who cares about historical inaccuracy?

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2001)

GLADIATOR is a fantastic achievement in modern filmmaking. I never expected to ever see another Roman epic, but Ridley Scott has proved it is possible. What's so great about this movie is that it has a really entertaining and enthralling storyline, not just special effects and action (although it has a lot of that): it knows how to make us care about the people in it and how to develop a sense of style and elegance (thanks to director Ridley Scott). The movie is fueled by a number of powerhouse performances: Russell Crowe is perfect as the title character, I loved Oliver Reed as Proximo, and Joaquin Phoenix made a perfectly hissable villain. I was amazed at how exciting this movie was. Although the opening battle sequence is not very promising, with its confusing, chaotic editing, after that it's just uphill: the film will send you on roller-coaster ride of nonstop thrills. The effects are very well done: there is a scene where we see Commodus arrive at Rome as the new emperor that's absolutely breathtaking. I also loved the way they recreated the Colosseum. Parts of this movie are truly awe-ispiring. The fights in the arenas are spectacularly sensational. I must also mention John Mathieson's absolutely beautiful cinematography and Hans Zimmer's perfect music score. Some scenes where Mathieson's visuals and Zimmer's music mix are undescribably beautiful and breathtaking. The entire film is beautiful: just about any frame of it would make a really good poster to stick on the wall. I recommend this film to those who appreciate to finest things in life.