entertaining Roman epic

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2009)

Aside from its graphic violence, 'Gladiator' is quite the old-fashioned movie; you may even feel you've seen more or less the same story many times before. The plot certainly seems right out of Roman Film Epics 101 as all the reliable ingredients are there. Credit director Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe for making the familiar appear so fresh again, crafting an intriguing if not exactly mesmerizing film, winning five Academy Awards including for picture and actor and achieving great popular success at the box office. Perhaps enough time had passed for a really good gladiator flick to click with audiences, or perhaps today's crowd has never seen 'Spartacus' or some of the others. For whatever reason, they turned out in droves to see 'Gladiator,' just as the people of Rome turn out to see Crowe's Maximus defeat foe after foe in the arena. Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), the 'last good emperor' of Rome, chooses Maximus to be his successor over his own son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The son discovers this and kills his father before the succession can be announced and proclaims himself emperor. (Already, you can see where this is going.) Commodus of course is a weak figure, full of despicable traits, including having the hots for his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). All sorts of conflicts and political intrigue ensue before finally, Maximus and Commodus meet in the arena for a death match. Guess who wins, despite having been mortally wounded just prior to the contest. 'Gladiator' may be the most 'mainstream' film Ridley Scott has ever directed, very straightforward in its storytelling and without as many quirky touches as most of his other movies. Crowe, Phoenix, Harris, and Nielsen all deliver good performances, Crowe in particular winning the audience over, again, just as Maximus does in the movie itself. While there is nothing really remarkable about 'Gladiator,' it is solid entertainment and does not seem nearly as long as its running time suggests, which is always a good thing.