Giants of Rome (1964)

Very Cool!!!

Such a frustrating disappointment

hyped garbage

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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.

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.

Playing almost like a Roman-era version of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961) – with an elite group of specially-skilled soldiers handpicked by Julius Caesar to go on a suicide mission and destroy the Druids' secret weapon – this is an agreeable time waster which is moved along at a brisk and efficient pace by prolific director Margheriti. He was perhaps the most erratic of the three Italian genre specialists (the others being, obviously, Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava) who basically set the foundation of what today is referred to as "Euro-Cult"; I've now watched some 9 of his films and the most satisfying have been his 2 horror outings starring Barbara Steele – THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964) and CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964).Sensibly, THE GIANTS OF ROME does not opt to make its heroes invincible (as was usually the case in films of this type) and despite a happy ending, all but one member of the group lose their life in accomplishing the all-important mission. The "secret weapon", however, turns out to be a major let-down: though one of the Romans expresses great surprise at never having seen anything like it, a little while later the leader of the group refers to it by name as if he had been around such devices all his life! Still, the most hilarious moment of the film came when the leading lady solemnly tells our hero her life-story which includes the fate of her father, one Fulvius Lucisanus (Fulvio Lucisano being a leading Italian producer of the time, though he doesn't seem to have had anything to do with this particular title!!)

Weighing in fairly close to the end of the Italian Sword & Sandal phenomenon, this one is pretty easy to get through and offers several interesting sequences. Harrison plays one of four talented muscle-men assigned to reach and destroy the secret weapon of their enemy, the Druids. They are eventually joined by a few others, some of whom are more harmful than helpful in the end. Harrison is very handsome (vaguely similar to James Franciscus) and not as bulky as most of the other heroes of these types of movies. His chest is covered in all but a scene or two (though his costume is rather revealing in front!) He is adept enough at carrying the lead role, as he did in so many other films of varying genres. As in all of these films, the dubbing ranges from okay to dreadful, but this one is visually arresting enough and has an interesting enough story thrust to overcome that handicap. There's a prison break, a memorable sacrifice from one of Harrison's men, a nifty attack on two rafts and a fiery climax in the enemy camp. As in most of these films, there's a horde of extras, lots of swordplay and battling, plenty of beefcake in evidence and a curvy female for the hero to hug at the end.