Excellent movie, unfortunate that the General misses human emotions.

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2000)

This movie left me with the expression of just one man: The Gladiator. The rest I forgot as soon as the credit titles began. I was impressed and that says a lot for someone who sees about three movies every two weeks in the past years. When I think about what impresses me about this character, who is actually just an ordinary hero, almost invincible, who can slaughter six man in a few seconds without blinking his eyes... what made this character so different, then I come to the conclusion: his modesty. Never before I have seen a Man this Great and yet so modest. And because THAT is what makes this movie so special, what leaves you with feelings of admiration for this Great General (`It's just a movie!', you keep telling yourself), the choice of Russell Crowe as actor seems excellent. However, this movie could have been so much better, if only Crowe would have shown more humanity. What I miss is (emotional) pain: what this man did go through in his live should have left marks in his face, in his eyes that saw more then an ordinary man can bare. Unfortunately, in this respect his character is rather flat, emotion-less almost. That makes him not-so-human, and therefore touches the spectator less deep in his heart. Too bad; not perfect, but still excellent.