Scott classic!

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2000)

I've never been a great Ridley Scott fan. Anyone who can make GI Jane has a lot to answer for, but this absolutely excellent - the acting is brilliant (Crowe particularly), the script is OK and the effects are awesome, especially the coliseum scenes.
The only compliant is that is drags on a little long.
Crowe - a New Zealander who started in acting in Australia, got his break in the USA and plays a Spaniard in Rome - is certainly showing his versatility, despite his accent occasionally being out of place.
Joaquin Phoenix is also good, and undoubtedly the least irritating member of that family! Richard Harris did well, and the Oliver Reed pieces were also good. Despite his notoriety for his drinking, people actually tend to forget that Reed was a talented actor, and it is well displayed here.