Historical Euphemism par excellence

Rating: 1/10 (30 May 2000)

Watching this movie has caused me to once again wonder, how a director can manage to create images of perfect beauty, while producing such a horrible plot and dialogues that almost make me blush for just hearing them at the same time. I thought the 90s had finally brought movies with such appalling heroic pathos to an end. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Not only does Ridley Scott make usually excellent actors bring forth lines that let "The Phantom Menace" ring like Shakespeare in my ears. He also shows no scruples whatsoever twisting history around entirely and making the Roman Empire look like a benevolent pacifier. All in all, if it weren't for a few corrupt Senators and a megalomaniac young emperor, Rome seems to have had no flaws for Scott whatsoever. Ah, a little genocide here, some imperialism there...the others were all "barbarians" anyway. The only thing that really surprised me was that Russell Crowe was not draped by a flag at the end...oh, wait, that movie was about Rome, not about America, wasn't it? My mistake!