Absolutely the best of 2000!

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2001)

It's been a year today since I first saw "Gladiator" at the movies and it's beyond me why it took me so long to write a review for it but here it is now. Russell Crowe plays the title role (Maximus) to perfection and makes it impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Winning an Oscar as Best Actor (it was really a consolation prize for his loss last year for "The Insider") made me VERY happy and he was very humble and dignified while making his acceptance speech at the Oscars in March. Joaquin Phoenix made an incredible breakthrough as the villain Commodus and should have won the supporting actor Oscar for his performance, while Miss Connie Nielsen is convincing as Lucilla, Commodus' sister and Maximus' love interest (but only as a lukewarm love interest since he has eyes really for his late wife). The sets which also should have won (they lost to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but the brilliant costumes won so there is some consolation in that) and the score as well. The Academy is just getting more and more benevolent in regards to splitting the awards evenly between several different movies. But "Gladiator" by far is the winner of the year. Viva la Crowe!!!