Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 5.0
Authentic Weaponry--Awesome Cinematography--Alright Story
The three best movie depictions of hand-to-hand combat with edged weapons are "Ran," "Braveheart," and "Gladiator." "Ran" is most lyrical, "Braveheart" most personal, and "Gladiator" most panoramic. Each captures a different feel for masses of men madly hacking at each other.I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but "Gladiator's" weaponry and armor seem to be as accurate as possible. Roman field pieces included both onagers (rock throwers) and catapults (arrow shooters). The gladius (short sword) was right on. The pilum (javelin)looked authentic enough. The helmets and body armor match up pretty well with illustrations from the history books. The array of the Germanic troops seemed accurate enough, but I believe some liberties were taken with Roman battle array and maneuver. I'm not so sure that Greek Fire was used as early as Marcus Aurelius.As for the story itself, Maximus proved the perfect hero: competent, courageous, and committed. He had physical strength, skill with weaponry, and was a sagacious commander. He had the martial courage to face an enemy in mortal combat, the material courage to fight through physical adversity, and the moral courage to say "No" to a capricious, all powerful Emperor. He was committed to his family, his moral code, and his country. The mix of courage and commitment lead him to murderous conflict with the mad Emperor Commodus, resulting in a dramatically satisfying but historically inaccurate denouement.The story would have been greatly improved with a little more judicious use of the scissors. It needed to be about 30 minutes shorter.