Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 5.0
Not as much pomp and a lot more circumstance
What do you do when everything that could be done in a gladiator movie has been done? And the script is right out of the old Charles Bronson revenge movies for having family unjustly dispatched by evil authority. There can never be another, "Ben-Hur" (1959), a movie made in its time, for its time, and an untouchable classic.This gladiator movie is for today's audience and may someday become a classic. Instead of having a splashy image like John Wayne, Russell Crowe has to blend in with the movie and the story. He must be ruthless and compassionate almost at the same time.Of course if you just concentrate on Russell Crowe, you will miss many other great actors, not the least of which is Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus. You can see him again as Brother Cadfael in "A Morbid Taste for Bones".What is this? The new Roman Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). See Joaquin again as Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line."Although there is quite a substantial amount of displayed hemoglobin, this is not the main purpose of the movie. And I guarantee that you will be glued to the set with out even realizing it.Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]