A Riveting Movie

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2000)

Chances are you know something of this movie, and have heard the excellent reviews for it. This is largely to the fact that, as a summer epic, "Gladiator" is a very watchable and entertaining movie, delivering all the big-time action some want to see, while still maintaining a level of clean dialogue and plot to spark the interest of the more discerning viewer.
Russell Crowe, as the hero Maximus, is very good. He is excellent at playing the outraged but moral good guy stuck in a position he can do nothing about (a la L.A. Confidential), and he is brawny enough to pull off the action hero look.
I especially liked Joaquim Phoenix here. The part he plays, the new Caesar Commodus, is partially based on fact (unlike the entirely fictional Maximus). He's the only one here who really manages to convey the sense of decadence and depravity that pervaded the upper classes of Roman society during its decline. In my mind, Phoenix stole every scene he was in.
There are a couple problems. For one, director Ridley Scott (who did Alien, amongst others) concentrates more on heads getting chopped off then what could have been a rather engaging plotline, which is reduced to the bare points necessary to drive the action. This movie also falls into the ridiculous assumption Hollywood always seems to make that the upper class of any society has a British accent; it may not be a huge deal, but it's a pet peeve, and it makes no sense. Why would there be any particular accent? The battle scenes, while exceedingly bloody, are also a bit contrived, and don't seem real at all. Scott also makes some incredibly obvious attempts at symbolism using background colors that no one will miss, and it loses some significance because it's just so obvious.
All in all, this was a very good movie. It was fun to watch, and I was entertained for 2 1/2 hours. The combination of action, good acting, and semi-intriguing plot makes this a shining example of the blockbuster epic, sure to entertain just about anyone.