Ancient Rome lives again, supercool Crowe in this summer's certain Smash-hit

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2000)

"Gladiator" certainly is one of the very few movies this year everybody's been waiting for. And the waiting was sure worth it. In short, "Gladiator" gives you everything you might expect from it. It does not deliver less, neither does it deliver more: Half-hearted attempts to put more weight on the political issues of the Roman Empire don't work very well, and comments on the decadence that led the Empire into its destruction seem too much put on. These things only speed down a plot that is so action-packed, it would have satisfied the audience without that much thought-provoking stuff.
In fact, it will make the audience cheer and yell for more, just like a long time ago in the Colosseum. Ridley Scott delivers visual images that are so intense and powerful, so detailled and simply HUGE, you feel like they were made for battlefield paintings the size of the Empire State Building (horizontal, that is). But the most unforgettable thing about "Gladiator" is Russell Crowe. His performance is simply beyond human. When Crowe stands in the dusty arena of Rome's Colosseum, making his already legendary revenge oath, you are simply blown away by his tremendous charisma. A look into his eyes, and you think that the concept of honor was not invented for him, but by him. After you have seen "Gladiator" you will certainly know what ancient Rome looked like (especially when it was Partytime in the Colosseum). You will not understand Rome's political situation, for the movie gives wrong facts (intendedly) and just doesn't work in this direction. But hey, nobody wants politics in this movie, anyway. It rocks, you will enjoy it, and you will yell for more. A Gladiator's work: Give the audience what it wants to see. They will love you for it.