---
title: "Rome"
year: 2005
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/rome"
fi1m_id: "rome"
imdb_id: "tt0384766"
tmdb_id: 1891
wikidata_id: "Q209878"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-20T21:30:59.159963+00:00"
region: "IL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rome (2005)

Created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, William J. MacDonald · Action & Adventure, Drama

## Identity

Rome

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/rome
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** rome
- **IMDb ID:** tt0384766
- **TMDB ID:** 1891
- **Wikidata ID:** Q209878
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384766/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1891, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q209878

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 69 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Ancient Rome offers plenty of company and almost nobody worth inviting home

> Ray Stevenson gives *Rome* the warmth it needs to make its brutal ancient society worth spending time in. We recommend it, provided an uneven opening and plentiful cruelty do not put you off.

## Synopsis

*Rome* follows Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), two soldiers whose lives run alongside the affairs of the city’s ruling families. Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) and Mark Antony (James Purefoy) move among the political elite, while Atia of the Julii (Polly Walker) and Servilia of the Junii (Lindsay Duncan) pursue their own interests. The struggle for power reaches into households as well as public life, entangling private loyalties with political ambitions. Soldiers and aristocrats negotiate a society in which rank and violence shape their choices.

## Review

We recommend *Rome*, with patience for an opening that takes time to settle. Creators Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald set ordinary soldiers alongside the people competing for power. The appeal is watching how political ambition enters people’s daily lives, including those without much say in how the city is run. The historical drama works because it makes room for friendship, resentment and domestic trouble alongside the pursuit of power.

Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson do much of the work. McKidd gives Lucius Vorenus a stiffness that can be hard going, but it makes a useful counterweight to Stevenson’s much easier company as Titus Pullo. Stevenson is funny without turning Pullo into a visitor from the present, and his appeal survives behaviour that ought to make us withdraw it. We warmed to Pullo more quickly than we expected, because Stevenson’s humour makes the soldiers’ company so inviting. Their everyday acceptance of brutality makes that warmth uncomfortable.

Ciarán Hinds gives Julius Caesar the authority the part needs without making every appearance feel like an announcement. James Purefoy’s Mark Antony brings a welcome appetite for the business of being powerful, which is more entertaining than another solemn account of duty. Polly Walker’s Atia and Lindsay Duncan’s Servilia keep the political manoeuvring interesting at household level. We care about who resents whom, even before we have untangled everybody’s position. The ensemble makes the private disputes worth following in their own right.

Michael Apted’s direction helps establish a city that does not seem to have been tidied for a historical drama. The attention to ordinary life gives the scenes of privilege something to be measured against. April Ferry’s costume design makes social position readable without requiring another explanation of the hierarchy. Jeff Beal’s music is most useful when it gives a private dispute the seriousness the characters attach to it. These contributions help us follow a crowded story without having to stop and identify everybody’s rank.

The important choice is to let the customs remain uncomfortable. *Rome* does not constantly reassure us that its people think as we do, and the brutality is disturbing partly because it belongs to daily life. Historical drama becomes more interesting when it allows people to behave in ways we struggle to understand, without pausing to explain our objections back to us. There are passages in which the appetite for sex and violence threatens to crowd out the people involved, but the return to household tensions usually restores some proportion.

The opening is less assured about how much explanation we need. Political and domestic concerns compete for attention, and the movement between them can feel like being introduced to another set of people just as the previous group has become interesting. The writing improves as those relationships become easier to follow, but that is a real demand to make on an audience. We would not blame anyone for finding the early going busy rather than gripping.

Once the ensemble settles, the series finds plenty to do without depending on the next grand battle. A conversation between people who need something from one another can be enough, particularly when Walker or Stevenson is involved. We would choose *Rome* for those performances and for its willingness to make ancient life unpleasant without making everyone in it dull. Give it time to establish the households; the soldiers are worth staying for.

*Fi1m score 82, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Rome, and the praise gathers around the same thing: an ancient city that is brutal, dirty and strange rather than the familiar marble version, built with enough detail to feel lived in. The soldiers get the warmest notices. Reviewers keep returning to Vorenus and Pullo, and to Ray Stevenson in particular, as the reason the scheming among the elite lands at all. Several also credit the series with pointing the way for the expensive, bloody period drama that followed it.

The reservations are about focus. Early episodes are found uneven, and the second series is thought to suffer from too many writers and directors pulling in different directions. The spread is wide. The Guardian is the lone outright dissenter, finding it shouty, sweaty and pleased with itself, with silly dialogue and a fixation on brawling and sex. Collider notes the show improves after a retooling, so patience through the opening hours is a recurring piece of advice.

## Straight answers

**Is Rome worth watching?**

*Rome* is worth watching for anyone who wants a historical drama with real warmth among its brutality, and we scored it 82. Ray Stevenson and Kevin McKidd as two ordinary soldiers carry it, alongside a strong ensemble of scheming aristocrats. The opening is busy rather than gripping, so give it a few episodes to settle.

