Stunning! Re-watchable.

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2001)

I'm sure most people who like this movie, do it because of its strong orientation on one's feelings. It's quite the same thing as Titanic (although I didn't like Titanic), that simply attracts so many people who actually might have very different taste.
Furthermore, it has something for everyone: action, intrigue, love (not merely between a man and a woman) and even history (only visual, though) - fantastic battles, costumes, and decorations. As these kind of movies are often considered to be just bare money-machines by a lot of critics, Gladiator goes far beyond that level. There are very few categories about the film that I wouldn't like to rate as perfect. The way Scott has managed to create an atmosphere of the time of Roman Empire, the pain you can see in Crowe's eyes almost all throughout the movie as the betrayed general Maximus, incredibly powerful soundtrack composed by H. Zimmer - these are the first thoughts that come in mind.
Personally, I always get carried away by the anger and oppression that I feel together with Maximus. So even if there were more scenes that wouldn't remind me of his pain, it wouldn't really matter because the tension simply is already high enough, until the end. And the end is much more than a classic "happy end" would be, it is beautiful! So is the film itself, too.
I simply had to give it 10/10, because of the effect it has to me everytime I watch it. Otherwise I wouldn't be fair.