The Best !

Rating: 10/10 (1 June 2000)

Before I went to see Gladiator, I expected a trash popcorn movie with lots of special effects - but the film gave me a complete SHOCK !! This is surely the best film I've ever seen (it even overtakes my previous favourite, L.A. Confidential) !!
Firstly, the scene : it's breathtaking, absolutely beautiful . The dark and shady forests of Germany, the greatness of Rome, etc. It's so lifelike, that you can feel the ancient air !
Secondly, the actors : Russell Crowe is surely the best male actor of our time ! He proved it before in L.A. Confidential and The Insider, but this is even better . He's so real, that it's even scaring ! He became Maximus, that's for sure . But that's not all : Joaquin Phoenix is a disgusting, sadist animal (perfect), Connie Nielsen is elegant and majestic and poor Oliver Reed gave his best performance as Proximo .
Despite all these things, you could say it's not enough - some say the movie's plot is too simple and that the conversations are dull and dumb . Well, they are surely not the wackiest and newest sentences, but what did you expect to hear - Shakespeare ?! The plot (I think) is just enough good for an action-drama like this . It's simple, you don't have to think about it for hours !
And I've left the best thing for the last time : the movie has a great moral, which is nearly inimitable . Gladiator's power is striking through, the story is shocking and beautiful .
I had a great time during watching (3 times) the film (I gave it 10 stars) and I can only recommend it to everybody ! It's a "MUST SEE" !!