Sword-and-sandals pictures like Damon and Pythiasusually provide a decent amount of fun, even when they're actually very poor films. It's a shame that Damon falls squarely into the "very poor film" category but doesn't qualify -- at all -- in the fun category. One of the problems is that Damon takes itself too seriously; it has a message to present about brotherly love, self sacrifice, belief in humanity, etc. It's very laudable, and hard to argue against -- but it's delivered in the most ham-fisted, obvious way that it's also hard not to groan and roll one's eyes. Director Curtis Bernhardt treats the material much too reverently, resulting in a turgid piece that drags for most of its running time. There are a few moments that are lively, but too much of Damon simply is boring. The film doesn't even resort to the cheesecake and beefcake that most other examples of the genre revel in, despite a very attractive cast. In the title roles, Guy Williams does fairly well as the more outgoing Damon, while Don Burnett is too stolid for the already-heavy Pythias. Neither Ilaria Occhini nor Liana Orfei is much of an actress, but they do provide appropriate eye candy. Arnoldo Foa has some nice scenery hewing moments, but not enough to make Damon come to life.