A fascinating picture of ancient Rome.

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2005)

"Gladiator" is Ridley Scott's attempt at a sword-and-sandal epic, with Russell Crowe at the helm as Maximus. And it doesn't disappoint. The picture is beautiful, Scott pulls out all the stops with scenery, costumes, weapons, and (the most important) faces. This is a country who is recovering from brutal wars against the Germanic tribes who are, at this time, trying to take down this vast kingdom.
Maximus (Russell Crowe) is an instant fan-favorite. There is no growing up for this strapping military genius, he already knows his stuff. All we have to do is sit back and watch him do business. He outwits the antagonist to the point where he is in control (to understand this feet is to understand a Gladiator's position in the Roman caste). The villain, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) plays a pathetic and sadistic young man who, much in the fashion of Macbeth, descends into darkness and uses violent means to achieve a position that was supposedly taken from him.
"Gladiator" is worth seeing. The only complaint I give is the watering down of the characters who are devoid of any complexity, Ridley Scott tries too hard to distinguish who's who. He doesn't let the viewer decide. He might as well have his characters yell out, "Hate me! I just killed a good guy!" It would have been nice to see Maximus show a little of his darker side to the audience. A man who is a victim of a tyrannical dictator, a man who suffered the hanging and burning of his son and wife is not made of complete honor and integrity. At least not in reality.
8/10