A superb insight into the intrigues of power in ancient Rome.

Rating: 9/10 (27 May 2000)

I went just reluctantly to see Gladiator, with the idea that it would fall wide short of Spartacus, but I was mistaken. Its 150 minutes passed quick as lightning; after the first time I saw it I was so amazed that I couldn't quite make up my mind as to the real quality of the piece, so I read some reviews and talked to some pals and got multifarious feelings that ranged from `A royal stunts-and-special-effects surrounding a void' to `A landmark that will get all the Oscars'; so I decided to enjoy it again and make myself clear. This movie has an excellent plot of noticeable roundness, full to the brim with nerve and surprise. Though it hasn't all the appeal to me of Spartacus, it doesn't lack depth. A weak point: It spares too much in blood and crudeness, which would be very valuable not for morbid curiosity's sake but as an effective means to represent the most brutal aspects of the Roman Empire and to make us reflect on the value of human rights nowadays and when compared to the most sophisticated of ancient civilizations. A good movie for lovers of both Schwarzenneger and Stanley Kubrick.