One of the greatest films ever made.

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2006)

From the actors, to the settings, to the cinematography, to the score, every step of the way through this amazing epic is a monument to what films should be. Hans Zimmer's emotionally driven score helps drive the story of Maximus (Crowe) through his glory as a General to his decent to a slave to his rise as a much loved Gladiator. The emperor is dying, and instead of giving the glory of Rome to his son (Joaquin Phoenix) he feels that Rome's light would be better carried by Maximus. But when the emperor tells his son, he kills his father, assumes the throne (since no one else had been told of the emperor's plan) and has Maximus' family slaughtered and his home burned, and even attempts to have Maximes killed off. Maximus escapes to his home and finds no reason to live, but is taken in as a slave and sold to be a Gladiator. With nothing to lose, and the vindication of his dead wife and son, Maximus defy's the Emporer and becomes more loved again, which only angers the new Ceaser even more, making him even more jealous.
It's epic by all means, and is one of the greatest films in the history of films. Russel Crowe's performance is emotionally breathtaking from the delivery of his lines, to his ability to let emotion pour into his character like so few actors ever have. Gladiator is hardly unmatched in history, and will be hard to even come close to equaling in the future.