Ridley Scott's defining masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2019)

Gladiator is the prime example of filmmaking at its best: massive set pieces, honest acting, and a plot to back up the gravity of the scenes. Moving from the forests of Germany and the fighting pits of Zucchabar, before culminating in the Colosseum of Rome, Scott's historical epic flows seamlessly. Russell Crowe gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the grizzled but vengeful Maximus, plotting a course back to the Emperor Commodus (equally brilliantly played by Joaquin Phoenix). The fighting pits emulate the unrest within the capital, as discord grows between the emperor and the Senate.
Fighting scenes are appropriately epic: realistic imagery and brutal military style are on full show, accentuated by the devotion paid to the costume design of the film. Hans Zimmer is, as usual, perfect in scoring the film, adding both a solemness to darker scenes, whilst capturing the heat of battle when required. The fine acting is merely the icing on the cake. Not a wrong step is taken, from the leads down to the more minor roles (a personal favourite is Djimon Hounsou as Maximus' gladiatorial ally Juba).
Gladiator comes together perfectly in all facets of film - there is a perfectly good reason this is such a highly acclaimed film, and for all the right reasons. Ridley Scott has earned his reputation here.