Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- brutal
- sweeping
- serious
- historical epic night
- action movie marathon
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Spartacus transforms personal enslavement into an organized uprising that threatens Rome's political order.
Spartacus is purchased by a gladiator-school owner and forced to fight within the Roman arena system.
Spartacus gains sympathy while Marcus Crassus treats suppressing the rebellion as a matter of personal honor.
The film foregrounds Roman arenas, desert labor, slave armies, and large-scale ancient warfare.
Films like Spartacus, and why
Gladiator
shared ancient-world setting, slave rebellion, gladiatorial combat, and sweeping historical drama
The Fall of the Roman Empire
shared Roman historical setting, political intrigue, military conflict, and epic scale
Barabbas
shared gladiator spectacle, rebellion against imperial power, and action-driven historical drama
Braveheart
shared biographical historical drama, oppressed protagonist, and large-scale revolt against authority
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Dornhelm
- Release Date
- 2004-03-17
- Runtime
- 174 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Goran Višnjić
- Alan Bates
- Angus Macfadyen
- Rhona Mitra
- Ian McNeice
- James Frain
- Henry Simmons
- Ben Cross
- Ross Kemp
- Georgina Rylance
Common questions
- What is Spartacus about?
- A Thracian slave rises from the gladiatorial arena to lead a rebellion that brings him into direct conflict with Rome and its most determined general.
- What is Spartacus like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spartacus as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Spartacus violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Spartacus as graphic.
- Which films are like Spartacus?
- Films with a similar feel include Gladiator, The Fall of the Roman Empire, Barabbas, and Braveheart.
- How long is Spartacus?
- Spartacus runs 174 minutes.
