Give me 3 hours of Russell Crowe in a skirt, I'm a happy camper!

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2000)

I was ready to loathe this movie and I found myself enjoying it immensely. It has craters in the story the size of the Colisseum, but Russell Crowe makes it all work. He is totally believable as a hero, as a gladiator, as anything. He is a rare combination of star power and awesome acting skills, and he grounds and dignifies this movie even when it gets manipulative, cheesy and vulgar. Also, the writing was surprisingly mature. I loved the way the Colisseum looked, I loved seeing Oliver Reed again, and Richard Harris. Joaquin Phoenix was fantastic too. The music sucked big time. If Gustav Holst was alive he would sue the composers for stealing unashamedly from his symphonic poem, "The Planets". Gladiator is the best film Ridley Scott has done in a looooong time, but that doesn't mean much, does it?
It is well worth seeing. Hugely entertaining and not too dumb.