Major disappointment

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 2000)

When I first heard about this movie, I was excited to say the least. Intense gladiator fighting set to the backdrop of the Roman Empire...AND Russell Crowe? An offer I couldn't refuse. So, I went to see and well, to say the least, it was pitiful. The plot was okay but there was far too much of it. Not to say that I was hoping for all bloody battles but it would have been nice to have seen more considering that the movie is about fighting. The acting was okay, Crowe pulls in a fairly good performance but Phoenix as some character whose name I can't remember is the real star of the movie putting in a brilliant performance as Rome's new emperor. (Saying anything else would ruin plot). But, I think that this movie did have promise. Perhaps I should have waited for it to come out on tape...