Gladiator
Tags: good versus evil, inspiring

Plot synopsis:
In AD 180, Hispano-Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman army to victory against the Germanic tribes near Vindobona on the Limes Germanicus. Now weary of battle, Maximus only desires to retire to his estate. But Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells him that his own son and heir, Commodus, is unfit to rule and that he will appoint Maximus as regent to help save Rome from corruption. When the Emperor reveals his plan to his son, Commodus murders him in a fit of rage.
Commodus announces he is the new Emperor and asks Maximus for his loyalty. When the general refuses, he is arrested by his officers and is sentenced to death at dawn. Maximus kills his captors and rides for his farm. He arrives too late, and finds it destroyed and his family murdered, by Commodus' orders. Maximus buries his wife and son, and then collapses from his wounds and grief. He is found by slavers who take him to Zucchabar in the North African province of Mauretania Caesariensis, where he is sold to a gladiator trainer named Proximo.
Although reluctant at first, Maximus fights in local tournaments and makes friends with two other gladiators: Juba, a Numidian who holds onto Maximus's figurines of his wife and child, and Hagen, a German. As he wins every match because of his military skills and indifference to death, he gains fame and recognition. But Proximo, who reveals that he himself was once a gladiator who fought well enough to be given his freedom, advises Maximus that being a good killer is not enough; a good gladiator is one who can "win the crowd". Proximo encourages Maximus to go to Rome and fight in the Colosseum, because Commodus has organized 150 days of games. He could then use the power he commands in the arena as leverage against the Emperor.
Maximus' first gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum is a re-enactment of the Roman victory over Carthage at the Battle of Zama. Although the gladiators (portraying the Carthaginians) are expected to be massacred, Maximus leads them to victory over the legionaries of Scipio Africanus. This prompts a surprised and delighted Commodus to enter the arena to offer his personal congratulations. When the emperor's young nephew, Lucius, also joins them, Maximus decides not to kill Commodus. Instead he reveals himself and vows to have vengeance. The Praetorian Guard is ordered to attack but this angers the crowd. Under pressure to keep the mob of Rome happy, Commodus angrily relents.
Maximus' next fight is a victory against a large undefeated gladiator. Despite Commodus's orders to kill the loser, Maximus spares his opponent's life. This defiance earns him the nickname "Maximus the Merciful" and more cheers of adulation. Angered at this outcome, Commodus enters the arena to taunt Maximus about his family's death. But the gladiator turns his back and walks away, another defiant act that is making him more popular than the Emperor.
Maximus discovers from Cicero, his ex-orderly, that his former legions remain loyal. Lucilla, Commodus' sister, and Gracchus, from the Senate, meet secretly with Maximus. He obtains their promise to help him escape Rome, rejoin his soldiers, topple Commodus by force, and hand power back to the Roman Senate. However, Commodus learns of the plot from Lucilla by threatening her son Lucius. The Praetorian Guard arrest Gracchus while others are sent to the gladiators' barracks. Maximus escapes after Proximo and his men (including Hagen) sacrifice themselves. But at the rendezvous point, Maximus is captured and Cicero is killed.
To win the crowd back, Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel in the Colosseum. However, he secretly stabs Maximus in the side before the match to gain an advantage. Nevertheless, Maximus disarms Commodus during their duel. When his Praetorian Guards refuse to give him another sword, the emperor tricks Maximus into disarming and produces a hidden knife, but Maximus drives the blade back into Commodus's throat. Maximus succumbs to his wounds shortly thereafter.
Maximus's last words are to ask for political reforms, for his gladiator allies to be freed, and for Senator Gracchus to be reinstated. While the body of Commodus is left unceremoniously on the floor of the arena, Maximus is solemnly carried away by his friends and allies to be given an honorable funeral as a "soldier of Rome". The crowd stands as a sign of respect as Maximus is carried out.
Later, a now-free Juba revisits the Colosseum at night. He buries the figurines of Maximus' wife and son at the spot where he died. He says he is now going back to his own family and promises to see Maximus again, "but not yet".

