Obviously we know historically how things turn out in the Roman-Alban conflict, so that element of the plot is obvious. Costumes and sets are very well prepared and the musical score is fairly good. Great job casting Alan Ladd. The supporting cast is also quite good. It's the story of the brothers that is quite moving and lends a unique touch to this film (no spoilers, go watch the movie for yourselves). The film quality on the version I saw was a little low-resolution and with subtitles, but I believe that there's a fairly decent English translation available here through IMDB.

Fair early 60's Italian-made, English-dubbed Sword-and-Sandal film starring Alan Ladd. Supposedly a historic episode in the early days of Rome about the battle for dominance of the land. Alan Ladd is the hero, first reviled erroneously by his people, then cheered as a champion for the Romans. Typical of the genre, but kind of boring. These films are better when there are monsters to battle. Alan Ladd, sadly, looks tired and old. He obviously took this role because he needed the work. He's really not the ancient history hero type. The DVD-R I obtained is very good quality. Probably the best available. Recommended for fans of this genre.

Having read about but not seen I bought this movie on DVD and as the previous reviewer said the transfer is terrible, that is a real shame as this is one of the more enjoyable sword and sandal epics. The great movie writer Steven Shuerer said that Alan Ladd appeared rather foolish in this movie, I disagree, Ladd put's in a nice performance here as one of three Roman brothers who must fight a rival three to try and put an end to years of fighting with the Albans, I think how the film works is that most of the cast are speaking in English, not badly dubbed from Italian as most of these films are, agreed Ladd looks rather tired and the effects of his long term alcoholism are evident, but I don't think he got a good deal from reviewers who concentrated more on his size and his personal problems. I do wish the makers of these films would take more time to try and restore the movie to a better print on DVD, some of these Italian epics are highly regarded by their fans, myself included so in this day and age of digital restoration these things should be brought in by them.

Ordinarily, sword and sandal epics such as this require a tall, virile, heroic, muscle-bound lead at the helm. Perhaps the filmmakers were going for something different... and they succeeded. The result is a middling-at-best piece of forgettable, low-budget celluloid. As the story begins, Rome and Alba are locked into a long, costly war which neither side seems to be fully capable of winning. Ladd, a commander in the Roman army, falls from grace when he is captured after a battle and not killed. His brother marries his intended bride and plans to run the city of Rome once the present ruler Keith is dead. Eventually, however, the opposing forces realize the futility of the constant warring and decide to place their fates in one solitary battle. Each side must present a trio of brothers. They will fight each other (in the title event) until one side loses all three and the to the victor goes the upper ruling hand. So Ladd is asked to return to Rome and help win his city's independence. Meanwhile his sister has inexplicably fallen in love with one of the opposing brothers following their temporary kidnapping of her! It's an understatement to say that Ladd is miscast here. At 5-1/2 feet tall and 48 years-old (but looking much older), he hardly brings to mind the hearty, powerful type that this role calls for. Besides, his decidedly 20th century hair and nicotine-infused voice, with it's patently mid-western accent, undo any hope of period verisimilitude. He appears to be trying to suggest strength and skill in the fight scenes, but they're nearly all done in close-up so that his grimaces can take the place of any actual physical exertion. The rest is handled by stunt men. This just wasn't his milieu. His daughter appears in the film as well, but her acting career never really materialized. Keith (who makes Ladd look younger by comparison) does a decent enough job, but this is hardly a prestigious end to his lengthy career. A few notable scenes include Ladd's tussle with a trio of wolves and his deep woods dispatching of his opponents (however, wouldn't a true warrior have stood and fought in the appointed battle area and not run off into the trees in order to trap his enemies?) Viewers will also note the preposterously top-heavy (and not exactly easily hidden!) helmets of some of the Alban troops. Fans of Ladd may enjoy this more (and there appears to be a version twenty minutes longer than the currently circulated 85 minute copy), but most gladiator movie fans will feel that something is left wanting.