Originally titled "The Sack of Rome", this film tells the story of the taking of Rome in 1527 by the Spanish armies of Charles V. While those times were full of intrigue, power plays and brutal battles, you sure can't tell that by this sluggish film. The overheated script combines with acting that ranges from over-the-top to nearly comatose and hackneyed, by-the-numbers direction to sink whatever possibilities this "epic" may have had. On the upside, the producers managed to get their hands on some medieval castles that look like they may well have dated back to the period in which this film is set and could even have been involved in the battles themselves, and they sprung for the expense of utilizing hundreds of extras in the action scenes, On the downside, though, is the fact that those action scenes are so ineptly staged--some of the "cavalrymen" have trouble controlling and staying on their horses--poorly shot and sloppily edited that whatever money was spent on them was a waste. The costumes look authentic--although they would have looked better in color--and the score isn't as inappropriate as they tend to be in these Italian spectacles, though it's a bit tinny.
Worth a look, maybe, but don't expect much.
Worth a look, maybe, but don't expect much.