review for Amazons and Gladiators on AllMovie

This low-budget independent can't possibly be compared to the Oscar-winning, big-budget studio blockbuster Gladiator, although the title and timing of the release beg for it. Amazons and Gladiators looks as if it was filmed at one of those Medieval-themed restaurants on a night off, and who knew that female slaves of the Roman empire wore so much lip gloss and talked like valley girls? Indeed, leather bustiers abound, while a cast culled from the pages of men's magazines cavort on horseback through forests in search of the next slow-motion sword fight with the evil Crassius' men, each of whom wear helmets that cover their eyes, instantly giving them a disadvantage against women in metallic bras. Patrick Bergin is at his melodramatic worst, trying desperately to breathe menace into a character that is only scary when he's nude and climbing into a bathtub. Nichole Hiltz makes an impressive debut, but her acting is considerably on the amateurish side. And next time, please make sure her stunt-double's hair matches the color of hers: Those battle scenes where the hair goes from brownish-blonde to bright blonde are confusing.