A late-stage sword and sandal adventure with plenty of added comedy for effect, SEVEN REBEL GLADIATORS sits firmly in the middle of the road when it comes to quality. It's a watchable enough effort with lots of incident and action to fill up the screen, but in terms of plot it's rather predictable and the execution isn't the best either. The action scenes seem a little slow and mannered by genre standards, but then perhaps I've been spoilt by watching the best the peplum film has to offer.
The story is about a simple revolt against Roman rule by a bunch of gladiators. The extensive arena fight is the highlight of the movie and features Roger Browne (who went on to star as Argoman in the superhero spoof) as a top fighter who spares the life of his opponents. Appreciating the effort, they spare his life in turn and escape to rebel against the Roman tyrants. Along the way there's time for random cross dressing, whipping in an underground jail, and even an interlude with some troglodyte-style underground tribe members. The humour is rather broad and features a helpful dwarf who has his own circus-style theme tune. Dakar plays in support as the trainer; you may remember him for his later role in ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS and he's great here.
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