Original subtitles

No. Please have mercy.

It's too late for mercy now.

I will reward you, I promise.

If you just spare my life. Please.

First you say you're ruined, and now you're trying to buy your way out?

You filthy liar.

You disgust me.

No. Tenax, I'll get you your money.

Finish him. Take his gold.

No, no, no...

Rome...

once the beacon of civilization is now a cesspool of corruption and decay.

its citizens only interested in two things:

bread and games.

They call me Tenax but that's not my real name.

Life is of little value in Rome,

living in the muck,

in the shadow of the rich and powerful.

I grew up in the underbelly of the Circus Maximus,

always hungry, fighting for food.

But ambition and hard work made me the owner

of the biggest and most profitable betting tavern in all of Rome.

How did we do?

Just over eight thousand denarii and this lot.

Jewelry to the Spaniard, bag the rest.

If you want to place a bet in my tavern,

there are four horse racing teams you can put your money on:

the Green,

White, Red...

and Blue factions.

Their shares have all be owned for hundreds of years

by the nobility and senators of Rome which gives them unimaginable wealth.

But soon...

...all of this is about to change!

Hey, this one's still alive!

Past saving.

Don't.

End this!

I beg you.

Mercy?

Live ones are worth more than dead.

No value in mercy.

When my time allows I teach the kids what they need to know.

Carpo,

good load today.

Things that I had to learn the hard way.

Thirty sesterces for the horses, ten for the men.

- This one's still alive. - Twenty...

Thirty.

- Twenty-five. - Done.

Hey, listen, man dead or alive,

still worth less than horse meat.

After Rome's Emperor, Nero, took his own pathetic life,

a bloody civil war followed.

This was called "the year of the Four Emperors".

Four generals wanted to become ruler of the mighty Roman Empire.

The last one standing was General Flavius Vespasianus.

After his army had made him emperor, he re-built the city

and began at its centre to erect a new giant sports arena

to appease the mob:

the Flavian Amphitheater.

Moving around here...

Emperor Vespasian had come from a lowly family of mule breeders

and had two sons.

Titus, the eldest, had become a famous general

and Domitian became the young politician in the family.

They were known as the Flavian dynasty.

Behold,

Rome's latest glory,

born of my son Titus' conquest of Judea.

I share the glory with the soldiers of Rome.

Built for the citizens of Rome

on the same land that Nero stole from them

to build his Golden House.

It's...

smaller than I expected.

Are you Master of the Games, Consul Marsus?

Are you Aedile Ludi?

Credit me for knowing what the crowd wants.

Circus Maximus is fine for chariot racing.

The crowd wants to see blood and to be close enough to see it.

I've ordered thousands of animals and gladiators from every corner of the Empire

from our northern outpost all the way down to our provinces in Numidia.

Yes, while we still await the offering of shares in this enterprise.

Ah... Well, I've reconsidered that.

There will be no shares.

Circus Maximus belongs to you,

the shareholders of the four factions,

but this arena will, instead, belong to all...

the citizens of Rome.

Emperor Vesapian!

Titus! Domitian! All of the Flavians,

they're nothing.

- A family of muleteers! - These Flavians,

they threaten our very existence.

Asserting that this new arena belongs to the citizens of Rome

is nothing but a ploy to satisfy their own boundless greed.

It'll sap the wealth we derive from the Circus Maximus

and perhaps worse, what's left of our authority and gravitas.

Consul, out with it, just say it.

- One step at a time. - No.

Not one step at a time.

It is about more than stopping the Flavian Amphitheater,

it is about stopping the Flavians.

Careful woman!

The mere thought could lead to execution.

Wouldn't you rather take that risk than be buried in oblivion?

Perhaps my wife's right...

if a change in the Emperor means he shares with all of us.

Vespasian is not long for this world.

Titus, the elder son, has a sense of duty.

But what of Domitian,

the venal one.

Imagine him on the curule chair.

Were he to become emperor,

that would be the end of all of us.

Listen up!

We need some water, now.

Good.

Two hundred for 15 bags.

Finest grade Levant pink salt.

Jula, stop it.

Aura, can't you just tell Mother?

What do you want me to tell her? Hmm?

That I'm bored and want to get out of here?

Sooner or later, you'll have to.

Keep going.

Come on, girl.

I like it.

Dance.

- You heard me! - Sir, please, please don't.

No, no!

I'll kill you both for that.

But first...

...let's have some fun with you.

- What's this? - She...

She's my sister.

Silence!

You killed a legionary.

- He was drunk... - He was a Roman citizen.

These two are now the property of Rome.

