Breath taking

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2000)

Although I've since been soured on Russell Crowe as a human being, this movie is excellent. It's graphic, yes. Too much for my taste, but the fact that this is one of my favorite movies says a lot in that the graphic nature of the fight scenes doesn't diminish my enthusiasm for the wonder of this film. All parts are cast well, right down to the young son of the Caesar's daughter. Usually child actors' inability to act distracts me from the plot, but this boy didn't steal the scenes nor did he deliver unbelievable lines. He was just there, and that was good. I would recommend this in the theater but also to own at home. Its message isn't preachy, its story is captivating.