Real men lived in the time of the Roman Empire. Men of honor, and brute strength. These men were warriors, generals, and most of all gladiators. Forty years ago Hollywood had a fascination with the gladiator, bringing about movies like Quo Vadis, and Spartacus. To create the ultimate gladiator movie, putting the audience right in the middle of the action, was once thought of as impossible. Thank God for CGI effects.
Director Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is a spectacle filled with glorious visuals, glamorous period garb, and battle sequences so realistic and bloody that the audience does not pay attention to the little flaws.
Maximus (Russell Crowe) is the finest military general under the great Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). The Emperor sees the best in him. In choosing Maximus to succeed him, he expects power to be given back to Rome and for corruption to fall.
These plans, of course, do not sit well with the Emperor’s son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who has his own plans to rule the Empire with his sister Lucilla (Connie Nielson).
Commodus fouls the plans and sends Maximus off to be killed. This plan is a failure. He takes everything away from our hero except his life. As Commodus becomes Emperor, Maximus becomes a slave, miles away from the lucrative life that he once held.
With expert guidance from a slave owner named Proximo(Oliver Reed), Maximus is trained to be a gladiator. Once the people of Rome see this great gladiator he captures the hearts and spirits of a people in need of a real hero. Maximus must use this new power to get revenge on the man who sent him to die.
To his advantage, Scott is just the person to direct such a rousing, high adrenaline historical epic. The man has not lost the quality which made him famous. He is one of the best visionary directors around. The man who gave audiences a superb glimpse at the future with Alien, and Blade Runner gives us a heart stopping glance at the Roman Empire and the warriors who made it so unforgettable. His battle sequences are extremely graphic, but in order to throw the audience right into the action that is not a bad thing.
Gladiator is the movie that is going to make a superstar out of Russell Crowe. He brings so much intensity, charisma, and complexity to his performance. It is not his finest work but it is what it needs to be. Forget about Chan, Schwarzenegger, and Stallone. The character of Maximus is what the movie hero used to be and still should be today.
Other acting greats also lend support in the film. Both Harris and Reed are great in their limited roles as the wise men who see greatness in our hero. Reed actually died during filming, and this final performance is a fond farewell to the acting legend. The film itself is dedicated to him.
Some of the other performances are not up to par. Phoenix seemed to either be hamming it up or acting stone faced throughout. Not the worst villain this critic has ever seen, but far from the best. Nielson is beautiful and even promising throughout the film but her performance does not hit the target and ends up empty.
Naturally, like many other historical epics, the plot and dialogue are not the best. There are some lines delivered which are laughable, many of these given by Phoenix. While the plot is pretty simplistic it is none the less entertaining. There is something about seeing a great hero muster up all of his honor and courage to defeat the power of many that makes the audience get excited.
This is an big-scale, old-fashioned epic that is handled with care. Scott has created a beautiful film that may just stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the great films of the era. If anything, it is further proof that Hollywood can still make great entertainment.
The general who became a slave. The slave that became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an empire. After another mighty victory on the battlefield...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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