Swords, sandals, battlefields and an amazingly poignant struggle at its core  it has all you could ask for in an epic Roman saga, plus well-placed flair and fury.

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2006)

"They tell me your son squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again and again... and again."
Gladiator is an amazing story of revenge. It is a story of one man's struggle to challenge the emperor of Rome, wearing nothing but slaves' attire, being sold as a gladiator for the people's morbid amusement, and seeking vengeance for having his family murdered through these 'games'. It is also a political story about justice in the midst of corruption, interwoven with swords, sandals and battlefields á la epic war saga. This, my friends, is a true underdog story with a hero so poignant that it is impossible not to be engrossed in his struggle.
Whatever _I_ will say about this film will simply be semi-coherent, rambling praise as I like the works of Ridley Scott so much. However, far from everyone liked Gladiator (2000). Roger Ebert disliked it. Moviegoers criticized it for being unoriginal  a mild rip-off of Spartacus (1960) and the likes. It may have been warmly received by the Academy, but audiences were very divided when it was released. I'd like to think that I am usually able to see things from other people's perspective, but just this once, how could you not be entertained?
So although I usually trust Roger Ebert a great deal, I have absolutely no idea what he was on about in panning the film for its gloomy tone and "muddy, fuzzy and indistinct" skies. Maybe he simply forgot to clean his widescreen TV, because the Gladiator I know sees hugely epic games under a brilliant blue sky in the coliseum, a glorious tournament that is so entertaining because of its flair. The final battle has ROSES RAINING FROM THE SKY! It does not get more vivid or colourful than that.
These battle-scenes of Gladiator are, of course, extremely well tended to by Ridley Scott who is the master at crafting epic war scenarios (see, I told you fanboy-praise would sneak its way in!). The patient, slow pacing of the film seems to take a sudden halt here, and then fast-forward in an amazingly rapid-fire pace with quick shots, swinging swords, vivid skies and a great score by Hans Zimmer to further emphasize the dramatic mood.
The very culmination of this is not at the end, but rather early. It is the moment that Maximus (a superb Russell Crowe) removes his helmet, reveals his identity and faces the emperor, after a long and ferocious battle. It is a scene so poignant that I always wish it would have been saved until later on in the film, thereby giving it even more weight. But no matter, because rest assured that it is goosebumps-inducing enough.
A gloriously entertaining, heartfelt and carefully crafted war adventure by Ridley Scott in which little feels missing or incomplete. What more could you ask for? Great acting from the cast, I suppose  well, this is also present in Gladiator. Best of all, the actors have good dialogue to work with so they don't choke on the dated lines. Russell Crowe propels this film with his heroic personality, Connie Nielsen adds introspective depth, and Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as the twisted but idealist emperor Commodurus.
9/10