a movie you have to see at least once in your life

Rating: Null/10 (25 November 2000)

The first time i heard about the Gladiator, I thought it would be all action and no story. Although the story wasn't that complicated, it was really compelling to watch. There are some political issues discussed in the movie but do not expect intrigue like in the "I Claudius" series (although Derek Jacobi who played Claudius also stars in "the Gladiator"). The whole movie looked great and reminded me of movies like Spartacus and Ben Hur. The action was very well choreographed and was fun to watch, even if it was a little gory (we have to be realistic: using swords can be a bloody affair). Russel Crow carries the movie. You really feel his pain when his family is killed. Actually the entire cast was good. Hans Zimmer did a excellent job on the musical score. The runtime of the movie is about 155 minutes, and not once when i watched the movie i was bored, the movie is over before you know it. So "The Gladiator" is a movie you have to see at least once in your life.