Some scenes do breach the pale and reach moments of genius, but they are few and far between...

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2000)

This was a fascinating film which far exceeded my expectations. The movie was being pitched as the latest and greatest Roman Empire film of all time, a modern return to the days of Cecil B. DeMille and the old epic films. The scale of the film is impressive, and some scenes do breach the pale and reach moments of genius, but unfortunately they are few and far between, and for the most part the film plays like just another period action flick. However, though it doesn't reach the heart and spirit of BRAVEHEART, the film achieves moments of greatness and admiration which defy overtly sentimental nostalgia. In the end, the film is about a man who defies great odds in his quest for justice and peace. It is the story of a man of honor and integrity who must overcome tyranny, deception, injustice, brutality and even his own insatiable hunger for revenge. It succeeds on this level.
Russell Crowe (THE INSIDER, LA CONFIDENTIAL, VIRTUOUSITY) does well as General Maximus who is cast into slavery and who must fight and kill to survive as a gladiator in late second century Rome. Add into the mix a dabble of cliche' political intrigue (an unworthy Roman despot Caesar Commodus -- played to a tee by Joaquin Phoenix (8MM, CLAY PIGEONS, INVENTING THE ABBOTTS) -- kills his ailing father who just happens to be Caesar Marcus Aurelius (played by the venerable Richard Harris (UNFORGIVEN, A MAN CALLED HORSE, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY) in order to succeed to the throne. Like Shakespeare's HAMLET, this act of familial homicide fuels the plot and drives the characters to their eventual destinies in the Coliseum.
Other players of worthy mention: the lovely Connie Nelson (MISSION TO MARS, PERMANENT MIDNIGHT, DEVIL'S ADVOCATE), who plays Lucilla, daughter of Aurelius, sister and near love slave to Commodus, his successor; and Oliver Reed (THE BRUCE, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, TOMMY and a bunch of great Poe adaptions and Hammer films). Unfortunately, Reed died during production, but his performance on screen as gladiator turned gladiator-owner Proximo is superb and one his best! Easily.
The music for the film surpasses a great many period-piece scores which border on the pretentious and uninspired. This score for Gladiator is at once moving, powerful, emotive and most importantly interesting. It doesn't attract attention to itself, yet it manages to support the story quite nicely. Composed by Hans Simmer (CRIMSON TIDE and THE ROCK) with assistance by ethereal vocalist Lisa Gerrard, much of the music approaches the greatness of those soundtracks which stand on their own as great pieces of music vis-a-vis Peter Gabriel's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

My biggest criticism of the film has to do with Ridley Scott and the cinematography. Most of the action scenes, especially the battle scenes are all close-ups and tight shots. This lends to visual confusion, blurriness and a general lack of clarity. While such an effect might lend itself thematically to the "heat of the battle," it does nothing to aid the viewer who is watching the film and looking for details, clear images and who is trying to pay attention to what is happening. Even the gladiator matches themselves were all tight shots, and though well choreographed, they were at times difficult to follow and even tiring on the eyes. The medium and long range shots of the great epics were absent. The look of pictures by DeMille which helped propel films like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, SAMSON AND DELILAH or Sam Zimbalist's BEN HUR into epic status were left out of Ridley Scott's vision, and for the most part the picture remains on the level of MAD MAX or even Scott's previous "epic," 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE. Interestingly enough, Scott used cinematographer John Mathieson whose previous work includes French films LOVE IS THE DEVIL and VIGO, but nothing to the scale of vision GLADIATOR deserves. Someone like Vilmos Zsigmond (GHOST AND THE DARKNESS) could've really brought a sense of "bigness" to the visuals which is lost in GLADIATOR.
In any case, the film is worthy of a solid three stars. It's predictable as hell, but it's great action. The violence is graphic and nasty, but thoroughly essential to the plot and none of it is gratuitous. The players perform at a high level and are believable. Costumes and sets are well made and create a brilliant setting for the film. One other criticism is the use of hokey "floating" dream sequences which, like the lackluster cinematography, undermine the grand scale of the picture. With a budget of $100 million and both Dreamworks and Universal Studios behind the picture, the film could have gone without the cheesy Roger Corman / Fred Olan Ray style effects. They really are distracting and detract from the overall effect of the film. (I say this, but other dream sequences are stark and beautiful and provide a sense of awe which the majority of the picture lacks -- unfortunately those scenes don't seem to have to do much with the movie! ;)