The second time it's even better!

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2000)

I have seen the Gladiator twice and it was even better the second time (which says all about the film). The parallels to Ben Hur (another of my favorites) are extremely strong: the good guy vs. the bad guy, both important persons, both of the same age, the goodlooking but not flashy hero of unwaivering moral integrity, who never lets fury get the better of him (even if provoked), who loses everything he has in life (both lose their family, both lose their status, both become slaves) but nevertheless regains happiness (Ben Hur not only finds his sister and mother but also christian faith, Maximus meets his wife and son after death, another reminder of christian faith.) For all these common aspects, Russell Crowe gives Maximus enough personality to create an entirely new hero.
I think the plot is well written, the story intense, the shooting and the computer graphics great. 2 1/2 hrs pass like nothing. I especially appreciated the lack of the nowadays nearly inevitable (but in most cases not only superfluous but also boring) sex-scenes and the happy end that left Maximus with his family and not (out of character) with a new (or old) love.