A Great Film...But Not As Good As Awards Make It To Be

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2001)

I watched "Gladiator" last night to see if it deserved to win over "Traffic" at the Golden Globes. And while I still think "Traffic" is better, "Gladiator" still proved to be a really good film. However, I don't think it was the best film of the year.
The story begins in wartime b/w Rome and Germania. Maximus (Russel Crowe) is the general of the Roman army, and he leads them into battle. To sum it up, they kick major Germanian army booty in a really bloody battle (if you are intensely disturbed and grossed out at this point, don't continue watching the film). Anyway, the Emperor of Rome currently is all proud of Maximus, and it turns out he really admires Maximus after his good work all these years, which, of course, sparks intense jealousy from an already "bad dude" Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the current emperor's son. So when Commodus becomes Emperor, he orders Maximus to be killed. But Maximus dodges being killed, returns home to find his family dead, and then while wandering around lost, he's picked up by some salesmen and is held as a slave. He's then sold as a gladiator. The rest of the story chronicles him being a gladiator that sort of teaches Rome with his fighting and rebellious ways to be more powerful than the Emperor...which Commodus isn't too happy about.
This was a better movie than I thought it would be. The story was good: it was creative, pretty, touching, and interesting all rolled together.
The acting was exceptional. Russel Crowe captured the intensity of Maximus' feelings and displayed them well for the audience to intake. Connie Nielsen was convincing as Commodus' sister. But the best performance in the whole movie was Joaquin Phoenix as the nasty Emperor of Rome, Commodus Caesar. He gave his character an evil that was seen through coyness and nastiness, both blended to give Commodus that bad guy touch that really makes you fear and hate him...and yet he seems so innocent at times. The only other time I've seen a performance like that is when Topher Grace played slimeball Seth Abrams in "Traffic".
I loved the cinematic artwork in this movie, namely seen during the first battle in the story. The camera dissolves and movement were all used to just make you say, "Wow!" throughout the whole movie. I also liked the color usage: blues for outside scenes at the beginning battle, brownish oranges for inside, brightness in the gladiator arena, and darkness surrounding the Emperor. These techniques managed to turn a summer popcorn movie into a piece of art that can be appreciated through many movie goer's eyes.
This film is definitely in my top 5 of 2000. While I personally think "Traffic" is the best film of the year, I won't ask, "How much money was under the table?" if this movie wins the prize.
I give it an 8/10, being it was a little overly long. Length wasn't the problem; after all, "Traffic" was 147 minutes and I loved every minute. But unlike "Traffic", "Gladiator" got really boring at times and I found myself looking at my VCR clock a little too constantly.