The wave broke fast. The Top 10 gladiator films of all time. Ridley Scott's epic-sized 'Gladiator' is long on action, short on wit. As with science-fiction movies, the good ones were great and the bad ones were better. Still, these gladiator films often proved to be more historically accurate than the Westerns and costume dramas of the time.
Gladiators count as one of the good parts of history, the part that can wake up a sleepy classroom.
The gladiator picture provides the average American's only exposure to the ancient world. Gladiatorial spectacle was an important part of Roman life. All Rome went to see human beings by the tens and thousands killing each other, to give the victor in the contest the signal for death, and eagerly watch the upraised dagger plunge into the helpless body and watch the blood spurt forth. This was Rome's dearest delight and her unique contribution to the world of sports. Rome had a large, hungry, discontented and landless population that could be soothed by a good circus.