- Bring them! - No, no, no.

Shhh... Jula...

- Jula! - I'm sorry...

- Don't struggle, come on! - Jula!

- Aura! Mother! - Come on.

Mother!

Finish up.

My daughters are cooking for me for a change.

Jula!

Jula!

Mother!

Mother!

Cala, where are you going?

I'm going after my daughters.

What about your son, Kwame?

He's on a hunt.

I cannot wait for him.

The Gods smile on us.

The Romans will pay triple for that one.

He is of the God Apedemak.

Demons will protect him.

The Lion god of my father's people.

We cannot take him.

The Romans can deal with the gods and demons.

Take him...

or you get nothing, Kwame.

Now!

Please forgive me.

Stop! You fools!

I have told you! I can get them down the gangplank!

Steady Elia. You're not in Baetica now.

They are useless. They will hurt them.

I can do it better.

Put it down.

I don't need some upstart Spaniard telling me how to do my job.

I've unloaded more horses than you have days.

Not one more of our horses goes in that damn sling.

I'd listen to our little brother if I were you.

He knows horses.

I've unloaded rhinos.

You could have unloaded elephants. I don't care.

Fuck 'em. Let them do it themselves.

I have six boats waiting to be unloaded.

Any word of the grain ships from Egypt? It's been three weeks.

And without food the people are growing more and more restless.

They might arrive today, maybe tomorrow.

Storms to the south.

Send word when they're sighted.

Steady, steady. That's it.

That's it. Good boy.

Easy.

That's it, that's it.

Shhh, shhh...

Romans.

Ships from Egypt are delayed.

- There's no grain. - Come back tomorrow.

- That was the word yesterday. - Three weeks without grain.

You heard what I said.

People are starving, what are we supposed to eat?

Rome cannot give what it does not have!

I don't see any Senators starving

and they are the biggest leeches of them all.

Perhaps we'll take our complaints

straight to Vespasian and his pups.

To the Palatine!

To the Palatine!

To the Palatine!

Hey,

there's another riot!

What is it this time?

Who cares?

Let's go!

Come on guys. To the Palatine!

To the Palatine!

To the Palatine!

To the Palatine! All together! Let's go!

To the Palatine! To the Palatine!

To the Palatine!

Move to the Palatine! Go!

Move! Move!

Bread or your blood!

Bread or your blood! Bread or your blood!

Bread or your blood!

Quick! Come inside!

Close the gates! Hey!

Bread or your blood!

Come.

You laugh at their call for your blood?

Under the divine Emperor Nero there was daily rioting.

Where is your brother?

Off fucking his Judean queen, I imagine.

He should be here. That mob is out for our blood.

Good reason, they're hungry.

With only the Palace Guard and one century of our Praetorians,

not sure how long we can hold.

When you were besieged at Elisia,

you used a diversion to draw your attackers away. Did you not?

What is it?

Another food riot, my Lord.

And the Emperor plans a race to draw the rioters away.

Bread for your blood! Bread for your blood!

Bread for your blood!

So much for Pax Romana.

You think it's like this all the time?

Let's hope not.

There's a race today!

There's not a race today.

Are you blind or just an idiot?

Look at that, let's see that.

Drums!

I'm not deaf.

Scorpus is nowhere to be found, Fimbria has looked everywhere.

I can guess, I'll go get him.

You two get set up for the betting.

Slowly, slowly.

Be careful.

Fimbria!

We were not supposed to race for another two days. We're not ready.

When the Emperor says we race,

we race.

Scorpus?

Hi.

Scorpus!

Scorpus!

Get up!

Why?

Stop that noise!

We're not supposed to race,

until the day after tomorrow.

The drums might suggest that's changed.

There's barely any betting unless you're driving. Get up!

Antonia Servilius...

you honor such a place with your presence.

Look at me in judgment, I'll have your eyes gouged out.

You lower yourself by friendship with this...

'thing'.

The wife of Consul Marsus?

Your boss?

The owner of the Blue faction.

She loves me.

But why?

Same as why I always win.

Because I can.

- Even hungover. - Even drunk.

Maybe that'll sober you up.

Mother, where is father going?

- Come on! - It's Scorpus!

It's Scorpus! You're right.

Hurry and cover yourself.

It's Scorpus! It's him!

Oh my God! It's Scorpus!

- Go! Kirko go. Rig it quickly. - Go faster.

You're Fimbria!

I have a letter of introduction from Hispania Baetica.

We have ten Spanish stallions of the highest quality.

Does it look like I'm buying horses from slaves?

