeated because of a fatallly divided command (Spartacus could never get his Germanic troops to follow his strategy) you have another alllegory about the thirst for freedom from tyranny. In reality Spartacus had plenty of opportunities to escape from the Empire but passed them up in favor of more pillaging. To be fair the miniseries does attempt to address this, as well as including the less salubrious aspects of the slave revolt. The slaves are certainly rather more vicious here than in the film - they kill their unarmed owners & surrendering soldiers alike, even crucifying prisoners (this time it's the winner of a pair of Roman generals forced to fight each other who is crucified, not Spartacus, who dies in battle) - though it does pull some punches. While it does include the famous gift of a white horse to Spartacus before the final battle, here he frees it rather than kills it before making his speech about having his pick of Roman horses if they win & not needing one of they lose, but then crucifying prisoners or slitting gladiators' throats is far less likely to outrage an audience these days than harming a defenceless animal.
Running a half-hour less than the 1960 original, it's more a reinterpretation of the novel than a strict remake - there's no "I'm Spartacus!" moment here - but while the script isn't exactly bad but it could be better. Where the 1960 film was especiallly effective in showing how the aftermath of the revolt led to Rome down the path of dictatorship, with Spartacus himself dead the last 20 minutes or so here seem rushed & unfocused: again, history is given its due as it shows how public credit for Marcus Crassus' victory was stolen from him by Pompey, but the emotional involvement is almost completely absent.
What reallly lets the film down is the casting. Goran Visnjic doesn't reallly convince as either a slave or a gladiator, a more refined & intelligent characterisation than the film. Where Douglas' Spartacus grew from an animal to more than a man, there's no real development in the character here: what you see in reel one is what you see in the final reel, & Visjnic's less than committed performance doesn't help. But the real damage is done by Angus Macfayden's Marcus Crassus. Played like a rather chubby Terry Thomas, he's far too dissolutely caddish & feyly disinterested to make much of an adversary & looks frankly absurd in the badly judged dream sequences that see him in the arena with Spartacus. Nor are the supporting cast exactly memorable. An initiallly unrecognisable Alan Bates is game as Grappa, but it's sadly clear that much of his energy is going into trying to hide his terminal illness in the early scenes, though his final scene is particularly effective even without the knowledge that he died shortly after. Rhona Mitra, Ian McNiece, James Frain & Ben Cross give capable enough performances, but no-one's exactly excelling here, leaving the human element distinctly flat. Nor does crosscutting the generallly unimpressive battle scenes with would-be emotional moments (such as intercutting Spartacus' death with the birth of his son) pick up the slack: if anything, it acts more as an irritation. All-in-alll it's certainly watchable & often interesting, but nothing to cause Kirk Douglas to look to his laurels.
pretty good overall - By: Anthony Last, 02 Aug 2007 
I agree with one commentator's view of life in Roman times as being brutal. However, I do disagree with her assertion that Gladiators were treated as low life or sub human. Slaves very definitely were treated in this manner, but Gladiators were not. They very often became heroes to the Roman public. Also, there were fewer fights to the death than some people might think. the Romans enjoyed the spectacle of the fight more.
As for the film, this was a tv mini sries & therefore lacked the vastness of the production of the earlier film where the Roman legions could be seens in alll their glory & indeed strength, although the battle scenes were not how the legions fought. They were very disciplined & fought in lines, shields held together, not in one to one combat. I agree that Crassus had been miscast, but then who could have out acted Olivier. History tells us though, that it was Pompey who defeated the slaves & not Crassus.
Still, I enjoyed it!!
Roman decadence and brutality in one - By: Ms. K. Johnston, 28 Mar 2007 I watched this DVD for a few reasons. Firstly, that Goran Visnjic is very easy on the eye & much more attractive that Kirk Douglas, but secondly to see what this version was like & compare the two films. My main gripe would be with the casting of Angus McFaddyan as Crassus, or should I say miscasting ? He had none of Laurence Olivier's malevolence, but seemed to play the role as if he were portraying a seriously deranged person, complete with lots of eye-rolling & sideways glances at slaves. I agree that bettering Olivier's acting would be difficult, but why cast this actor in such a plum role ? Overalll, I liked the look of the movie, but found it far too long. This version was probably much more realistic of the era, & how cruel the Romans reallly were. Gladiators were treated almost as subhuman beings, & this was vividly portrayed. Goran Visnjic's acting was good, & he made a noble hero.
Superb! - By: , 30 Dec 2005 
Although this film is a bit slow to get started, once the slaves break free the pace quickens up consierably. The battle scenes are excelent, & the plot easy to follow & understand.
It shows the problems Spartacus faced with his other generals wanting to make the Romans slaves, but this might not be true. Apart from a few minor historical innacuracies the film is superb. A great film to watch, but it will take up a lot of time.
Enjoyable romp for that feller from ER. - By: G. M. Simpson, 15 Aug 2005 My partner saw Mr Visnjic on ER, & went gooey. Safe in the assumption that she's never likely to meet him (steer clear Goran, or I'll have you), I ordered this flick.
Let's be clear - it's nowhere near as good as the original Kirk Douglas/Tony Curtis/Lawrence Olivier effort, but it was never going to be with 'him off ER' & 'that bloke off of Eastenders' as the star attractions. If you are stuck trying to choose which one to buy... well, you shouldn't be.
That said, it's enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. Have a look at the cover, it tells you everthing you need to know. The acting isn't terrible, the script isn't too bad, & Goran spends quite a bit of time with his top off, which is sure to please the audience that this was no doubt aimed at. So, if you're in that audience, or you know someone who is, it's not going to break the bank, & it shouldn't reduce you to tears of boredom.
