#1005- Gladiator (2000)Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Plot Summary: Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads his army to a victory that ends the war with the Germanic tribes. Winning the favor of the aging Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Maximus is named the successor to the throne. This angers the Emperor's son, Commodus, who kills his father and takes the throne for himself. When Maximus is asked to join Commodus, he declines, causing Commodus to have Maximus's son and wife murdered. Maximus is then captured by a slave trader and is sold to Antonius Proximo, who trains Maximus to be a legendary gladiator under the name Spaniard. Maximus plans to use his skills to reveal himself to Commodus and exact his revenge for his murdered son and wife, and avenge the death of Marcus Aurelius and bring justice to the Roman Empire.
I'm sure a lot of people will be surprised by this, but until maybe 2 days ago, I had never seen Gladiator all the way through. I had heard enough about the film in the last few years thanks to the endless debate in my family on whether or not the film was good (which is usually just my uncle talking about how much he dislikes the movie). The even crazier idea is that for the last 6 or 7 years, I've owned the film on DVD. After brushing the figurative dust off the DVD, I popped it in my laptop and enjoyed a good majority of the film, with the exception of two REALLY important factors in the film: the protagonist and the antagonist.
The film stars Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius. I know it's the role that he's most famous for, but I can only see Russell Crowe in a performance. I never once believed that he became a character, I just always saw Russell Crowe. Not far behind on main characters I disliked is Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. I get that his character is supposed to be creepy and whiny, but I don't find him to be one of those villains I love to hate, he's just a villain I want to go away. Interestingly, I would have preferred the original casting considerations of Mel Gibson as Maximus and Jude Law as Commodus since there would have been an added element of seasoned army general against a young tyrant. That doesn't mean there aren't characters I really enjoyed. One of my favorite characters was Emperor Marcus Aurelius, played by Richard Harris. Harris has a great commanding presence despite his age, and the amount of respect his followers have for him really help boosts the legacy and credibility of his character. I also really liked Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen, who is the sister of Commodus, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, and she also has a crush on Maximus (I'm not kidding). She's a really well-rounded character with strong knowledge on politics and ruling a kingdom, with her only (historical) disadvantage being that she is a woman. But my favorite character in the entire film is Antonius Proximo, played by Oliver Reed in his final movie role. Proximo is a former gladiator who spends his older years training the next generation of gladiators, including Maximus. The best scenes are when Proximo teaches Maximus how to become a legendary gladiator. Oliver Reed does an amazing job of showing how important being a gladiator was to Proximo and it excites the audience and makes us believe how epic winning over a crowd and becoming a legendary gladiator can be.
For many people, Gladiator can come across as a mindless action film. In some regards I can agree, but I think there is a bit more to the film in terms of telling a story and developing characters. Sure, there are a lot of fun action sequences, but that doesn't mean this film is in the same league as Die Hard or Predator. With that said, the action sequences are very well handled and are actually very suspenseful thanks to how it is shot and the music that accompanies the scenes. You really feel as if you're in a coliseum watching real gladiators fight for their lives (I'm assuming of course).
One thing that blew me away with this movie was in its grand scale of sets, costumes, and music. I'm not even going to try and make a claim of historical accuracy for fear of being torn to shreds by historians, but I will say what is aesthetically pleasing to me. This is going to sound very simple, but I'll keep it short and sweet: Gladiator was a very good film to look at and had a very good score (composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard) to listen to.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
While certainly not for everyone, Gladiator should satisfy those who enjoy a fun action movie. The debate can still be made on whether or not this deserved to win Best Picture, but with its grand scale in design and a career defining role for Russell Crowe, I solidly recommend that everyone check out this film once, and for all action fans to own in their DVD collection.
Gladiator and movie images are copyrighted by DreamWorks Pictures
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