Your Emperor made the Spanish Roman citizens, as it happens.

Look, unless you are the emperor, you can fuck off.

Scorpus...

Scorpus!

Bacchus has arrived!

Oh, finally!

Thank you, Tenax.

Betting's light when 'The Great Scorpus' isn't racing.

That's Scorpus!

Where are my bays?

Just in from pasture, being harnessed now.

It's bad for horses not to be properly prepared.

- Complain to the Emperor. - I intend to.

Go away,

there's nothing to see here. Away!

He doesn't look so special to me.

He has eighty-six four horse wins.

It's the horses that run.

You take his horses.

I'll take his winnings.

And I'll take his woman.

Come on, come on!

Gavros,

how is he?

He'd be much better, if he'd had a light run this morning.

Come on, let's move!

Are you crazy?

Come on! Go!

Incitatus!

How are you today, huh?

My beautiful boy.

You tasted it?

Of course. I'm still alive.

- So? - Firm,

well formed...

with a slight scent of vinegar.

It's perfect, he will run like the wind.

Excellent. Let's go, let's go, Incitatus! Come on!

First trumpets are any minute!

These are my newest rigs. Amazing.

What? No, no, no. What, what is this?

We talked about this.

A new rig for Scorpus? No, no, I don't remember that.

You were probably drunk.

These are lighter, better on the turns. We've spent a fortune on them!

How many times has Fortuna favoured me in my old rig?

Go, get it!

You heard him. Get the old one.

Go!

- To victory. - To victory.

You again? What are you? Spies for the touts?

We just want to sell our Andalusians.

I told you, I am not gonna deal with you and your old nags.

Huh?

Andalusians?

Yes.

Let's see them.

Come, this way.

All over thirteen hands, two-leg turns,

very tight, no whip.

And white as snow.

Are you selling or leasing?

Er, selling.

You're a long way from Spain.

These horses are too good for Spain.

And too expensive.

We're looking to make enough to set up a breeding farm back home.

Two leg turns?

Yes.

I'll speak to Fimbria after the race.

Scorpus is racing.

Blue faction!

Nine to three odds,

driver...

Scorpus!

All of these on White to win. Spread the bets.

Is that wise? You already owe so much.

I keep you around for your mouth and your arse.

Not for your advice.

You look magnificent, father.

Yeah?

Well...

I feel like horse dung.

I hope you're right about this.

Have you sent for Titus?

Yes.

The other day, during our tour of the Flavian arena, you revealed too much,

that you were aroused by your own idea.

Forgive me.

- Control of our emotions is paramount. - Yes, father.

A lesson that could also benefit my brother.

- Yes... - Though... ...perhaps,

we should be happy he is off with his Judean queen.

Were he here, Rome's streets would be a river of blood.

Mmh.

Father...

Some colour, perhaps?

- Colour? - On the upper cheeks...

No!

The crowd wants to see a healthy Emperor.

Colour!

I hope this doesn't reek of desperation.

Make way for Consul Marsus!

Make way!

Consul.

Rufus!

Ready for the Blues to get their arses kicked today?

Scorpus and Incitatus beat the Whites three times in a row.

Our money's on Xenon.

Xenon!

- Xenon! - Scorpus can beat Xenon anytime!

- Any day! - We'll see about that.

- Do you have it? - Yeah.

From the mane of Incitatus.

With such as this,

I will see everything.

- You wish to know the victor? - No,

the round in which he takes the lead.

Impossible for any other

but for me with this,

Fortuna...

will show me all.

Fortuna smiles.

This horse will win.

Taking the lead on the second...

to last round.

Are you certain?

Do not insult me,

or I'll curse you!

Move! Next!

Who's next?

- One points five, you see? - Yes.

- Fifty sesterces on Blue. - Come on,

we haven't got all day.

All on white.

Next please!

Blue! Twenty-five on blue.

Here, all on white.

Next!

Move! Next!

Piss off, Rufus.

Come back when you have the money you owe me.

- I want to place a bet. - No more credit.

Consider yourself lucky I haven't slit your throat...

yet.

I have something of great value to wager.

Five hundred shares of the Blue Faction.

Your wife's shares?

They're not hers.

She's my wife, which makes them mine.

A very big bet.

It could break me.

Scorpus and the Blues to win?

- Four-to-one? - Bigger.

Much bigger.

Scorpus to pull to the front on the second to last round

and win the race.

You want to make a round bet.

Do you know something I don't?

Will you take the bet?

If not I'll go elsewhere.

Eight to one.

Eight thousand sesterces per share.

Done.

