The epic is back....with a bang!

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2000)

"Gladiator" redoes most of the plot of "Fall of the Roman Empire", and steals its stoical Gladiatorial hero from "Spartacus", but it outdoes both in terms of tension, excitement and sheer gob smacking spectacle. From the Private Ryan style opening battle, which makes Braveheart look like a picnic, to the genuinely affecting final death scene for hero Maximus, with a succession of stunning set pieces along the way, "Gladiator" delivers powerful, gripping, thought-provoking entertainment. The acting is particularly fine (Crowe, Reed, Harris of course, but also an impressive Joacquin Pheonix) and one scene in particular goes straight into my top ten movie moments : the airship style shot of the Collosseum, as if the Cup Final were being played between Ostia FC and Capitoline Utd. Good to see Ridley back on form!