Best film I've seen for years

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2000)

Heroic performance from Russell Crowe. Oscars all round for this film.
Not your normal blood and guts epic, but one in which the hero, Maximus, has genuine feelings, that are conveyed brilliantly by Crowe.
I hope he does not get saddled with too many hero type pictures as he is capable of far more. I believe we still have yet to see the best from this Antipodean actor, but this performance was not far off.
Brilliant story, well acted, well told and also a special mention for Oliver Reed who gave his best performance (even though he was unable to finish the movie) for years.