Brings new meaning to the word 'epic'...

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2001)

It's been a while since we've had a blockbuster live up to the hype. This did, despite there being little hype to speak of originally. Now everyone is talking about it, and with good reason. The cast and crew have turned in a fine film.
Crowe is magnificent as the central figure of Maximus. Along with an imposing figure, he brings acting skill to the role when many would have simply been tempted to essay the 'action hero' caricature we've seen many times before. Crowe is wonderfully competent at being both the classic 'hero' type and the man with a bit more depth behind the brawn. This role must surely have taken him to the front ranks of Hollywood's leading men.
Many of the other cast members perform extremely well too. Joaquin Phoenix delivers the sort of complex interpretation a figure of history such as Commodus doubtless deserves. No matter how much we may be rooting for Maximus, occasionally we feel sympathetic towards Commodus when he is at his most pitiful. This is a fine balance though, as never is any pity we may feel allowed to overshadow the fact that Commodus can also be spectacularly evil. I shall be watching the career of Phoenix more closely on the evidence of this performance.
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
Often, the efforts of the actresses go unnoticed in relation to their more high profile male counterparts. Not here, Connie Nielsen is also superb as a quiet heroine who the audience can will to get together with the hero.
Oliver Reed is fine in his last role, but it is Richard Harris, who, as a member of the 'old guard', reminds us all that he's been doing this sort of thing effortlessly since Crowe was in nappies (probably...) A bravura performance.
Ridley Scott, meanwhile, appears to relish a project of this magnitude. The CGI recreation of the Collosseum is magnificent, but Scott never lets such an impressive element detract from the moments of pure drama to be found in David H. Franzoni's script. Instead, he mixes astonishing set pieces with moments of human interaction seamlessly, creating a thoroughly nourishing and rewarding cinematic experience.
Proof that they might just make 'em as good as they used to...?