La rivolta dei gladiatori

Despite some decent set-pieces and good characterisation, I found THE WARRIOR AND THE SLAVE GIRL to be a pretty dull and routine entry in the peplum genre; even sub-par outings like THE SWORD OF EL CID are more fun. It sounds strange to call a film which features gladiator battles against lions and a full scale uprising against cruel oppressors dull, but there you go.

The problem with THE WARRIOR AND THE SLAVE GIRL is that it just plods along to a joyless climax without making much effort to intrigue or indeed excite the viewer. The various plot elements of the Roman film genre are all present and correct, and yet you get that "seen it all before" feeling about the production.

Not that there's anything particularly at fault here; certainly, seasoned cast members like Gianna Maria Canale and Ettore Manni do their best, and the production values are mid level; the scenes of spectacle are a lot of fun. Yet it's not good enough to come across as a classic, nor is it cheesy enough to be entertaining as a B-movie, nor is it bad enough to laugh at. Instead, it's just a forgettable, middle-of-the-road kind of production.