**Where can I watch Rome in Israel?**

*Rome* is streaming on HBO Max in Israel. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Rome, and is it suitable for children?**

*Rome* is an 18 certificate and not suitable for children. Brutality is treated as part of ordinary daily life, and the appetite for sex and violence sometimes threatens to crowd out the people involved. Squeamish viewers and younger teenagers should look elsewhere; adults who can take cruelty presented without reassurance will find it disturbing but purposeful.

**How does Rome compare to I, Claudius?**

*Rome* is the broader and more physical of the two, following soldiers as well as ruling families, while [*I, Claudius*](https://film.one/tv/i-claudius) keeps its power struggles almost entirely to poisonous conversation among relatives. The earlier series has aged sets and stagier acting but sharper writing; *Rome* offers a fuller, dirtier city and warmer company. Choose *I, Claudius* for wit, *Rome* for immersion.

**What should I watch after Rome?**

After *Rome*, try [*I, Claudius*](https://film.one/tv/i-claudius) (1976, Fi1m 90): For Roman power struggles conducted through family grievances and poisonous conversation. Then [*Deadwood*](https://film.one/tv/deadwood) (2004, Fi1m 91): For another crowded, violent town whose inhabitants make marvellous, difficult company; and [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): For aristocrats trying to protect their standing while the country changes.

### Reviews we read (6)

- **Variety**, Brian Lowry (90/100, inferred): The review calls the HBO series a lavish, lusty production with many pleasures, comparing it favorably to Deadwood for its intricate world-building and pay-cable debauchery. It singles out the vivid direction by Michael Apted, strong performances (especially Ray Stevenson), and the shift from grand battles to intimate political and domestic drama. [Read](https://variety.com/2005/film/awards/rome-4-1200523863/)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the series for portraying ancient Rome as a brutal, alien world rather than a familiar one, highlighting its rich historical texture and focus on ordinary soldiers alongside scheming elites. The longer HBO cut is noted as an improvement that adds useful context without slowing the pace. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/rome-season-1-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter** (65/100, inferred): The review finds the second season of the HBO series a stylish, graphic, and bold production that captures the depravity of ancient Rome in an elaborate, randy manner. It singles out the committee of writers and directors for diluting focus and cohesion in an otherwise impressive but uneven spectacle. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/rome-158542/)
- **The Guardian** (30/100, inferred): The critic disliked the series from the opening minutes, finding it sweaty, shouty, and aimed at a male audience that enjoys Gladiator-style action, with too much brawling, noise, sex, and blood. They singled out its self-pleased tone and silly dialogue lines as major flaws, calling it gauche and vulgar overall. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2005/nov/06/features.review7)
- **Paste**, Lacy Baugher Milas (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Rome as an ahead-of-its-time, violent yet fun period drama that humanizes legendary history through ordinary soldiers and paved the way for shows like Game of Thrones. They single out the deep emotional bond between Vorenus and Pullo for particular praise. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/rome/rome-hbo-review)
- **Collider**, Steven Weintraub (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the early episodes uneven but praises the series after it was retooled, calling it intelligent and hooked after watching the first six episodes. He singles out the authentic, non-politically correct depiction of ancient Roman customs and life for making the world believable. [Read](https://collider.com/hbos-rome-reviewed/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Bruno Heller, John Milius, William J. MacDonald
- **Creator:** Bruno Heller, John Milius, William J. MacDonald
- **Director:** Michael Apted, Allen Coulter, Tim Van Patten, Alan Poul, Steve Shill, Alan Taylor, John Maybury, Roger Young, Mikael Salomon, Jeremy Podeswa, Julian Farino, Adam Davidson, Carl Franklin, Alik Sakharov
- **Writer:** Bruno Heller, Michael Apted, Steve Shill, Todd Ellis Kessler, Mere Smith, Scott Buck, John Milius, Adrian Hodges, Alexandra Cunningham, William J. MacDonald, Eoghan Mahony, David Frankel
- **Music:** Jeff Beal
- **Costume design:** April Ferry
- **Producer:** April Nocifora, Mark McGann, Todd London
- **Cast:** Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus; Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo; Ciarán Hinds as Julius Caesar; James Purefoy as Mark Antony; Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii; Lindsay Duncan as Servilia of the Junii; Tobias Menzies as Marcus Junius Brutus; Max Pirkis as Gaius Octavian
- **Release (Israel):** 28 August 2005
- **Genres:** Action & Adventure, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtUQqiIa0oI

## Where to watch in Israel

- HBO Max: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *I, Claudius* (1976), Fi1m 90: For Roman power struggles conducted through family grievances and poisonous conversation — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/i-claudius.md)
- *Deadwood* (2004), Fi1m 91: For another crowded, violent town whose inhabitants make marvellous, difficult company — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md)
- *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: For aristocrats trying to protect their standing while the country changes — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md)
- *Ran* (1985), Fi1m 92: Family rivalry and political ambition become harder to separate as violence spreads — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *Queen Margot* (1994): For court politics, religious violence and marriages with little room for affection

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/rome