32 Great Sword And Sandal Movies
The term “sword and sandal” movie technically refers to a type of Italian cinema that was popular in the mid-20th Century. The movies are set in ancient times, usually ancient Greece or Rome, and often featured American stars of the day. For the purposes of this list, we’re expanding the scope to include basically any movie sent in ancient times, especially some of the American blockbusters during and well after that original era. Movies like Gladiator and Ben-Hur, or even The Passion of the Christ. So let’s hop on our chariots and go for a ride with this list of the best sword and sandal movies.
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Charlton Heston classic Ben-Hur is one of the biggest movies in Hollywood history and it fits the definition of a “sword and sandal” movie perfectly. It was an enormous success when it came out in the 1950s and the epic has remained popular more than half a century after its release.
Troy (2004)
Though it made a ton of money when it was released in 2004, it wasn’t until the Director’s Cut of Troy was released about three years later that Wolfgang Peterson’s full vision succeeded, critically. The first version left out many key elements of the story it was based on, Homer’s Iliad. If you’re going to watch it, and you should, you should make sure to check out that 2007 cut of the film.
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
1982’s Conan The Barbarian is the film you can point to that truly launched Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s rise to Hollywood superstardom. Though it’s just as much a fantasy movie as anything else, there are definitely swords and sandals, so while it’s not based on any kind of ancient history or even story, we’re keeping on this list because it’s so awesome.
Clash Of The Titans (1981)
There is a lot to love about 1981’s Clash of the Titans. For starters, there is the amazing cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress (the original ‘Bond Girl), and Harry Hamlin. Second, though it looks dated today, the stop motion animation looked amazing in its day. There is really little reason to mention the 2010 remake. Stick with the original.
Spartacus (1960)
Decades before Gladiator, there was Spartacus. Like the former, Spartacus is about a gladiator and slave in ancient Rome. Kirk Douglas stars alongside Laurence Olivier in this classic Hollywood epic that includes one of the most famous moments in film history when hundreds of slaves declare that they are all Spartacus.
300 (2006)
There is almost nothing historically accurate about 300, but that’s not the point of the movie. Based on a graphic novel of the same name, this Zack Snyder flick tells a fictionalized version of the Battle of Thermopylae when 300 Spartans (and thousands of other Greeks) defeated the much larger Persian army.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
Most sword and sandal movies are full of epic battles and legendary myths. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a very different take on ancient Rome, as it’s both a musical and a comedy. The musical, originally a Broadway show written by the great Stephen Sondheim.
Hercules (1958)
1958’s Hercules is an actual Italian sword and sandal movie starring the legendary Steve Reeves. Obviously it’s based on the Roman myth of Hercules and it really helped launch the body-building Reeves to stardom and made him a staple of the genre in the 1960s.
Alexander (2004)
Oliver Stone took on the genre in 2004’s Alexander, starring Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great and telling the story of his attempt to conquer the known world for the Greeks. It’s a very flawed movie, especially the weird “love” story between Alexander and his mother, played by Angela Jolie, but it does feature some epic battles.
Cleopatra (1963)
The story of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most epic love stories of all time and has been brought to life on stage and screen for centuries. One of the most epic tellings is the 1963 Hollywood classic Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor as the Egyptian queen and Richard Burton as her Roman lover.
Gladiator (2000)
No list like this could ever be complete with Ridley Scott‘s modern classic Gladiator. It’s among the best sword and sandal movies ever made and basically launched a new era in the genre. Though its sequel doesn’t live up the original, it still could have easily launched a new franchise, and who knows, maybe it will.
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (1953)
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is one of the most epic tales ever told. It’s such a part of Western Culture that it is often taken as fact, despite being written a millennium and a half after the events of the play. The 1953 take on the play, starring Marlon Brando as Marc Antony, is one of the best modern adaptations of the classic and is worth watching for Antony’s famous speech alone.
The Scorpion King (2002)
The role of the Scorpion King in The Mummy launched Dwayne Johnson‘s film career and the sequel, titled simply The Scorpion King, is the origin story of the pre-pyramid Egyptian demigod played by Johnson. The time period is a little too early to be a true sword and sandal movie, but it’s so popular, there is no way to leave it off the list.
Gladiator II
Ridley Scott’s long-awaited follow up to 2000’s Gladiator finally hit theaters in 2024. Gladiator II isn’t on the same level as the first movie, but its epic scope and incredible production design carry the thin plot well enough to make it a worthwhile watch. Like its predecessor, it’s not historically accurate in almost any way, but seeing the epic battles in the Roman Coliseum on the big screen is breathtaking.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
There is no more epic story in Western culture than the Biblical tale of Moses and the Ten Commandments. The movie, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses II, is as epic as the tale itself. It’s one of the most popular movies ever made and will likely remain so for many more years, even seven decades after it was made.
