Spartacus (1960): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1960, Spartacus is an action, drama, adventure and war film directed by Stanley Kubrick, running about 197 minutes. “They trained him to kill for their pleasure ... but they trained him a little too well” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.

Who’s in it. Spartacus stars Kirk Douglas as Spartacus, Laurence Olivier as Marcus Licinius Crassus, Jean Simmons as Varinia and Charles Laughton as Sempronius Gracchus, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.5/10, Spartacus has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $60M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Spartacus page.

If you liked it. Fans of Spartacus tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.