I saw this film yesterday morning and it is still haunting me, a day and a half later. And I don't know why.

Maybe it was the violence of the combat scenes, which were graphic and gruesome. But it is more than that. In fact, writing these comments is an attempt to get my thoughts out of my head and find some peace.

After the film I was in two minds as to whether I had just witnessed a major cinematic event, or "just another action flick".

The storyline somehow reminded me of both Ben Hur and Braveheart. Maybe it was more the "feel" and emotions of those stories than the actual plotline, although Ben Hur did certainly have some similarities.

In brief, the supreme commander of the Roman legions is sentenced to death by the new emperor, but manages to escape. He arrives home to find his home and family destroyed. He is captured by a slave trader and ends up as a successful gladiator, which provides an opportunity to go to Rome and seek vengeance.

There are some niggling elements in the plot, but overall, it has less holes than most efforts from Hollywood.

While the trailer and marketing plays up the action and epic elements, this is (IMHO) not really a kiddie or teenager movie - the subtext is way beyond that. It should find its most satisfied viewers amongst young and older adults.

The characters are almost all drawn in delicate shades of grey, making for really complex interplays between them.

One of the things I found fascinating -- and which will probably be the reason that the film may stick around in the public mind longer than most -- was the discussion of politics which seemed aimed squarely at the American government. All the talk about giving power back to the people, and limiting the power of the Emperor aka the President. We even get to see the Emp sitting on his throne, while behind him is his official seal. The analogy between that scene, and the US Prez making speeches with his nearly-identical seal either behind him on the wall or in front of him on the podium cannot be missed.

Which had me wondering about other analogies between the two empires, and whether or not they are related. And if the film was hinting at some of them. Shades of the Illuminata and all that...

One thing which bothered me was the curious scarcity of slaves in the royal household, and the desire of the Emp for his sister, when surely he could have chosen from amongst dozens of available female slaves. Also, the Roman uniforms were black rather than the familiar red, maybe they changed during the time from Christ to 180 AD when the story is set. Or maybe, it was an allusion to the Men in Black of the US Secret Service, CIA, FBI etc...

And so, where does that leave us? The film has a decent story (even saying so itself in a self-referential dig), good performances, and is well put together. It does drag a bit at times, but that is because it is taking the necessary steps to build the plot.

I enjoyed it and would like to see it again, probably to better understand it. There are very few films which I want to see more than once.

-- Ian Douglas