Although essentially a remake of The Fall of the Roman Empire with bits of Ben Hur, Gladiator, and Quo Vadis thrown in for good measure, this is a splendid sword and sandal spectacular, and another title I briefly considered for my list. Besides Russell Crowe's thrillingly vengeful protagonist, we get a lovely supporting cast with the likes of Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, etc. I've always particularly liked the latter's line: "I don't claim to be a man of the people, but I do try to be a man for the people." Also, in between action scenes, there's plenty of pontificating about "What is Rome?" - another important element of the genre, as it chews over the idea of republic versus dictatorship. Great stuff.