Overrated movie about fight techniques (minor spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (4 July 2002)

I had the feeling that Gladiator uses its plot primarily to show brutal gladiator fights. It has certainly an intriguing plot, which depicts a Roman general's revenge for betrayal, his family's slaughter, and his Emperor's murder, but there were too many fight and battle scenes for my liking. Still, it is an entertaining film that shows not only the shiny grandeur, but also the bloody, ugly cruelties of the Roman Empire, although some scenes, such as the bird-view look of the Colosseum, or the city landscape in the background when Commodus and Lucilla are standing on the balcony alone and talking, looked too CGI. What I had the most problems with was the final arena fight: We know that Commodus is so hungry for acceptance by his people and popularity, that it is unlikely that he would dare to kill Maximus in front of the watching crowd. And although this is a fictional story, it's unimaginable historically, that an Emperor would fight against a gladiator in the arena. As for the acting, Russell Crowe was very good and well suited for this role, but most of the other actors were only mediocre, especially Joaquin Phoenix, who overacted too often.
I think the Oscar for Best Film was way too exaggerated; maybe it received it because there hasn't been a film about ancient Rome for a long time.