Released to TV in 2001 and directed by Dick Lowry, "Attila" is a historical epic taking place during the waning days of the Roman Empire in the first half of the 5th century where a barbarian named Attila (Gerard Butler) assumes Hun leadership and unites the divided clans. Attila seeks to form an empire and views Rome, under the incompetent leadership of Caesar Valentinian (Reg Rogers), ripe for Conquest. To quell a Hun invasion, ambitious General Flavius Aetius (Powers Boothe) attempts to form an alliance with Attila against their mutual enemy, Visigoth King Theodoric (Liam Cunningham). But the strategy backfires and there must be a showdown between the three armies. Pauline Lynch and Tommy Flanagan stand out as Attila's soothsayer and rivalrous brother respectively. Kirsty Mitchell and Alice Krige are likewise on hand as Valentinian's sister and mother while Simmone Mackinnon shines as Attila's love interest in an interesting dual role. Kate Steavenson-Payne plays Aetius' daughter and Tim Curry the ruler of the Eastern Empire, Theodosius. I wasn't expecting much from "Attila," especially after seeing the contemporaneous TV epic "Druids," which is astonishingly amateurish (albeit worthwhile in a so-bad-it's-good way), but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite its TV-budget limitations, "Attila" is one of the greatest sword & sandal flicks I've ever seen. "Braveheart"? "Gladiator"? These pale in comparison. No kidding. Not in the realm of technical quality, since those movies cost way more to make, but in the realm of quality characters and compelling story. Sure, there's a comic book tone to the proceedings, but the story moves briskly, never getting bogged down, and the complications of the events are made palatable. The cinematography, costumes, score and locations are notable, although some of the Roman sets are dubious. Butler makes for a worthy protagonist even though it is said that the barrel-chested Attila was short of stature with half-Asian features (Gerard is 6'2" and Scottish). There are several historical inaccuracies, but no more so than the two hailed movies noted above. The film runs 177 minutes and was shot in Lithuania. GRADE: A-

You can like this film a lot but you have to be either a woman because only they can spend four hours watching clothes and men or you have to be 15 years old who think anything big is good. This movie has no connection with the historical character Attila. After half an hour I realized my mistake and started fast forwarding the film. I think I finished this film in 1:45 minutes and read about the real character on wikipedia. Its funny that people found this movie great, epic drama etc etc. Its a cheap entertainment for people who cant even see historical foreigners as foreigners, they would rather have their own people act like Mongolians. I am waiting for the day when Hollywood make a film on martin Luther king with Tom cruise as Martin Luther king and peter 'O tool as Bayard Rustin. I'm sure Americans will love it. Its funny to read the reviews. People wrote how sexy and good looking Gerry is. How mindlessly can people watch TV? Still I will ask all history freaks to watch it because this film has so many mistakes that you end up reading the whole profile of Attila. The man was simply a barbarian. watch this film as his cartoon caricature and read about him. Barbarian bastard. 2/10

Dramatic, colorful exploration of ancient power struggle between Romans and the Huns with the emphasis on spectacle, battles and romance, all produced for TV with taste and skill evident in every frame. All the performances are top notch.GERARD BUTLER does an excellent job as Attila the Hun, the arrogant warrior with the intense gaze whose Roman rival is played (with more restraint) by POWERS BOOTHE, who resembles a younger, less craggy John Huston both in voice and demeanor. Butler has full command of his role and surely must be considered a threat to other more famous performers like Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe. He has star quality and it's on full display here.SIMMONE MACKINNON is effective in a dual role as two of the women in his life and REG ROGERS has some scene-stealing moments as Valentinian, the wimpy son of ALICE KRIGE. His final scene with Powers Boothe is a shocker. TIM CURRY has a small role but makes the most of it.Gritty battle scenes seem a little too extended for my taste, but it's hard not to appreciate what's been accomplished through a superior script, firm direction, effective background music and authentic looking cinematography that is as rich and rewarding as anything you might see on the big screen. Has the flavor of a Cecil B. DeMille production and all of the qualities you might expect from such an epic.The length is a factor to consider--perhaps editing would have tightened the whole story structure when compiling it for one video which runs over three hours. But this is a keeper! And it looks especially smashing on DVD!

I have not seen this film, but intend to. I notice some comments about Attila and how in this film he was portrayed as not being the truly bad person that "historical fact" believes him to be. Perhaps this film portrayed him more accurately. He certainly was a warrior, and likely very fearless and when he needed to be. He was a great leader for his people, and not the monster that history portrays him to be. For those of you who are now interested in knowing a bit more about Attila, read http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/attila1.html this short report by a contemporary Greek writer, Priscus describes a man very different than many of the other detractors of this great leader, who was beloved by his nation. I have read stories by historians who said that the Huns in Attilas's time were so primitive they ate their meat raw., etc. etc.