excellent

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2000)

Gladiator, as far as I can tell, is the best roman-history movie I've ever seen. Set during Rome's conquering of Europe, Gladiator is about a good-hearted General Maximus who, after skillfully conquering Germania, is heir to the dying Marcus Caesar's empire. But when Caesar's son hears that he is not the one to inherit his dad's throne, he kills his father, proclaims himself Caesar, then arrests Maximus because of disrespect for him and kills his family. When Maximus escapes from execution and discovers of his family's death, he is picked up by Gladiator trainers and trained to be a Gladiator. The movie was really good in cinematography as the scenes of the catapults and ballistas and flaming arrows in the sky, the colosium and the inside of the arena were absolutely stunning to see. During the sword battles, things got really bloody, sometimes the battles got messy and you could not comprehend what is going on: For instance, you can hear a sword cutting flesh, but on the screen all you can see is a complete shifty blur. But still, that does not take away the spirit of the movie, with the truly fantastic acting, the cinematography, the plot, and the drama involved. There were about 2 or 3 scenes where I nearly cried. The movie involved a LOT of blood and violence, such as when Maximus uses two swords like a pair of scissors and cuts off a gladiator's head, or when a female archer falls of the chariot and is later sliced in two by the spiked rod that sticks out of the chariot wheel. If you like intense battles and good acting, along with blood and guts, look no further.