There is a barely hinted-at past between Maximus and Lucilla, and the film leaves open the question of whether Lucilla s son, Lucius, is Maximus child. Commodus makes several incestuous advances against his sister, Lucilla. Frequent and extreme. The film opens with a headless Roman soldier on horseback and the Germanic leader taunting the Romans with the soldier s head. Opening battle scene shows men impaled by spears, pinned to trees by arrows, and frequent killing by sword.
Gladiatorial combat features just about every possible way to kill a man short of nuclear weapons.
Still, the gruesome images burn deep. Emperor drinks wine. Gladiator is a great film cinematically. The acting is powerful and the story is strong, even if it is a bit of a rehash of the Ben-Hur story without the redemptive ending. I then realized that the degeneracy shown on screen Emperor Commodus happily clapping his hands as a gladiator is decapitated, the crowd roaring its bloodlust is too close to some forms of entertainment today, particularly professional wrestling.