Review of Spartacus (1960) by Tom D — 25 May 2008

The set pieces, action sequences and character portrayal in Spartacus are masterful. Kirk Douglas maintains a good mix of testosterone fuelled warrior, shrewd general and loving husband and Peter Ustinov makes some excellent bathetic comic relief.

The story is such a good one and the characters so involving that this is almost the finest epic ever to come out of Hollywood.

Almost.

Truth be told though, Spartactus does have some problems with pace. The first hour, which sees Spartacus develop his skill as a warrior and a leader juxtaposed with the snide backbiting senators and the over complicated political wheels of senate, works so well. However, as soon as Spartcus and his army are free the balance is lost almost completely. There's a lot of Spartacus sitting down and discussing things at length while we see the Roman powerplays shift and it leads to the plot flagging at about the halfway mark.

Once the slave army sets out, however, the film really picks up again and becomes a much more emotionally charged film about family, loyalty and love.

The politics of the film are undoubtedly an essential component and the fairly clear message behind it (put simply, don't let the bastards grind you down) is what makes it such an involving film. It's just that it perhaps lays it on a bit thick now and then. Little wonder, with that in mind, that it wasn't really Kubrick's favourite.