Favorite Sword and Sandals film

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2014)

This is the first movie I saw in what I call the "Sword and Sandals" genre. Other movies in this category are Troy, Immortals, 300, to give everyone a basis for my classification. This movie is absolutely outstanding from the acting, storyline, characters, and action, all the way down to the costumes.
For me, it has stood the test of time over the last 14 years and is one of those movies I could watch no matter what. If my wife and I have a long weekend, or a rainy day we either go to one of the extended edition LOTR movies or Gladiator. It draws us in every time and has never failed to disappoint.
Though Russell Crowe is the main character and I absolutely love his performance in this, my favorite performance has to go to Joaquin Phoenix. He makes the movie what it is as the villain and I don't believe it would have been as good without him.