mark.waltz Or at least that battering ram, sought by soldiers of Julius Caesar on a mission to keep these pagans away from Rome. But of course, the soldiers aren't really all that peace loving or civilized, either, and just because they are citizens of the most powerful country in the world towards the end of the times of B.C. doesn't make them any less flesh hungry. On their mission, they are followed by a Roman teenager too anxious to serve Caesar and pays for it dearly (or everybody else by his excessive talking) by the Gauls. This sequence is pretty severe as the group listens to his howls of pain and can't do anything about it even though the Roman maiden with them keeps insisting that they do. There's plenty of action, but not much of a story other than its set-up and quick resolution. Not bad as these sorts of films go, but ordinary. Ironically, a great majority of the character's names were also prominent characters during the life of Augustus Caesar and his adopted grandson, Claudius, which took place less than a hundred years later.

Leofwine_draca Despite being one of the late entries in the peplum genre, GIANTS OF ROME is one of the better historical adventures from the period – and that's mainly down to the plot. Instead of utilising the tired, unoriginal uprising/court intrigue-style plot, top Italian scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi opts for a storyline that's more akin to a WWII spy thriller than a standard historical adventure. This makes for a fresh-feeling adventure yarn full of intrigue and a surprisingly high body count. I've always enjoyed films where a select band of characters are whittled down one by one, whether it be a swords-and-sandal adventure flick or a backwoods slasher.Here, the characters are varied enough to remain different and interesting. Harrison, one of my favourite actors, is the clear-cut hero Claudius; instead of being a warm good guy, Harrison is a ruthless leader, in one scene allowing a boy to be tortured to death – all for the sake of the mission! Harrison's coldness makes him an atypical protagonist and the film's all the better for focusing on his ruthless characteristics. A varied bunch of actors support him, including Ettore Manni (almost unrecognisable without the beard), sexy love interest Wandisa Guida (great in GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON and just as good here), a teenage boy, a strongman barbarian-type (played by Rulph Hudson, unfortunately his only role) and a cool bald knife-throwing guy. Facing them is a bunch of druids (!) led by a guy who looks like that chap out of KNIGHTMARE.Although the dubbed dialogue is about average for this genre, what I enjoyed were a bunch of well-directed action scenes that never disappoint. There are some fine battles on horseback, and a great, claustrophobic climax in a cave where our surviving heroes are picked off one by one. An underwater attack on a couple of rafts is very well shot, as is the bit where the strongman meets his fate as he faces down a horde of attacking cavalry, using his axe to cut the horses' legs out from under them! As well as this, there's a crucifixion, a bit of self-imposed torture from Harrison, and even a traitor in the group to keep things moving nicely along. Antonio Margheriti is one of my favourite Italian directors and he does himself proud once again with this adventure flick. Fans of historical films will have a ball

Woodyanders An elite group of soldiers hand-picked by none other than Julius Caesar (nicely played by Anthony Sperli) and led by the courageous Claudius Marcellus (a solid and credible performance by the handsome and dashing Richard Harrison) embark on a desperate and dangerous suicide mission to destroy the Druids' secret weapon. Capably directed by Antonio Marghareti, with a constant snappy pace, plenty of exciting action (the rough'n'ready swordfights are especially tasty), a rousing score by Carlo Rustichelli, an engrossing plot, likable mighty macho man main characters, expansive widescreen cinematography by Fausto Zuccoli, a serious tone (there's no dumb campy humor to detract from the central story), and genuinely touching heroic sacrifices by our rugged protagonists, this lively and absorbing affair certainly hits the stirring spot. The sound acting by the able cast constitutes as another substantial plus: Harrison makes for a strong and properly stalwart lead, Wandisa Guida likewise does well as the feisty Livilla, plus there are nifty turns by Philippe Hersent as the craven, reluctant Drusus, Rulph Hudson as the hearty Germanicus, and Goffredo Unger as the bald'n'beefy Varo. A hugely enjoyable flick.

zardoz-13 Julius Caesar (Alessandro Sperli)is poised to attack the evil Druids in this above-average 1964 Italian-produced and dubbed military adventure set in Roman days, but he has learned that his opponents have a doomsday weapon that may thwart his efforts. Claudius Marcellus (Richard Harrison) takes a team of experts (one throws a knives, the other uses muscular strength)and promises Caesar that they will destroy the weapon before Caesar launches his attack about three days later. Like all good behind-the-enemy-lines epics, the heroic bunch in "Giants of Rome" don't have an easy time getting the job done. At times, Anthony M. Dawson lets the pace sag, but he keeps the objective in mind. Our heroes get caught and captured repeatedly but manage to escape. Along the way, they escape from a Druid prison and pick up a tortured Roman soldier and a babe Livilla (Wandisa Guida)when they aren't battling the Druids. Indeed, there is no shortage of Druids here and they keep whittling away at our heroes. The scene in the prison is reminiscent of a World War II movie, because the suspicious Livilla doesn't believe that Claudius and his band of brigands are Romans, so she asks them a series of questions only a Roman could correctly answer. Later, Claudius reminds his men that they have orders to carry, like in a World War II adventure. Near the end of the movie after several guys in the gang have bitten the dust, Claudius and one remaining soldier discover the whereabouts of the doomsday machine, a gigantic catapult concealed in a cave with an elaborate mechanism consisting of ropes and chains. Think "The Guns of Navarone" Sword and Sandal Style. Although this isn't the best Roman soldier movie ever made, it is far, far from being the worst. The scene when our heroes attack a couple of rafts by swimming underwater is pretty cool. Diamond Video has released this brawny actioneer in a full-screen version in their 4-movie Gladiator Collectors Box Set that includes two other Richard Harrrison movies: "Invincible Gladiator" and "Gladiator 7." Again, this movie reminded me of those secret mission, World War II movies.