Jason And The Argonauts (1963)
Greek myths and stories have long been a part of Hollywood film making. 1963’s Jason And The Argonauts is one of the most popular movies in the genre. Like a couple of other entries on this list, it features some really awesome stop-motion special effects that, for the day, were completely groundbreaking. They look a little cheesy today, when taken at face value, but it’s easy to see why the movie was such a spectacle in the early ’60s.
Red Sonja (1985)
1985’s Red Sonja is the third movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan. The star of the movie is the titular Red Sonya, played by Brigitte Nielsen, but it all takes place in the same world as the first two movies. Conan The Barbarian and Conan The Destroyer.
300: Rise Of An Empire (2014)
Like it’s predecessor, 300: Rise Of An Empire, is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. While it takes its inspiration from Greek history and myth, it’s not actually historically accurate. It continues the story of the Greco-Persian war that 300 told, in much the same way. Sadly, it’s not as good as the original, but it is a fun time.
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
Director Ridley Scott has never been afraid to take on epic stories and there are stories as epic of the story Exodus from the Bible. It’s a technical marvel, filled with amazing set pieces and special effects, but it’s a very uneven story in the way it’s told and could have been much more than it was.
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958)
As one of the movies on Rotten Tomatoes with over a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, you know The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad is worth checking it. Like a few other entries on this list, there is some amazing stop-motion animation from the legendary Ray Harryhausen, who was the best at what he did for decades.
Samson And Delilah (1949)
At the time, Samson And Delilah was one of the highest grossing movies of all time. It was a massive hit based on the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah starring Victor Mature as the man whose strength was tied to his hair and Hedy Lamar as the woman who cut it. It is exactly the kind of sprawling epic you expect of the genre.
Barabbas (1961)
Dino De Laurentiis was a giant in Italian cinema, so of course he was responsible for some of the most famous sword and sandal movies, and Biblical movies, like Barabbas about the Roman execution of Christ and Barabbas (played by Anthony Quinn), the man chosen by Pontius Pilate to be spared instead of Jesus.
Ulysses (1954)
Kirk Douglas stars in Ulysses, the retelling of Homer’s Odyssey and was directed by Mario Camerini. It was one of the earliest examples of a co-production between an Italian company and an American and remains an important film in the genre.
The Fall Of The Roman Empire (1964)
It’s easy to know what a movie called The Fall Of The Roman Empire is about, right? It’s a fantastic example of the sword and sandal genre, featuring epic set pieces and an all-star cast that includes Sophia Loren, Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, and Omar Sharif.
Centurion (2010)
The disappearance of the famous Roman Ninth Legion is one of the most enduring mysteries in world history. Its fate has been investigated over and over and there is no clear answer. 2010’s Centurion attempts to bring the mystery to the big screen with mixed results. The movie wasn’t a success, and it’s easy to see why. It’s still a fascinating question it tries to explain.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Director Mel Gibson‘s The Passion of the Christ remains one of the most controversial movies ever made. It’s been accused of all kinds of negative things that we don’t have to rehash here, but as a film, it’s actually one heck of a spectacle. As the name says, it tells the story of Jesus’ crucifixion as told by the Gospel John.
The Eagle (2011)
Channing Tatum and Donald Sutherland star in another movie released around the same time to try to explain the disappearance of the Roman Ninth Legion. This one is a little better than Centurion, which was released a year earlier, but it’s still very uneven.
Risen (2016)
2016’s Risen starring Joseph Fiennes as a Roman soldier searching for the body of Christ is a great combination of Roman swords and sandals, and a famous Bible story. It plays out a little like a detective story in a way, but unfortunately it just doesn’t quite reach the heights it was obviously trying for in the storytelling.
The Robe (1953)
Biblical epics like were often big hits in the ’40s and ’50s and The Robe is no exception. In it’s day, the Henry Koster-directed film was a success at the box office and won multiple Oscars. Over the years, critical reviews haven’t been kind to the movie and that is likely the reason it isn’t as talked about these days as much as other sword and sandal movies from the same era.
Immortals (2011)
If you love a great spectacle on screen, Immortals is for you. The set pieces and special effects on this fantasy film based loosely on Greek myth and starring Henry Cavill as Theseus looks amazing. It doesn’t tell a great story, but sometimes you just want to watch a movie that looks super cool, right?
Quo Vadis (1951)
Quo Vadis (“Where are we going in Latin”) was an enormous hit for MGM in 1951. It was nominated for an impressive eight Academy Awards, but it was shut out at the awards ceremony.
Alexander The Great (1951)
Alexander The Great, starring Richard Burton as the young king, is a weird one. It had a huge budget and contains all the ingredients of a great sword and sandal movie, but it’s actually comically terrible. It’s so bad that it’s fun to watch and make fun of. That’s really the best we can say about it,
