Average epic

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2002)

I'm still trying to figure out if "Gladiator" is trying to criticize the human tendency to gravitate towards gruesome, grotesque spectacle or appeal to it. I suspect the former, as the film is so frequently shot in bland earth tones and dimly lit settings that it's rarely appealing to the eyes. One of the characters calls the human race "shadows and dust" and it's a decent metaphor, but did Ridley Scott have to use it as a visual motif so constantly?
Far from terrible, yet not the Oscar-worthy triumph it has been lauded as, "Gladiator" was instrumental in Russel Crowe's rise as Hollywood's current darling, thanks to his performance as the wronged soldier Maximus. And Crowe does show moments of brilliance in the film, but for my money he's not the most watchable part of it. That honor goes to Joaquin Phoenix, as the emporer Commodus. Commodus is an interesting character study: weak while fancying himself strong, he seems plagued by insecurity even as he grasps at the power which he believes himself to be entitled to. He yearns for adoration--from the public and from his sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen)--yet his every action proves him unworthy of it. He's pathetic, yet it is his weaknesses which make him so dangerous.
For his own part, Crowe has little more to do than brood over his revenge. His wife and son have been murdered by Commodus--innocent victims of the latter's ascention to the throne, which also claimed the old emporer (the ever-stately Richard Harris). En route, Maximus seeks the aid of Lucilla, who pays lip service to her brother in order to protect herself and her young son. Nielsen is fine, but she and Crowe don't really strike sparks on the screen together, and the past relationship of the characters is never clear. The numerous fight scenes are also muddy, with spurts of blood the only clear image emerging from those ever-present shadows. Scott has also made the error of speeding up the footage in several scenes. Presumably intended to mirror the chaos of battle, the motions instead call to mind the feel of a silent-picture comedy. There are flashes of genuine emotion and charm here, but they emerge from stretches of film that can only be described as murky.