Caesar Must Die review

A blend of fiction and documentary, as real-life prisoners act in a version of Julius Caesar

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

The eighty-something Tavani brothers Paolo and Vittorio return with this inventive, urgent and humane prison drama, in which real-life Mafia and Camorra prisoners act in a version of Julius Caesar .

Shooting their blend of fiction and documentary in a maximum security prison outside Rome, and shifting between saturated colour (the present) and stark black-and-white (the past), the filmmakers explore how taking part in Shakespeare’s tale of friendship, honour and betrayal affects the cast.

“Ever since I discovered art,” laments one participant, “this cell has truly become a prison.”

Latest in Action Movies
No Time to Die
Harry Potter and Spider-Man producers reportedly in talks to develop new James Bond movie
Amanda Seyfried in Mamma Mia!
Mean Girls star Amanda Seyfried was offered the role of Gamora in the MCU, but turned it down because she thought Guardians of the Galaxy would be "Marvel's first bomb"
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
Kevin Feige was behind the decision to bring Robert Downey Jr. in as Doctor Doom, and the conversation was had "a while ago"
Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds has given us the weirdest Marvel movie marathon ever to mark 10 years since the first Deadpool movie started filming
Gwyneth Paltrow in Avengers: Endgame
Gwyneth Paltrow can't believe how many Marvel movies she's been in: "That can't be right"
Batgirl movie
Unearthed Daredevil-like fight scene from DC's canceled Batgirl movie gives us a taste of what we could have had
Latest in Reviews
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"
Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% gaming keyboard with purple RGB lighting on a desk setup
Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% review: "a niche luxury"
A woman chasing a shining butterfly with a leaping cat on her shoulder in InZOI
inZOI review: "Currently feels like a soulless imitation of the worst parts of The Sims"
White Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K gaming mouse standing up against a green-lit setup
Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K review: "hampered by its predecessor"
Alienware AW2725Q gaming monitor sitting on woodgrain desk next to plant with Marvel Rivals on screen and Invisible Woman selected on character screen.
Alienware AW2725Q review: “I dare you to try and spot this QD-OLED 4K monitor’s pixels”
Looking over the countryside in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows review: "More confidence, texture, and purpose than we've seen since Assassin's Creed pivoted into RPG territory"