Fresh
This may be the most literate of all the spectacles set in antiquity.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Spartacus
They trained him to kill for their pleasure ... but they trained him a little too well
1960 · 3h 17m · PG-13
Adventure, Drama, History, War
Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Overview
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Director and cast
- Stanley Kubrick Director
- Kirk Douglas as Spartacus
- Laurence Olivier as Marcus Licinius Crassus
- Jean Simmons as Varinia
- Charles Laughton as Sempronius Gracchus
- Peter Ustinov as Lentulus Batiatus
- John Gavin as Julius Caesar
- Tony Curtis as Antoninus
- Nina Foch as Helena Glabrus
- John Ireland as Crixus
- Herbert Lom as Tigranes Levantus
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
93%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Asurprisingly apt companion piece to Paths of Glory in its consideration of the mechanisms of power.
Derek Adams, Time Out
Rotten
It is a spotty, uneven drama.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Fresh
The most courageous thing about it, from today's standards, is that it closes without an obligatory happy ending, and an audience that has watched for 187 minutes doesn't get a tidy, mindless conclusion.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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