The 20 Best Sword-and-Sandal Films of All Time

From Best Picture-winning arena epics to cult 80s sword-and-sorcery flicks, this lineup spans ancient Rome, Greek myth, and biblical spectacle. Which epic reigns supreme?

1

Ben-Hur

William Wyler's 1959 epic starring Charlton Heston as a Jewish prince seeking revenge in Roman-occupied Judea.

1000pts

2

Gladiator

Ridley Scott's 2000 Best Picture winner starring Russell Crowe as a betrayed Roman general turned arena gladiator.

875pts

3

Centurion

Neil Marshall's 2010 survival thriller following a Roman legion stranded behind Pictish lines.

700pts

4

300: Rise of an Empire

The 2014 sequel expanding the Persian invasion story around the naval commander Themistocles.

577pts

5

The Ten Commandments

Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 biblical epic starring Charlton Heston as Moses.

576pts

6

Quo Vadis

The 1951 epic of Christian persecution under Emperor Nero, starring Robert Taylor.

500pts

7

300

Zack Snyder's stylized 2006 retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, starring Gerard Butler as King Leonidas.

500pts

8

Cleopatra

The lavish 1963 epic starring Elizabeth Taylor as the last pharaoh of Egypt.

500pts

9

Jason and the Argonauts

The 1963 fantasy adventure famed for Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion mythological creatures.

500pts

10

Conan the Barbarian

The 1982 sword-and-sorcery classic that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger's film career.

409pts

11

The Fall of the Roman Empire

Anthony Mann's sprawling 1964 epic depicting the empire's decline under Commodus.

409pts

12

The Robe

The 1953 biblical epic, first film released in CinemaScope, following a Roman tribune present at the crucifixion.

409pts

13

Gladiator II

Ridley Scott's 2024 sequel starring Paul Mescal as the exiled grandson of Marcus Aurelius.

409pts

14

Spartacus

Stanley Kubrick's 1960 epic with Kirk Douglas leading a slave revolt against the Roman Republic.

409pts

15

Samson and Delilah

Cecil B. DeMille's 1949 biblical epic starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr.

409pts

16

Alexander

Oliver Stone's 2004 chronicle of Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia, starring Colin Farrell.

300pts

17

The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan's 2026 epic retelling of Homer's Odyssey, which opened to a record $264 million globally.

300pts

18

Troy

Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 adaptation of the Trojan War with Brad Pitt as Achilles.

167pts

19

The Eagle

The 2011 adventure following a Roman officer searching for his father's lost legion in Scotland.

167pts

20

Clash of the Titans

The 1981 fantasy epic sending Perseus on a mythological quest, featuring Harryhausen's final creature effects.

167pts