brilliant period drama

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2006)

The passionate patriotic character of Maximus is fighting a battle for Marcus Aurelius, the previous emperor before his tragic death, to make Rome a better place but Aurelius' son Commodus wants to run Rome his own way.
The plots consistent with passionate emotional dialogue from each character. There are many different opinions being harassed around in different societies and through the use of battles and family story lines the film enables audience to really feel a passion behind the character's lives.
The battle scenes, sword fighting etc are beautifully directed allowing audiences to see graphic scenes of violence which conforms to the war drama genre. It's a very gripping story and reflects the context perfectly.
The costume design and setting help to conform to the time in which the film was set and through the use of old time values including slavery and money we are thrust deep within character and society values.
Russell Crowe (Master and Commander) won an Oscar for best actor in a leading role and although I wasn't a huge fan of his character at certain points during the film I can tell that he acted his heart you and deserved his award for playing the emotional yet strongly determined soldier.
The interplay between the characters is also strong and creates fantastic tension for the story to thrive upon, especially between maximus and Commodus.
The passion behind each character's actions is remarkable, especially Maximus' antics. It's a truly remarkable story that reflects the time perfectly through the emotion, social values, costumes and settings (the Coliseum is tremendous) being a fan of war, period and drama genres this film was perfect and if you are into any of those genres then i definitely recommend this Oscar winning epic. i believe it is a must watch for anyone actually because it is that good.