Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
simple addendum
A spectacular movie with wonderful extras on the disc, this is one for the collection. Without recycling the same ideas already stated some 500 times before me, I'd like to add that what is wonderful about Joaquin Phoenix's performance in particular is that he doesn't simply make his character fall into the typical villain stereotypes, but rather provides his Commodus with a depth and resourcefulness that make him truly understandable. Treacherous and menacing he may be, but the new Emperor is also wounded, emotionally, perhaps more deeply than any other character in the film. His character might have been the focus of a movie which aimed at creating Shakespeareanesque tragedy rather than heroic epic. The plot, of course, demands resolution in traditional style, but Phoenix does not allow the complexity of Commodus' character to be lost. Bravo!