If I Could Give This Movie 11/10, It Would Be A 12!

Rating: 10/10 (8 November 2005)

Gladiator! A thrilling tale of a Roman general who must battle against all thinkable odds to avenge the death of his family and restore justice to the empire. The plot is simple, legendary general Maximus Decimus Meridius, after many victorious campaigns and battles wants to return to his peaceful home in Spain, However the kind, fair and dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius wishes to bestow his title on him over his cruel son, Commodus. Commodus is understandably annoyed and kills his father calming the title of Emperor. Maximus is sentenced to death along with the rest of his family back at his home in Spain. Maximus escapes but is unable to save his wife and son. His loss of will to live makes him an east target for slavers and he is soon sold as a gladiator. He fights his way into the coliseum in Rome were he wins over the crowd and uses his celebrity status to defy the Emperor, to whom he swears his vengeance for the death of his family, after many battles and political backstabbing he gets his chance to fight the Emperor in the Arena.
This is just such an amazing film, it captures every emotion possible in only the way an expert director can achieve, we can go on for whole scenes without the need for speaking, everything is told through the genuine body language and expressions. And when there is conversing we get such emotion and wonderfully powerful quotes  "What we do in life, echoes in eternity" Wow.
The opening scene is spellbinding, showing the true gore of battle, the fight scenes are marvellously realistic, discarding the popular "pretty" sword fighting for brutal aggressive force. The audience in the arena express every emotion, surprise, anger, and enjoyment. The cast is brilliantly chosen; we can really see Russell Crowe as a gladiator, in Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix gives us a man we can really hate, Connie Nielson shows real emotion and passion in the role of Lucilla. So apart from the spellbinding acting, scarily realistic fight scenes and the amazing script, what else can we look for? The music is just stunning, its exactly what we need brought in at exactly the right time, truly wonderful directing. And then we have the stunning special effects, we can really visualise the greatness that is Rome, the fight scenes really make you believe. Some critics have condemned the lack of historical fact, for instance an emperor would never fight a gladiator, and these comments cannot be denied, its true.
But I think we can forgive them that one fault for such an amazing movie. Without hesitation I give this movie a truly deserved 10/10!