Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Cleveronix
A different way of telling a story
Matrixiole
Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
Skyler
Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
Jeffrey Myers
A thing should be what it is, and "The Slave" fulfills all the requirements of a sword and sandal movie. There are, of course, plenty of fighting and beautiful girls in settings worthy of the big screen. You couldn't want more lavish costumes (or more revealing of female--and male--pulchritude). So, a lot of fun!When you remember what was going on in America in 1962, however, the film goes from gladiator movie to political allegory. A story about the son of the slave Spartacus trying to free slaves from an empire divided between the honorable military man Caesar and the "crass" and Greedy Crassus, who cares about nothing but gold, is a version of America. If the great Julius Caesar can show mercy to freed slaves, then so can the American Caesar. And as the son of Spartacus returns his sword to its spot at the grave of his crucified father, we are told it lies there only to be taken up to fight slavery anywhere. There is your heroic lesson, America!Of course, you might argue that this is rather simplistic, and it is, but allegory is often simplistic because it has to be to get its message across. And when you consider its original audience (I first saw it in 1962 when I was 9), simplicity is a pretty good strategy.So, The Slave deserves credit for working on two levels--escapist fantasy and political commentary. It was rather progressive for its time, I'd say. 55 years later, we could use another such movie in this summer of Trump. Until we get it, I suggest you check out The Slave.
melvelvit-1
Steve Reeves plays a high-ranking Roman centurion who finds out he's the son of the infamous rebel slave leader and spearheads a revolt, of course, in one of the better "sword & sandal" entries. Mixing the backstory of Moses (instead of a swaddling cloth, an amulet gives him away) with the exploits of a comic book superhero (Reeves sneaks off every now and then to shuck his tunic for dad's face-covering armor), director Corbucci took the tale and ran with it, producing some impressive mise-en-scène amidst his unexpectedly inventive camera-work. Gianna Maria Canale as Crassus' cougar wife does little more than lounge around on divans and ogle our hero but no matter, it's always a pleasure to see her in peplum like this.
bushrodII
This film, made at the twilight of Mr. Reeves film career, is certainly one of his best. The location work in Egypt and a rather big budget look add a great amount of, shall I say it?, realism to an essentially escapist, fantastical genre- the Italian sword and sandal flicks of the 1958-64 period. This picture also features some extremely diabolical villainy on the part of Crassus. Sir Laurence Olivier wasn't nearly this outrageously evil playing the same character in SPARTACUS! Steve's dilemma is pretty heavy in this one, doing a complete 180 from up and coming Roman centurions to advocate warrior of the freedom movement for the slaves of Rome. The action scenes stand up pretty well after 40 plus years.
mhrabovsky1
"The Slave" (aka Son of Spartacus) is a an excellent action Reeves film with a good story line to borrow from (the original Spartacus). Reeves learns of his heritage after being captured by a band of slave drivers in the Egyptian desert - also tagging along is a beautiful slave girl who along with Reeves survives being dumped overboard by a ship which hits a barge in the River. Great scene,when Reeves doubtful that he is Spartacus's son walks slowly into a small catacomb and finds the helmet and sword of Spartacus and muses for several minutes about his heritage - linking a medallion he has worn since birth with the same emblem on the sword handle of Spartacus. Also great action scene when Reeves rescues a band of prisoners of Ceasar Crassus who are tied into a large moat with water rushing in to cause a drowning execution. Excellent sword and action with several bad guys being wiped out by Steve, looking like an adonis with a metal helmet on in a great swashbuckling scene.....Reeves as a tribune of Ceasar finally realizes as did his dad, Spartacus, that the Roman empire cannot survive as a slave empire.....reluctantly Ceasar realizes it also and gives Reeves and his slave followers their freedom. Good cloak and dagger role for Steve as he poses as a tribune working for Caesar and also as the Son of Spartacus - wearing an impressive full head helmet to complete his disguise.
good
