Spartacus was a real dude. He led a slave revolt, and was pretty successful to boot. I'm Spartacus. You're Spartacus. We are all Spartacus.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know: Spartacus
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the real story of Spartacus, the legendary gladiator who led one of history's most remarkable slave rebellions against Rome in the first century BCE. Starting from humble and mysterious origins as a Thracian soldier turned gladiator, they trace how Spartacus escaped from a gladiator school with just 70 fellow slaves and through brilliant military strategy, shrewd alliances, and genuine concern for his followers, transformed his ragtag group into a force of over 100,000 that repeatedly defeated Roman armies. It's a fascinating historical deep dive that separates Hollywood myth from documented fact, revealing a surprisingly complex leader whose legacy as a symbol of resistance has endured for over two thousand years.
"It's kind of like the A-Team. You'd like it. — Josh describes The Mandalorian as being similar in style to The A-Team."
— Josh
Airplane!
1980
1h 28m
★ 7.3
"or I don't know, other movies about gladiators, airplane, the original airplane — Josh humorously mentions Airplane as a movie about gladiators, clearly joking."
— Josh
Barry Lyndon
1975
PG
3h 8m
★ 8.0
"That was Barry Linden. Oh, okay. That's great too. — Josh and Chuck discuss early Stanley Kubrick films, identifying Barry Lyndon as another masterpiece."
— Josh
First Blood
1982
1h 33m
★ 7.5
"It's basically the story of John Rambo in First Blood. — Chuck compares the Spartacus situation to the story of Rambo in First Blood."
— Chuck
Gladiator
2000
2h 35m
★ 8.2
"thanks to movies like Gladiator — Josh references Gladiator as a movie that shaped misconceptions about gladiators."
— Josh
Killer's Kiss
1955
1h 8m
★ 6.3
"I would say Killer's Kiss if you want to go super early — Chuck recommends this super early Kubrick film to someone interested in his work."
— Chuck
Mad Max
1979
1h 31m
★ 6.7
"So you know, like those gladiators that fought with a net, I think it might have been in Mad Max — Chuck references Mad Max in connection with gladiators fighting with nets."
— Chuck
"I started at Ozark, and I'm like, man, this is really dark. — Chuck mentions watching Ozark and finding it very dark in tone."
— Chuck
Paper Moon
1973
1h 42m
★ 7.9
"He's in one of my favorite movies of all time, Paper Moon. — Josh mentions Paper Moon as one of his favorite movies, featuring Ryan O'Neill."
— Josh
Paths of Glory
1957
NR
1h 28m
★ 8.3
"watch Paz of Glory instead — Chuck recommends this early Kubrick film as an alternative to watching a lengthy Stanley Kubrick film."
— Chuck
Spartacus
1960
PG-13
3h 17m
★ 7.5
"So the story of Spartacus, if you've watched the Kubrick film — Josh references the Kubrick film adaptation of Spartacus as not being a historically accurate biopic."
— Josh
The Main Event
1979
PG
1h 52m
★ 5.3
"one of my favorite movies, the main event. What was that? — Chuck references this rom-com where Ryan O'Neill played a boxer opposite Barbra Streisand."
— Chuck
The Mandalorian
2019
TV-14
★ 8.4
"Have you watched Mandalorian? No, huh? It's good. — Josh recommends The Mandalorian to Chuck, describing it as a fun show."
— Josh
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