Probably the best war movie of all time

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2017)

Ridley Scott's magnum opus is a specter of epic proportions- both in terms of visual treat and acting prowess. Crowe gives his best ever performance, and is the perfect portrayal of a leader- calmness in eyes during planning, intend while attacking and ruthlessness in killing, and a man who lost his family- haunted by memories of his wife and son. Joaquin gives a stirring performance as Commodus. The subtle hinds of mental insanity, raw lust and incest adds to his mysterious nature, with the hatred to him increasing steadily through the movie. Connie Nielsen as Lucilla gives a steady performance, but the portrayal of her fear of Commodus is outstanding. The emotional scenes- between Aurelius and Maximus, Maximus' first battle as a gladiator and the climax sequences- could have been overdone by glorification of the hero, but Scott does an immaculate job in creating the feeling in audience, probably by the portrayal of Maximus as any man, driven solely by his loyalty and purpose above desire.
Music by Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard is instrumental in completing the feel of Roman era, with the final "Now we are free" being absolute goosebumps material, though on hindsight, I did find some similarity between the Pirates of Caribbean "He's a pirate" and the war theme.
Nevertheless, I don't find any reason why it should not be given a 10. A must watch film for all.