Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 5.0
A beautifully realized film.
We had grown used to Ridley Scott missing in action when it came to story concept, plotline and story elements. He seems to have gotten away with these shortcomings because his taste for visual aesthetics is peerless. He is one of the few working directors whose grasp of visual beauty is constant and always gratifying.In Gladiator, we are once again surprised because the grapevine said that the script was not really finished at the start and it kept changing with more than one writer in the pot mix. Indeed, the Gladiator story is superficial and the concept as old as the hills of Rome, but one can hear an old song once more beautifully rendered. Unquestionably, this is a beautifully realized film. It has all the elements, including a great lead player and solid supporting cast. Here, we bid good-bye to Oliver Reed, who died with three scenes left undone. The scenes are not missed, but some of us will miss Reed.This DVD, especially the Extended Edition with lots of background features, is a keeper, thanks to an extraordinary filmmaker and company.