Six Years Later and Still the Best

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2006)

'Gladiator' was the movie that proved that sword-and-sandal epics were still economically viable, leading the way for 'Troy', 'Alexander', and 'Kingdom of Heaven'. It remains the best of the bunch, a near miracle considering that half of it was written well into production and one of the leads (Oliver Reed) died half way through filming.
The screenplay displays none of the usual problems usually associated with multiple writers and battling egos. It is structurally sound, admirably balancing action with drama, and the characters are all well rounded, complex and believable. Scott proves once again that he is one of the best director's around when it comes to 'action with a heart', and his vision of 2nd century Roman Europe is beautifully extended by flawless CGI that achieves exactly what it should while never drawing attention to itself. Arthur Max and Janty Yates, regular Scott collaborators, do an excellent job of bringing a warts-and-all grittiness and realism to the movie. Though the designs aren't that authentic (Imperial interiors were rarely all-black!), they play a large part in ridding the genre of the traditional toga-party kitsch.
The leads are excellent. It's to be expected that Richard Harris and Derek Jacobi can do this stuff in their sleep, and Djimon Hounsou has been playing the same role of proud and stoic nobility, albeit very well, ever since 'Amistad'. But Joaquin Pheonix, in his first real adult role, somehow manages to make a sympathetic character out of what amounts to a murdering, incestuous sociopath, and with all due respect to Benecio del Toro, the Oscar that year should have belonged to Pheonix. Russell Crowe, for all his off-screen nonsense, is able to consistently deliver such natural performances that he completely inhabits his characters and was fully deserving of his Oscar win.
'Gladiator' is an excellent movie  a textbook example of how these kinds of movies SHOULD be done. It's a shame that the subsequent sword-and-sandal movies haven't come close to the quality of this movie. 'Gladiator' remains the benchmark and it will be a long time before it is surpassed.