One of the all time best

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2017)

"The Gladiator" follows the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius, a fictional General in the Roman army set during the historical era of Marcus Aurelius' reign as Emperor of the Roman Empire. It's important to remember when watching this film that it's not historically accurate but rather a sort of "fan fiction"
What makes this movie so great for me is the broad spectrum of narratives in the film itself. Ranging everything from love, friendship and heroism to hate, jealousy and vengeance. Gladiator is often cited as one of Ridley Scotts best films and rightly so as both the screenplay and cinematography are an amazing feat. It also feature one of the most iconic scores in cinema history, with brilliant work from Hans Zimmer.
Though this film isn't perfect(but then again what film ever is) and has many flaws it's not hard to find it has elements that even the best director fail at done exceptionally well, which is why it resonates with so many viewers. Its often critiqued as being massively overrated mostly by people with expectations set unrealistically high, who pick apart only whats wrong with the film and give no credit where its due, like for instance the casting of Russel Crowe to play the character of Maximus, who suited the role so well that its arguably the crowing achievement of his career because of the type of character he plays really plays well to Crowes brooding acting style.
If you're looking for a timeless classic with great effects, exceptional cast and acting talent and brilliant story line (with one of the best endings in cinema history) then look no further.
(My review for this film comes from a motivation to write a review to get the tick on the my account section on IMDb and the fact that after years of deliberation I've chosen this film as my all time favorite film.)