Great Acting, Profound Story

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2002)

This movie truly deserved to win Best Picture. Ridley Scott does a magnificent job directing, and the acting is stellar from the entire cast. Connie Nielsen as Lucilla is particularly enchanting, and really looks the part of Roman nobility. She embraces her brother the emperor, but schemes against him at the same time. Joaquin Phoenix is also captivating as the callous and callow, yet fiercely cunning Emperor Commodus. The late Oliver Reed is wonderful in his part as the former gladiator Proximo, who earned his freedom. Russell Crowe is very good as Maximus. He portrays the strength, pride and dignity of a Roman General very well, and rightly maintains that facade even when he is reduced to gladiator/entertainer/slave status. The score by Hans Zimmer is appropriately haunting, as this is a heartbreaking film. It hurts to see Maximus lose his family, and become an outcast from the society he loved. It also hurts to see that refined society transformed into a bloodthirsty mob who live for the games orchestrated by a petty tyrant not deserving of the title emperor. Gladiator is very much a tragedy. I found it amusing that one major critic said he didn't like it because it didn't have enough blue skies and bright colors. Ok, I guess you didn't get the point of the movie. For everyone else, I highly recommend Gladiator, especially on DVD (which includes Ridley's informative commentary track on the making of the film).