Spectacular!

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2000)

Ridley Scott has breathed new life into the sword and sandal epic with Gladiator. Using modern visual effects, Gladiator shows us a Rome that hasn't been seen since, well Roman times. There is a thriving metropolis and at the center of this mass of humanity is the coloseium. Ridley Scott's films are wonders of art direction and costume design and Gladiator is no exception. The sumptuousness of Rome in its heyday is wonderful to look at. With all of the eye candy that Scott gives you, you almost forget that there is a story unfolding, and it's quite a story. Russell Crowe gives a strong performance as Maximus, the disgraced Roman general. Juaquin Phoenix is perfectly sniveling and underhanded as the newly crowned emperor Commodus. There are scenes of quiet treachery and intrigue and then there are scenes of blood stirring combat in the arena. Gladiator is an epic that spares no expense in giving you thrills from ancient Rome.