Scorpus is to take the lead in the final round. Do you understand? Go!

Twenty-five on White.

I'm tight... Two sesterces.

One sesterce and I'm tighter than her.

Three sesterces and I'm tighter than both.

Hi!

Tenax says takes the lead in the final round.

Domitian's fuck toy is betting an enormous amount on you to win.

Stop playing.

Eat.

This was somewhat unexpected. I barely had time to dress.

So I'm told.

Perhaps a little more discretion, lest it diminishes my dignitas?

May I remind you, my love, that a good measure of your dignitas

is derived from my family name.

- Let us not forget that. - Difficult, given your frequent reminders.

Consul. Antonia.

May the gods favour us again.

Oh, I expect they will.

Antonia, how would you judge Scorpus' driving skills of late?

He knows how to treat a thoroughbred.

Oh wait, Father...

Now!

Listen to them.

So soon after calling for our blood.

Consul Marsus has a viper's smile.

Yeah...

Friends close,

enemies closer.

Pretenders closer still.

Citizens

of Rome!

I present to you:

the contestants!

Four Factions,

eight chariots and eight drivers!

Try or die!

For...

victory!

The Greens, seeking a win

after loss, after loss...

...after loss.

Their laughter diminishes us.

But their sesterces elevate us.

And the Reds is it painted red

or is it blood from the last seen shipwreck?

No! That was wine.

And the White Faction,

with Xenon, their lead driver.

- Come on Xenon! - Xenon!

The Adonis of the Esquiline!

And wiping up the rear! The Blues,

with Kirko

and the Great

Scorpus!

Let's go!

With his lead horse, alighting here from Olympus:

the Great Incitatus!

Try or die!

For Victory!

Whoa...

At least you can say

you raced against the Great Scorpus.

Chariots

ready!

The race is on,

betting's closed.

- Come on! - Come on, Xenon!

Come on!

- Did you see that? - Come on, disqualify the wanker!

It will take more than that!

Come on!

Come on!

- Go on, Xenon! - Go on, Xenon!

Here he comes.

Whoa.

Ship-wreck!

Ship-wreck!

What did I miss?

Not much.

Quick! Set the pulleys!

Grab the bays first!

One ticket please.

General Titus!

Go, go,

go!

Off the track!

Go, go, go!

Kirko, what are you doing?

Scorpus!

Now!

Second to last round.

Father...

They were at our gate calling for our blood.

- Let me explain. - Not now.

Pleased to see you, brother, you missed the fun this morning.

Well I would have taken care of the mob.

Can't solve every issue with your sword,

they needed food for their guts, not gutting.

It's arriving...

- Today or tomorrow. - So you keep telling us.

Better I entertain them, than your legionnaires kill them.

Be quiet...

now!

Scorpus, now! Now!

Easy... easy.

Now!

Look at those two centre horses, they're barely pulling!

Scorpus is last again...

primed for his come-from-behind victories.

Maybe not this time.

Incitatus.

Now, Incitatus, now!

Yes!

Whoa.

- Do you never tire of the artifice? - That's what makes it entertaining.

And profitable.

Well, I prefer the clarity of the battlefield.

- You think Rome isn't a battlefield? - It may be, but one without clarity.

- Which makes it far more interesting. - Enough.

Go, Scorpus! Go!

Incitatus.

More! More!

More!

Go on!

Come on!

Show that son of a bitch what you are made of, Xenon.

Come on, beat the bastard!

Come on, faster!

Yes! Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

Fucking Scorpus.

- God! - Fucking Scorpus.

Our boy! Never fails to disappoint,

- hey? - Never.

Father...

- No. - Father, let me explain.

Later.

Remember...

praise in public,

discipline... in private.

You lost today.

Only money.

Quite a lot in fact. But I won something far more important:

I weakened my brother in my father's eyes.

Hello.

Hi.

- Are you free? - Of course.

Give me Rufus' shares in the Blue faction.

Our patience has paid off.

- Give me a moment. - Yes, Scorpus.

Rest

in the arms of Elegabal, my friend.

You just got lucky.

Luck is part of the game!

Kirko is dead...

and another victory for me.

Shall I laugh or cry? Get my wine.

Yes, Scorpus.

Let's leave the mourning to others.

We should celebrate.

What is that?

Wealth, position, power...

and respect!

All in that?

Five hundred shares of the Blue Faction.

Ah, here we go again.

A new faction,

owned by a lowly, plebeian,

slumlord criminal, no offense.

- None taken. - And a gifted...

...drunken driver

who has wealth

and respect and doesn't give a shit about power or position.

No offense.

None taken.