Review: The movie has a great soundtrack and a noticeable visual style that stays constant throughout the film.Horn (the bad guy) played by Brian Dennehy and his sidekick Pappy Jack played by Robert Loggia are a great combination of nastiness.
It was nice to see the relationships between all of the characters, especially between Cuba Gooding Jr. and his best friend, and their relationship with the boxing promoter.
James Marshall (A Few Good Men, Twin Peaks) stars as a young man who is forced to move to a poor neighborhood and fend for himself while his dad travels to find work and pay off his gambling debts.
He signs up with a former fighter, perfectly played by Brian Dennehey (Tommy Boy, F/X), soon he begins to form a friendship with the top boxer in the league, well-played by Cuba Gooding Jr.
After a while, the crooked boxing and an upcoming fight against a possibly brain-damaged Gooding Jr. makes Marshall re-evaluate what he's doing.
The performances of James Marshall and Brian Denehy are brilliant as are those by supporting actors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert Loggia.
Out of all the movies I've seen him in, this was his 2nd best (behind Jerry Maguire.) The rest of the cast also delivered good performances.
Any movie with Ossie Davis, Robert Loggia, and Brian Dennehy is going to be watchable, and Gladiator is no exception.
Unfortunately, this tale of two friends in the underground world of extreme boxing can't quite overcome either its poorly constructed screenplay or the weakness of leading men James Marshall and Cuba Gooding Jr. Of the two, Gooding is better, but Marshall is uniformly poor in the dramatic scenes, though perfectly fine in the action sequences.
When Gladiator concentrates on fight scenes--or when Davis, Loggia, and Dennehy are on screen--it's a more than adequate, though predictable, boxing drama.
i'm not sure why this movie has such a low rating(5.6/10),but it doesn't deserve it.by the way,this is not the Ridley Scott directed epic starring Russel Crowe.it's something entirely different.this movie is vastly entertaining.it's more than just a boxing movie.it's about heart and determination and beating the odds.and the power of friendship.usually theses kinds of movies are schmaltzy and sappy,with that rah ,rah,rah attitude.you know,we can all succeed and everything is hunky dory.but somehow,this movie avoids that clichéd feel and succeeds.maybe because there's also some realism within it.there is a heartbreaking scene in the movie which brings some sobriety to the picture.the fight scenes are well done and quite brutal at times.the movie also has a good soundtrack,with some great songs,which really elevate the emotional aspect of the movie,but it's not overdone.overall,i liked it a lot.for me "Gladiator" is a terrific film.I give it a 10/10.
If you watch it now you would compare it to the likes of Rocky and 8 Mile because of it's background set around a dead less town with nobody but dead weights.I think James Marshall is playing his best [performance of his career which isn't didn't last that long.
Tommy Riley played by Marshall is a loner and keeps himself to himself but because of this he attracts trouble on his first day in school since moving with his father who is an addictive drunk and gambler who is sorting his life out.
Punches are thrown and Tommy comes better off but they are interrupted by Pappy Jack played by Robert Loggia who scouts and looks for would be Boxer hopefuls to put them into the ring in illegal boxing.
Greed has an obvious big part to play in the film but what is great to see is how all the young characters bond well as they are into the same mess as each other but know there is no other way out to make money for their families and to get by.
Films like this are not made these days so appreciate this for what it did in the nineties and also probably helped some careers especially Cuba Gooding who starred in this not much longer after Boyz N The Hood.
If you get the chance then watch this as it has a story than it strong enough to better the likes of 8 Mile and has better performances and memorable characters and a the same time will make you feel good about yourself which is why gladiator is the important film that I will always remember..
If you are a fan of pugilistic big-screen experiences, this is one that at the very least will keep you entertained.For a basic plot summary, "Gladiator" tells the story of Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a white teenage youngster who (via parental circumstances) is moved into an all-black school and neighborhood.
After having enough of the constant bullying and needing money badly, Tommy is recruited into a shady boxing circuit by Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia).
After befriending similar hard-luck case Lincoln Haines (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Tommy runs headlong into "big boss" Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy) when a huge conflict of interest rises between them."Gladiator", in terms of themes, is about as simple a movie as ever was made.
