Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 5.0
Will make cinematic history in 2001
Thanks for the marvels of computer-enhanced graphics! The plot of this film is very similar to that of "The Fall of the Roman Empire" starring Stephen Boyd, Christopher Plummer, Sophia Loren, Alec Guinness, et al.; made in 1964. There's no doubt "Gladiator" took some big bucks to make just like "The Fall of the Roman Empire", but modern technology makes the scenes more realistic-looking in "Gladiator". Russell Crowe is convincing as one of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius's generals named Maximus who gets the shaft from the evil son Commodus. After Maximus is reduced to a gladiator fighting for his life and has his wife and son murdered, he successfully fights his way back to a showdown with Commodus. I don't know if the events portrayed in this flick are historically accurate, but they do make for an exciting adventure.