If you can stand the gore, it's a good movie

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2000)

Seems to take liberties with some aspects of history, but is close enough that it's more accurate than most stuff coming out of Hollywood. The fight scenes are excellent and the fact that a man could do what the main character did seems impossible. The production was great with epic proportions and worthy of an Oscar.
The acting was good though at times fair. The power of the story and plot carries this movie. The scenes and confrontations are memorable and powerful. Russell Crowe did an excellent job convincing me he was who he was playing, but the best performance was put out by Oliver Reed. He was magnificent as the slave owner of the gladiators. I thought it was him when I first saw the character, but was not sure till the end credits as he protrayed the tough old gracious retired obviously successful gladiator of times gone by. The performances of the young emperor and his sister/concubine are not as powerful, but adequate. Richard Harris does a better than expected job as the old ceasar.
If one can handle Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart you can handle this movie, though one gladiator fight sequence may out do what was in those movies.