Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I have always been interested in the Romans and was naturally drawn to this show called Rome. The fact that it originally aired on HBO was enough for me to know that it would be totally uncensored, and it sure as hell was. It depicts Rome in all its gratuitously naked, murderously violent, and politically complicated glory. This is a soap opera in togas, and every cast member is excellent in their role.

This first season consists of ten episodes which cover the conflict between Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) and Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) and concludes with the death of Caesar in the Senate. I hope that's not a spoiler for you, and if it is then you should have paid better attention in your high school English classes. What makes this show interesting is not the historical significance of the characters depicted, but the lesser known characters that really make up the heart of the series.

The two main characters in this series are actually two soldiers named Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). According to actual Roman documents, Vorenus and Pullo were two soldiers mentioned by name in Caesar's writings. The fact that he named them indicates they were something special, but little else is known about them. This gave the writers of the show freedom to build a fictional storyline on their lives while playing it all against the backdrop of the Roman political situation at the time.

What makes this show so interesting is the complex series of relationships that make up the hierarchy in Roman leadership at the time. Caesar is trying to hold power in Rome while Pompey is trying to assert his own leadership. In between are all the nobles who are trying to choose the right side without making too many enemies. Basically, Rome is on the brink of a civil war and many rich people are quite ready to kill off their rivals to gain favor with whoever might be the new leader. It goes into a lot of detail about how two-faced many people were when dealing with each other because image was so important. Sounds familiar, huh?

The series plays out very much like a soap opera. A wide cast of characters make up the storyline and at any given time half of them are involved in some kind of scheme. A few characters come in and out of the story, but a handful of regulars remain to get caught up in the central issues involving the struggle between Pompey and Caesar and the fragile alliances that stem from it. There are romantic issues, lots and lots of secrets, and a healthy dose of revenge and backstabbing to keep things interesting.

If you watch this show expecting to see a bunch of sword-swinging action like in the Gladiator movie with Russell Crowe, then you are going to be disappointed. There's a little bit of swordplay and the occasional stabbing and what-not, but this is not an action series at all. It's more about people and relationships and politics of the time. There's plenty of gore and violence, but mostly in the form of punishment and pagan worship practices. Quite a few people get their heads chopped off before it's all over.

Since the Romans didn't regard sexuality as a label, they pretty much did anything with anyone, and its depicted here rather graphically. I think there is a love scene in nearly every episode, plus a couple of instances of full front nudity and lots of backsides. It's a shame that the show didn't hold back a little because it would have made this series more accessible to younger folks that might want to learn more about Roman culture.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first season of Rome on DVD and plan to start watching the second season very soon. The DVD's include quite a bit of extras that provide some insight into how the series was made as well as a bunch of historical information on Roman times. If you can handle all the nudity and gore, I highly recommend this series.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age