Overhyped movie, entertaining but mostly fiction

Rating: 5/10 (3 June 2001)

Many critics blasted this film yet Hollywood fell in love it. Because of the critics I did not watch it until it was shown on HBO. I was appalled with its historical inaccuracy.
Basically, Russell Crowe plays the role of a General in the Roman Army under the Roman Emperor Ceaser Marcus Aurelius, who many historians consider as one of the greatest Roman emperors. Marcus died while in Germany in 180 AD. His son, Commodus became the full emperor and made peace with the Germans.

It is at this point that the movie departs from history. In the movie, just befor Marcus Aurelius died he was going to appoint his successor. The fact is that he appointed Commodus co-emperor in 177 AD, three years before he died.
The movie makes the point that Marcus Aurelius had no confidence that his son was suitable to be emperor. That much is true and the movie asserts that he tried to appoint someone else to succeed him. That is untrue. If he considered Commodus unfit to rule, why did he make him co-ruler? Because if he hadn't, under Roman custom, his son had to die if he was not made the successor.
The story gets more bizarre as it goes on. Russell Crowe escapes execution by Commodus and his family is slain by Commodus, who does not know that Crowe is not dead. As cruel as Commodus is, it is unlikely he would have killed the family of Crowe. It would have served no purpose. In the process Crowe becomes a slave gladiator and winds up in Rome fighting as a gladiator before Commodus. So highly unlikely.
I won't give you the ending but it is pure fiction. However, I will tell you what really happened. In 182 Commodus' sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators. Thereafter, his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. In 186 he had his chief minister executed in order to appease the army; three years later he allowed the minister's successor to be killed by a rioting crowd. Political influence then passed to the emperor's mistress and two advisers.
Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. Finally, when Commodus announced that he would assume the consulship on Jan. 1, 193, dressed as a gladiator, the public became incensed. On Dec. 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by a champion wrestler.