TNT Hail 'Caesar' as a gem among epic miniseries

The production balances battle scenes with palace intrigue.
By ED BARK
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
A Vegas showplace, a pizza company and a salad are among the many-splendored legacies of Rome's foremost ruler.
Now TV finally takes a stab at Julius Caesar in the aptly named, splendidly rendered "Caesar." The four-hour TNT miniseries also includes a rousing although brief final performance by the late Richard Harris. He gallantly rises to the challenge of the despotic Sulla before sinking for the last time into a deluxe sunken tub.
Filmed in Malta and Bulgaria, "Caesar" harkens to the money-on-the-screen pageantry that used to be commonplace in the 1980s on the then-Big Three broadcast networks. "Shogun," "Masada," "Peter the Great," "The Winds of War" -- that was then.
"Caesar," dedicated in Harris' memory, is far superior to USA cable's recent hackneyed "Helen of Troy." It helps to have a cast of estimable actors in the house. Harris, who throws himself into his part without hamming it to death, is joined by Jeremy Sisto in the title role, Chris Noth as general Pompey and Christopher Walken as senator Cato. Look also for Germany's Heino Ferch as a brave, bold, tattooed Gaul named Vercingetorix. He's super-duper in a pivotal role as Caesar's principal battlefield foe.
Another major role
"Six Feet Under" fans know Sisto as unhinged Billy Chenowith, the deeply scarred brother of Rachel Griffiths' Brenda. Still, he's no stranger to towering roles after playing Jesus Christ in CBS's well-received "Jesus" miniseries. The somewhat slightly built Sisto again measures up after first appearing as a relatively powerless young man whose wife's father is on Sulla's hit list. Caesar himself has "unfortunate ancestry," in Sulla's view. The kid says he's descended from the gods.
"I don't know whether to embrace him or strangle him," the old tyrant muses after Caesar declines to divorce his wife to spare his life.
Pompey lobbies for a merciful approach, telling Sulla that plainspoken enemies are to be feared less than abject flatterers. This leads to Caesar's freedom, or so it seems.
The great escape
"What a big heart that boy has. Bring it to me in the morning," Sulla says deliciously.
Pompey instead delivers a pig's ticker while Caesar reluctantly flees Rome at the insistence of his selfless wife, Cornelia (Daniela Piazza). His ship's trip to safety is interrupted by another hardship. Meanwhile, Sulla grows ever more evil, ordering Pompey to execute a wrongly accused guy named Flavius.
"You will strangle Flavius or you yourself will be strangled!" he bellows before clutching at his heart while a goblet of blood red wine spills symbolically into the aforementioned bathtub. It's the last we see of Harris, whose decidedly more benevolent ruler was strangled by his twisted son in "Gladiator." All hail Richard Harris, king of the period piece.
Returning to Rome, Caesar continues to suffer from recurring seizures and overall feelings of inadequacy.
"I need legions," he tells his mother. And his grown, beautiful daughter, Julia (Nicole Grimaudo), proves to be a means to get them. Warrior Pompey is enamored of her and willing to pay a considerable price for Julia's hand in marriage. How about a big bunch of battle-tested soldiers? It's a deal. Before heading off to expand Rome at the expense of the Gauls, widowed Caesar marries goodly Calpurnia (Valeria Golino) despite her stated distaste for housework and partying. She needn't worry. Her husband is going to be gone for a long, long time.
The drama kicks into high gear as its battles begin in earnest.
"There's a lot more of Rome out there. It just isn't called Rome yet!" Caesar exclaims after tasting his first victory.
The most resilient Gaul of all is Vercingetorix, who lives to fight again after Caesar spares his life in admiration of his courage.
The Gauls' last stand makes for gritty, compelling drama. Commanding performances by Sisto and Ferch underscore their marathon test of wills.
Balancing themes
Meanwhile, back in Rome, Pompey and Cato are threatened by Caesar's exploding popularity. Director Uli Edel, whose TV credits include "Oz," "Twin Peaks" and "Homicide: Life on the Street," does a mostly exceptional job of blending palace plotting and battlefield carnage. Noth is sturdily impressive as Pompey, and Walken slowly registers an impact without resorting to any of his oft-parodied spooky kookiness.
"Caesar" does have some laughable moments, though. The conquering hero's first meeting with a thinly disguised Cleopatra (Samuela Sardo) has a howler of an exchange in which he asks, "Are you trying to seduce me?" and she answers, "I don't try. I seduce. Or I don't."
In this case, she does, showcasing herself to a bowled-over Caesar before eventually bearing their love child.
Then again, "Caesar" is a commendably ambitious effort that yields an impressive epic. It also allows Harris to go out in fine style. Thanks, he needed that.