Most Brilliant Film of 2000

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2001)

Gladiator was probably the most brilliant film to come out of 2000, until late december when films like Traffic and Cast Away came out and even those two films didn't amount to what Gladiator did. What pushes this film beyond it's beautiful setting and brilliant cinematography would have to be the acting. Russell Crowe outdoes his performance in "The Insider" as a moral man determined to grant Caesar Marcus Aurelius' wish of not allowing his son Commodus from taking over. Joaquin Phoenix finally has achieved a role which allows him to fully let lose as Commodus the ambitious and manipulative son of Marcus Aurelius. The reason Gladiator is so appealing to such a wide audience is because it touches many moral areas including the afterlife and longing to reunite with family. This film will undoubtably win the Best Picture oscar along with many other awards.