Words cannot do this movie justice

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2000)

I went to see Gladiator fully expecting to be completely bored out of my mind. Instead I came out of the movie with a new all-time favorite. I can't decide where to start on what I liked most. The acting was absolutely brilliant. I have a great amount of respect for Russell Crowe now, due to the strength and compassion he put into this film. However, I feel that Joaquin Phoenix did the best job in acting. He took a character that could have been one huge cliche, and turned him into a sadistic and cruel villian that you actually had a reason to despise.This preformance alone has turned me into a huge fan. All people involved in this film are deserving of any awards they might receive. The manner in which the film was shot was breath-taking. From Germanian forests to Rome, the scenery in this film is amazing. I am also a huge fan of the soundtrack. Rarely has a soundtrack nearly brought me to tears, but this one does almost any time I hear it. Listening to it alone brings back emotions that I've never felt listening to a soundtrack. It's about time that there is a film out there now that makes you want to cheer for the hero, hiss at the villian and see the movie over and over again. Hopefully Hollywood will follow suit with more films like this in the near future.