CAST
MICHAEL FASSBENDER, DOMINIC WEST, OLGA KURYLENKO, DAVID MORISSEY, IMOGEN POOTS

DIRECTED BY
NEIL MARSHALL

Neil Marshall’s Romans on the run thriller Centurion is an underrated action movie, with blood shed at such a regular pace that the screen drips with crimson splatter.

Set is Northern England 117 AD, Michael Fassbender stars as a Roman centurion who tries to stay ahead of the savage natives who took apart his army, leading to an epic chase across harsh, foreign lands.

CAST
WARRICK DAVIS, VAL KILMER, JOANNE WHALEY, KEVIN POLLOCK, JEAN MARSH

DIRECTED BY
RON HOWARD

Based on a story by George Lucas and directed by a fresh faced Ron Howard, Willow was the closest thing to The Lord of the Rings that the ‘80s could muster.

Starring Warrick Davis in the title role and Val Kilmer in top notch comedy/action mode as a cocky swordsman, Willow gave fantasy fans everything they wanted: action, magic, heroes, villains and one bitch of a wicked witch.

CAST
NIGEL TERRY, HELEN MIRREN, NICHOLAS CLAY, CHERIE LUNGHI, NICOL WILLIAMSON

DIRECTED BY
JOHN BOORMAN

King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable have been a fixture in all forms of entertainment, yet it is John Boorman’s 1981 classic Excalibur which wears the crown as the most entertaining take on the legend.

Full of style, sex and magic, Excalibur packed with big names (Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne) and even bigger visuals to make for a one of a kind fantasy adventure.

CAST
CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT, SEAN CONNERY, ROXANNE HART, BEATIE EDNEY, CLANCY BROWN

DIRECTED BY
RUSSELL MULCAHY

“There can only be one!” was the tagline for Highlander, and while several sequels and spin-offs followed, it is the 1986 original that will always stand the test of time.

Starring Belgium actor Christopher Lambert as immortal Scotsman Connor MacLeod, Scottish actor Sean Connery as his Spanish mentor Ramirez and the all around bad ass Tom Clancy as evil slayer The Kurgen, Highlander saw many a sword clash and head severed in an epic battle for immortality. Oh, and Queen provide a great soundtrack too!

CAST
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, JAMES EARL JONES, SANDAHL BERGMAN, GERRY LOPEZ, MAX VAN SYDOW

DIRECTED BY
JOHN MILIUS

Robert E. Howard’s iconic creation was given the John Milius treatment in Conan the Barbarian, a film about steel, revenge and huge motherfuckin’ snakes!

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a star in his portrayal of a muscle bund brute who loved to kick ass and loved his women even more. Ok, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch for the former Mr. Olympia, yet under the eye of the equally notorious Milius and with Oliver Stone’s script as his guide, Schwarzenegger as Conan is a hoot from start to finish.

CAST
KIRK DOUGLAS, LAURENCE OLIVIER, JEAN SIMMONS, PETER USTINOV, CHARLES LAUGHTON

DIRECTED BY
STANLEY KUBRICK

Perhaps the least Kubrick-ian of Stanley Kubrick’s movies, Spartacus was never the less a film which set the tone for many a swords and sandals flick to follow.

Starring the cleft chinned Kirk Douglas in the title role and Lawrence Olivier as his Roman adversary, this tale of slaves revolting against their masters featured many great battle sequences, not to mention one of the most powerful cinematic moments in the “I’m Spartacus!” sequence.

CAST
GRAHAM CHAPMAN, JOHN CLEESE, ERIC IDLE, MICHAEL PALIN, TERRY JONES

DIRECTED BY
TERRY GILLIAM, TERRY JONES

Adventure fantasies were given a right roggering from the Monty Python team, who suited up in armour and armed themselves with sword in their quest for the Holy Grail.

What they got instead were killer rabbits, 3 headed Knights of Nee and a Black Knight who didn’t know when to quit. If this movie doesn’t make you love, you are not sane.

CAST
MEL GIBSON, SOPHIE MARCEAU, PATRICK McGOOHAN, BRENDAN GLEESON, CATHERINE McCORMACK

DIRECTED BY
MEL GIBSON

Mel Gibson’s take on the William Wallace legend brought the swords & sandals film back to the cinema, with Braveheart proving to be a monster hit with critics and audiences.

Filled with emotion and chock-a-block with Gibson’s patented bloody violence, Braveheart has stood the test of time as an action epic of the highest quality…featuring the largest number of bare backsides.

CAST
RUSSELL CROWE, JOAQUIN PHOENIX, CONNIE NIELSEN, OLVIER REED, RICHARD HARRIS

DIRECTED BY
RIDLEY SCOTT

The first collaboration between Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott, Gladiator took the swords and sandals renaissance (which Braveheart began) to its peak, winning Oscars for best picture and actor while becoming a modern classic.

With Crowe taking his tough guy image to the ninth degree and Joaquin Phoenix countering with a slimy turn as a truly disposable villain, Gladiator had everything a swords and sandals classic needed: action, romance, grand production design and a hero worth investing in.

CAST
ELIJAH WOOD, IAN McKELLAN, VIGGO MORTENSEN, SEAN ASTIN, LIV TYLER

DIRECTED BY
PETER JACKSON

Peter Jackson’s adaptations of J.R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings have become classics in their own right.

Spread across 3 movies – each film better than the next – LOTR changed the way fantasy action movies were made. Featuring state of the art film technology courtesy of Jackson’s WETA studios, combined with an ensemble cast of character actors (as opposed to star names), LOTR provided thrilling, absorbing entertainment that has since amassed a legion of fans and with good cause.

Jackson has since gone back to the world of Tolkein to bring us The Hobbit. No doubt the pressure is on to match what he has already accomplished with LOTR.