Spartacus (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert Dornhelm

Writers (WGA):

Howard Fast (novel)
Robert Schenkkan (teleplay)

Release Date:

18 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action

Tagline:

Once a slave. Forever a legend.

Plot:

Sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, the Thracian...

Plot Keywords:

Slave | Gladiator | Colosseum | Beautiful Woman | Crucifixion

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Goran Visnjic	...	Spartacus
Alan Bates	...	Antonius Agrippa
Angus Macfadyen	...	Marcus Crassus
Rhona Mitra	...	Varinia
Ian McNeice	...	Lentulus Batiatus
James Frain	...	David
Henry Simmons	...	Draba
Ross Kemp	...	Cinna
Ben Cross	...	Titus Glabrus
Paul Kynman	...	Crixus
Paul Telfer	...	Gannicus
Chris Jarman	...	Nordo
Georgina Rylance	...	Helena
Stuart Bunce	...	Cornelius Lucius
Hristo Shopov	...	Maecenus

Runtime:

174 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Germany:12 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

USA Network Pictures

Trivia:

Dedicated to Sir Alan Bates (Agrippa), who died of cancer shortly after filming ended.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When it is revealed to Spartacus that his wife is pregnant he picks her up and yells, "I'm gonna have a son." This is obviously dubbed as his jaw fails to move at all

Quotes:

Spartacus: I am not a king. I am something better. A free man.

Movie Connections:

Version of Spartacus (1960)

Both beautiful and accurate

This was a beautiful and touching version of the classic tale of a brave fight for freedom. The acting was wonderful; Goran Visnjic has a powerful presence and an emotional expression in his starring role. He had a depth to this character that I've never seen so well-portrayed in other versions. Angus MacFadyen's Marcus Crassus was not your typical "flat" villain. And Rhona Mitra was a wonderful Varinia; she and Goran made a perfect couple for the love story in this action picture.

The action was exciting, and I'm glad that Goran and the other actors playing gladiators did their own fight scenes.

Flipping through a book on Roman history as I watched, I was also surprised to find how historically accurate this version is in both the characters and the events that took place.

I loved it! Highly recommended, especially for fans of Roman history who want a more accurate representation of the real event.