A potent motion picture depicting loyalty, corruption, and slavery in the most brutal, uncompromising fashion.

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2010)

The release of Gladiator helped significantly in consolidating Ridley Scott's reputation as a master filmmaker. His best two works are still Alien, and Blade Runner made in the early 1980s. But Gladiator has been a cause of optimism for Scott, a box-office success, as well as being nominated for twelve Oscars, bagging five, including best picture. It's a confidence booster for the premier director whose works in the 1990s have been mediocre by his own towering standards.
A visual spectacle, Gladiator combines elements from Spartacus, and Ben-Hur, and is made in the tradition of classic epics, but enhanced with modern special effects technology. The result is a potent motion picture depicting loyalty, corruption, and slavery in the most brutal, uncompromising fashion, set in medieval Rome. The level of cinematography accomplished is of the highest standard, capturing Rome in astonishing detail, yet with a certain degree of credibility. The film is 2.5 hours long, but Scott keeps it tightly paced, without going overboard with fancy editing.
Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix provide the two supporting pillars, carrying the bulk of the film on their shoulders, giving a powerhouse, and devilish display respectively. Gladiator would only be half as engaging without Hans Zimmer rousing, grandeur score. It's a perfect complement to the visuals. Gladiator comes at a crucial time when the epic genre seems almost non-existent since Mel Gibson's Braveheart. It started a trend of similar films such as King Arthur but those are cheap offerings that makes us appreciate Gladiator even more.
SCORE: 9/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!