"I'm Brian, and so's my wife," OR "What have the Romans ever done for us?"

Rating: Null/10 (10 February 2004)

We saw this in a local flea - pit and sat in front of an old guy who gave a running commentary to his friend all the way through ("Look at the size of that spear, etc."). Luckily it only served to enhance our enjoyment, rather than detract from it, providing a certain comedy element that was otherwise lacking.
If you've seen Ben Hur, Spartacus and Braveheart then you've already seen Gladiator (not forgetting Life of Brian, which features one of the most memorable gladiator scenes in movie history). The action scenes are fairly entertaining, but not to be recommended to those of a squeamish disposition. The main character, Naughtius Maximus or something, is supposed to be Spanish, but sounds remarkably Australian throughout the film.

It's nice to see Oliver Reed back in action, reminding us that he used to be famous for more than appearing drunk on chat shows. However, for those of you that are unaware, he sadly passed away before the film was completed, calling for several rewrites and some technical jiggereypokery. Possibly the film does suffer as a result, as you get the feeling that some elements of the last act were stuck on with blu-tak.
However, I did actually enjoy a lot of Gladiator, particularly Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the cowardly emperor who's desire for power (and his sister) gets a little out of hand. For those of you who like your action loud, brutal and featuring men in skirts I highly recommend this movie.