Great Cast but way too graphic.

Rating: Null/10 (3 March 2006)

With an excellent cast led by Russell Crowe and amazing special effects that really transport you in time to ancient Rome, it is not widely known that this film is really a remake of the 1960's film, "The Fall of the Roman Empire" starring Steven Boyd in Crowe's part, Christopher Plummer in Juaqin Phoenix's role as Commodus , Sophia Loren in Connie Neilson's part as Lucilla and Alec Guinness in Richard Harris's role as Marcus Aurelius.
Were it not for the extremely excessive violence, this might have been a great film. But the violence in the arena is so unnecessary graphic it should have had a higher rating. It strives to titillate and shock the viewer in the same sadistic way that the actual games in Rome were meant to do. Granted (and thankfully) there of course is no actual loss of life. But it is way too shocking and not for children at all. Our culture has become too used to excessive and too realistic violence.
Were most people to ever see the real thing in either battle or growing up in a rough neighborhood as I did; I doubt they would take it so lightly or be able or willing to view such abuses.
One of the few films I've seen in recent years where violence is used to the film's credit was "Saving Private Ryan", where the viewer can experience the sheer insanity of war and the amazing courage of those who fight. A great anti-war film. But all Gladiator accomplishes is to further desensitize the viewer through the film's version of "shock and awe".