Echoes in Eternity...

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2009)

When I first watched this movie I had never before seen any of Ridley Scott's or Russell Crowe's work. After having seen it I tried to familiarize myself with all of their work, but none have matched the caliber of this film.
One of the greater points of this film is its acting. Crowe brings us this broken man with nothing to live for but revenge, but who comes to understand that he must fight (and fight he shall) for something much more than personal glory. Joaquin Phoenix brings us a tormented emperor who after feeling betrayed by his father, and who trys to find the love he failed to find from his father in the Roman crowds. In his final film role, Oliver Reed plays a former gladiator who tries to catch some of the glory that basks of his trainees, in an effort to reclaim the feeling of winning the crowd.
But in my opinion, the films highest point is in its score. Hans Zimmer composes a score for the ages that fits perfectly with every scene, whether it is Maximus riding into battle, Commodus scheming against the senate, or the unforggetable climax.
In short: Gladiator is a masterpiece. It is an instant classic, a tearjerker, a thrill, and any other adjective noun that can be thought of, an easily deserving of any award it should receive.