A new classic

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2000)

Ridley Scott has built a better Spartacus! Gladiator brings the old Hollywood glory of Ben-Hur (and even a touch of tongue-in-cheek bad humour a la Caligula) into a new age where it is difficult to tell where real life ends and the CGI begins. The story, the acting (particularly the last performance of Oliver Reed), the scale and the sentiments of Gladiator set a new standard for epic film-making. Breathtaking on the big screen.