Don't you see what this means?

I sell these to the highest bidder and we have enough to start our own faction.

The four factions have existed for hundreds of years. Patricians own them,

- not the likes of you and me. - In these days, anything can happen.

Men rise.

Our Emperor's from a family of mule breeders.

One day,

even plebeians like us might rule this city.

No, of course and...

I will become a God.

Now Scorpus needs a drink.

Your brother did well today. You did not.

To make sure our citizens

do not starve to death or rise up and cut our throats,

your responsibility is to ensure our grain supply.

Storms or no storms.

I can't control the winds or the tides.

Then you should make allowances for them, should you not.

Yes?

You neglect your duty

for that Judean queen who sleeps in your bed.

I told you to send her away, but she still sleeps...

in your bed.

I wonder why?

My queen,

it was reckless.

Coming here.

Our enemies

think she has too much influence on you...

and I think the same.

I defeated the Judeans,

brought her and eighty-thousand of her people

to Rome to build our arena.

Having her in my bed is not a mark of her influence, it is a mark

of their defeat and submission.

Do they still over-work the children?

It is better since you interceded.

And the food allotment?

Still insufficient.

The Romans themselves don't have enough. We get what's left of very little.

You would justify our deprivation?

No. I only seek to explain it.

And what does

your Roman general think

of our deprivation?

And either case, you disobeyed me.

Well, when I'm Emperor, I will have to make my own decisions.

Not when, if.

If!

Soon I shall cross the River Styx

to the Kingdom of darkness.

And before I do, I have a decision to make.

Julius Caesar

had such a choice and he chose Octavian,

the young politician over Mark Antony, the soldier,

and the result was this:

our Empire.

Now I would rather choose the soldier

but I will choose whoever I believe will be best

for Rome.

Do you understand me?

Good.

Send the Judean woman away.

I will consider it.

He is on his way back.

My queen! Quickly, we must leave!

Titus is on his way!

Come on! Come on!

Hurry! Hurry!

This is it.

Yallah!

It's fine, it's fine... It's going to be...

It's going to be fine.

My sisters?

- Kwame! - What are you doing here?

- It's my fault. - No, it's mine.

- I killed a Roman legionary. - She was protecting me.

Quickly, this way.

- No! - You there!

- Quick, catch him! - Hey, soldier.

Stop him!

- What's going on? - It's a mistake Sir, they are my sisters.

She was protecting the little one. This is most unjust.

I hunt for you.

I serve you Romans.

Bring him as well.

- No, no. - Bring them all!

No, stop!

Forgive me please. The queen is indisposed.

- Indisposed? - Yes.

Is there something?

I wanted to look my best for you.

Leave us.

I'm too long a commander.

I bristled orders even from an Emperor.

And what orders did he have for you?

He told me to send you away.

He says you diminish my dignitas and that of the family.

He'd do better to grant his son an heir the right to make his own decisions.

Myself...

or Domitian?

He threatened to choose Domitian?

Not in so many words, but...

Then you must send me away.

Your father sits astride the world and your brother whispers in his ear.

If they seek to cut off your balls,

I will not be the one to hand them the knife.

Send me away.

To the mines.

Those for the tin mines.

Those two for the arena.

Quick, this way!

I need more of those:

fighters, gladiators. Strong men.

This new arena they built in Rome,

a river of blood for them,

an ocean of money for us.

Yallah, to the mines!

Jula...

To the tin mines!

Son.

- Tell me this is a terrible mistake. - I am sorry, Mother.

How did this happen? Don't they know you work for them?

I tried to free my sisters.

You foolish, foolish boy.

To the mines!

Maybe there is one way.

That man is sorting out who will be taken to Rome as gladiators

and who will be sent to the tin mines of Crete.

What is the tin mines?

A death sentence.

Show them you can fight.

And pray to Aapademak.

Those men are giants.

I've seen what you can do.

Let a lion's heart roar in your chest.

Show them or die trying!

What of Jula and Aura?

Your sisters as well.

- You must all go to Rome. - How?

- Woman, out! - Fight!

- You are stronger than you know! - o the mines!

Too short, and too small.

To the mines!

Let him fight.

Stop!

I've seen enough.

You seek the arena, do you?

Bring him!

Only if my sisters come as well.

A slave who makes demands.

Just bring him.

Then I'll slit my own throat,

the moment I am given a weapon.

Show me your sisters.

Ah...

They will fetch a good price from some old lecher in Rome.

Bring them as well.

Come!

Go home. Tend my business.

What are you going to do?

Slaves can be bought.

And they can be bought back.