Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 3.0
Despite Spectacle, Gladiator is NOT for Everyone.
I very much enjoyed the visual mastery of this film. Scott's direction, as always, is top-notch. Cinematography, art direction, costumes . . . everything visual about this film is dead-on. Unfortunately the movie too often slips into passages of such extremely grotesque violence that my enjoyment of the film was diminished. Also distracting is a storyline which lacks depth and originality.This is not a bad film by any means. It is certainly an accurate depiction of what life may have been like for a Roman Gladiator. I'm just not sure it's something I needed to see in such gory detail.The true gem in this film, along with superior visuals, is the amazing performance of Joaquin Phoenix.