Roland and Mel deliver

Rating: 10/10 (15 September 2000)

I was expecting Gladiator to be Braveheart 2, but that title goes to The Patriot. What this movie has above all other movies this summer is a script. Robert Rodat, who penned Saving Private Ryan, paints this Revolutionary drama with wonderfully broad strokes, but does not forget the human aspect. Mel Gibson shows his acting chops in a characer similar to Wallace, but far more complex. However, it is Jason Isaacs that, in the spirit of Alan Rickman and Tim Roth, steals the show with his deliciously evil portrayal of Col. Tavington. What separates this epic apart from the other summer movies is Rodat's wonderful ability to evoke several different emotions. Rodat wonderfully establishes many bonds and then breaks them abruptly with the death and destruction of war. Truly there is more suffering in this movie than I have seen in almost any, and it makes the payoff at the end (you were aware that we actually win the war right?) that much better. Emmerich also is able to capture the essence of combat tactics of the day. Be it the minute-man behind the bushes style, or the open field style Emmerich milks every dramatic possibility from these old style battle tactics. All this combines to make a wonderful movie that should not be forgotten come Oscar time (especially Isaacs).