Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is considered to be the gold standard when it comes to historical action movies. But it’s far from the biggest, or the best. 41 years before Gladiator hit our screens (Russell Crowe wasn’t even born then), audiences were transported back to ancient Rome for an action-packed cinematic masterpiece. In 2016, Hollywood tried to recapture that magic, sending us back once again to Ancient Rome. Was it as good? The reviews and numbers suggest the answer is a resounding no. But why not see for yourself, especially as it’s now streaming for free?

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