Gladiator Proves to be Fantastic

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2013)

The world that Director Ridley Scott depicts for us in the film "Gladiator" is like no other fictional Rome before it. It is a grim, dark, world, but beautiful, in the most gory of ways. We follow Maximus (Russell Crowe) as he crashes to the cusp of death, only to slowly slash his way back up to honor and glory. It's these battle scenes that possess the perfect balance of awesome action and gripping suspense, only multiplying as the combat becomes increasingly important to the story. The next fight is always better than the last, because the stakes raise every time Maximus meets blades with another character.
It's these violent and graphic scenes that personify the Rome that must be shown for "Gladiator" to work. We must accept Maximus' murdering and bloodshed because it seems to be the only way things are truly settled in the life of a gladiator. The violence that permeates the 155 minute picture from start to finish is necessary. It never feels overdone or boring. It is the foundation of this film, along with brilliant performances by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Pheonix, a great supporting cast, and a concise dialogue. The violent Rome is brought to us by great special effects, intense fight choreography, and the gritty camera angles that we longed for as soon as we saw Maximus in his magnificent Roman officer armor. "Gladiator" is a tale of honor and courage, in a world built on the foundations of blood and deceit, and Ridley Scott tells us the story masterfully.