Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 5.0
The Most Entertaining Picture of the Year
Gladiator has all the makings of an extraordinarily entertaining film: intense action, thrilling sound track, solid acting, and, of course, Russell Crowe. Ridley Scott put together an awe-inspiring film of epic proportions. The recreated Rome is stunning, especially the Coliseum. If there is a downside to this movie, its that the action sequences are just too exciting, leaving the audience a little bored with the dramatic aspects of the film. But no worries; there is always an action sequence lurking around the corner.Russell Crowe puts in a great performance, and he handles the action sequence with the same ease as he handles the dramatic sequences (Anyone who's seen "The Insider" knows this man can act). Lesser-knowns Connie Nelson and Joaquin Phoenix put in solid performances as well. Joaquin Phoenix seems especially well suited as the evil emperor Commodus.Historians are bound to have problems with the inaccuracies of this film, but "Gladiator" isn't meant to be a lesson in history. It's meant to excite, and it does that extremely well.The DVD edition of the film is exceptionally well done, featuring a documentary of the history of the gladiators (that's where you can get your lesson in history), and a great assortment of parts that were cut from the film with director commentary. If you're looking for a great film to add to your DVD collection, you can't go wrong with "Gladiator."