The movie rocked the collisseum

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2000)

Drawing the line between martyrdom and heroism is what makes Ridley Scott's Roman epic, Gladiator, such a powerful and moving movie. Using some computer generated shots as well as a cast of extremely talented actors, Scott beautifully creates a fictional story that shows the start of Rome's eventual downfall. I don't know too much about the history of Rome, but I didn't need to in order to enjoy this five star movie. Despite all the action and bloodshed, the humanistic issues are what bring this movie above any Hollywood anti-hype it would otherwise get.
There wasn't much to this movie that I didn't like. Graphically, there were some great matte scenes of the city and the bird's-eye view of the opening battles added to the war-like feel of the movie (however this scene reminded me a little too much of the Gungans- Droids scene in Phantom Menace). All the gladiator battle sequences were great- brilliantly choreographed and superb in cinematography. The shots were rapid fire, not allowing the viewer to focus on any one image for an extensive amount of time, but slowing down before the victory. Thus, the movie felt like it was more action packed, albeit bloody. The themes of the movie, "Strength and Honor," were always in my mind and reinforced the concept of the tragic heroism of Maximus. Maximus wouldn't be a martyr, nor would Commodus have him that way, so the element of tragic heroism overshadows the movie. Because of this feeling and the intense acting that Russell Crowe puts into his character, the closing scene was extremely moving, almost bringing tears to my eyes. Adding to the emotion is excellent scoring by Klaus Badelt, Lisa Gerrard, and Hans Zimmer. The classical music gives movement to the slow scenes as well as the fast paced battles, yet doesn't detract from the story itself. Maximus deals with human issues such as death, honesty and trust, and loyalty to a cause he believed in. Gladiator was probably one of the best movies I've seen in a while and although it is rather gory with several heads getting sliced off and a lot of bloodshed, the movie as a whole comes through as something that is definitely worthwhile seeing. It probably wouldn't surprise me if some Oscar nominations are given to this movie, either to Crowe or Phoenix, but that won't be for another year. Definitely a must-see movie.