Great Fun, and often unfairly criticized

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2001)

Several people have criticized Gladiator for it`s so called historical inaccuracies. So what? If people want absolute realism, plausibility and accuracy, they should watch a documentary. They should not expect the aforementioned qualities from a fictional feature film, even if it shows events and people that actually existed. What people should concentrate on are the dramatic and technical qualities this film has; The performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Phoenix's. He manages to make the viewer pity as well as hate the character of Commodus. Russell Crowe also turns in yet another fine performance. There is fine support from Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Honsou and, above all, the late, great, Oliver Reed. The script, though not the highlight of the film, was in general very good, and the cinematography was marvellous. On the whole, Gladiator is hugely enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure, action and drama. 9.5/10