VividSimon Simply Perfect

Bereamic Awesome Movie

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Wizard-8 "Giants of Rome" is in some aspects a strangely premised sword and sandal movie. The main reason for that is that the central characters - the men on a mission - are Romans working for Caesar and the Roman Empire, fighting the inhabitants of what is now modern day France. If you ask me, that is almost akin to a movie about Nazis on a mission to penetrate and destroy some part of Allied forces, given that the Romans were conquerors and enslavers of foreign empires. But even if you can stomach that premise, chances are you'll still not find the movie to be very good. The action sequences all seem to be directed in a way to both be identical to each other and not particularly exciting. Actually, much of the movie (particularly the central third of the movie) is rather slow- moving and not very exciting. In fact, it makes the disappointment of the revelation of the "secret weapon" even more than you might expect. The movie could have been a lot worse, I admit, but even sword and sandal movie fans might find this a bit of an ordeal to watch.

Red-Barracuda Directed by Italian jack-of-all-genres Antonio Margheriti, this action-adventure flick is set in classical antiquity. Rome is threatened by a mysterious doomsday weapon devised by their enemies, the Druids. The Emperor Julius Caesar assembles an elite team and dispatches them to Gaul on a search and destroy mission.Unlike a lot of other peplum flicks, Giants of Rome does not have a mythological fantasy story. Instead it sets its action in the real Roman-Gaul wars. But like all in the sword and sandal genre its ram packed with the usual staples of the sub-genre, i.e. lots of fights, heroes being captured and heroes escaping again. Consequently, like other similar films, it does get a little repetitive after a while. But the biggest disappointment for me was when we discover the true nature of the terrible weapon. It's simply a big catapult and I'm pretty sure no one in the audience could have been too impressed with that big reveal! I thought the mysterious Druids would have come up with something a little more impressive than that.

wes-connors "The forces of Rome are out to defeat the Druids but are shocked to learn their enemy has a powerful secret weapon that could spell defeat for them. Claudius Marcellus, a Roman Centurion, leads a small band of soldiers behind enemy lines to discover the location of this doomsday weapon and destroy it before the Druids can use it to attack Rome," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Titled "The Giants of Rome" for English listeners, this nicely paced "sword and sandal" epic stars an Adonis-handsome Richard Harrison (as Claudius Marcellus) in a bulging pair of satin briefs. He is supported by a "beefcake" quartet of Roman soldiers, including right-hand man Ettore Manni (as Castor). The accent is on men, but Wandisa Guida (as Livilla) adds a little femininity.Up-and-coming young Alberto Dell'Acqua (as Valerius) makes a particularly strong impression herein. As the soldier who wants to join Caesar's selected quartet of soldiers, Mr. Dell'Acqua (later known internationally as "Robert Widmark") is given what must have amounted to a star-making role in his home country. Watch out, especially, for his startling "crucifixion" sequence.****** I giganti di Roma (9/10/64) Antonio Margheriti ~ Richard Harrison, Ettore Manni, Wandisa Guida, Alberto Dell'Acqua

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.