Along the way, though, I noticed great performances from Gooding Jr. and Ossie Davis as well.If you are not a fan of boxing movies, I would say you can probably skip this one, as without an appreciate of the boxing-related themes the rest of the narrative will be a bit too simplistic to hold your interest.
I am NOT or have Never Been a (*SEAL*) Fan but his Song (*KILLER*) in This Movie is Classic along with a Couple Other Great Songs on The Soundtrack & The Plot is Simple But ENTERTAINING & You have your Good Guy Character & a Couple of Bad Guy Characters.
Sometimes this can be the best way to experience a film and occasionally you discover a cinema gem, like this one.The film is about Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a teenager who is forced to move with his father from Bridgeport to a run down, troubled part of Chicago.
He is then drawn into a world of underground boxing to pay his father's debt.The boxing scenes are well shot and choreographed, the cast including James Marshall, Cara Buono, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, John Heard & Brian Dennehy really make the movie.
Robert Loggia & Brian Dennehy are great if a little over the top, but the over the top performances work in this film.
Making less that $10 million at the box office upon its release in 1992, it was not a hit, and is now grossly overshadowed by a certain Russell Crowe feature of the same name which you may have seen.Regardless, despite occasionally wandering into hackneyed sports movie territory and having the same name of an Academy Award winner for Best Picture, "Gladiator" is still worth checking out.
Every boxing scene is exciting and very well shot, the acting is good from everyone involved, and the final fight is actually so unpredictable, yet plausible, that it makes one of the most memorable climaxes in sports movie history.In this movie, Tommy Riley (James Marshall, best known as playing Laura Palmer's rebel motorcycling ex-boyfriend James Hurley on TV's "Twin Peaks") finds himself attending a public high school on Chicago's rough South Side.
The only thing that's clear about his background is that his father is struggling to get back on his feet after battling crippling gambling debts.With Tommy's family owing $1250 to pestering loan sharks, Tommy finds his way into an underground amateur boxing league through bookie Pappy Jack (classic modern tough guy Robert Loggia).
Jack works for the equally corrupt boxing promoter Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy).Yet despite the fact that the league is technically illegal, as it is made up primarily of high school students (albeit most of the actors playing them were actually around 25), the fights draw huge crowds and lots of money.
Pappy Jack definitely knows Noah, but doesn't seem to catch on that Noah's not one of the corrupt ones, or maybe that's precisely why Noah's working under him.Tommy also manages to find two friends in this boxing world who also attend the same high school: Cuban-American Romano (Jon Seda), and African-American Abraham Lincoln Haines (Cuba Gooding, Jr.).
In fact, the black bullies with whom Tommy has to deal, the aptly named Spits (T.E. Russell) and Shortcut (Lance Slaughter), made surprisingly complex characters.I even liked the scene when Marshall aids Gooding's Haines after his being cornered in a fight with the two and their gang, the "Stormtroopers".
He laments about being "rescued by the Great White Hope", and it's funny.So while this film is not perfect, it makes a great boxing movie.
It's fight scenes are worth watching, but they actually insert some boxing technique into the film, and incorporate it into the plot.
The meaning of the film title Gladiator means strong in body and mind ans it portrays its central character and hero Tommy Riley.Always fight for truth and justice, and to stick to your true friends is the theme of this film.
Tommy Riley (James Marshall) and his father have just moved in an attempt to start a new life.
This decision to fight will change his life forever...Outstanding acting by James Marshall (as Tommy Riley), Cuba Gooding Jr.
(as Abraham "Lincoln" Haines), veteran actors Brian Dennehy (as Jimmy Horn) and Robbert Loggia (as Pappy Jack) not to mention the incredible performance by Jon Seda (as Romano) and Ossie Davis (as Noah).P.S. Mr Sylvester Stallone, please see this film.
Wooden-faced James Marshall stars in GLADIATOR as a deprived youth caught up in the world of underground boxing.
He must make good on some debts of his father's (William Heard), the paper on which is being held by fight promoter and all-around bad guy Brian Dennehy.
Marshall makes friends with fellow boxer Cuba Gooding and philosophical corner man Ossie Davis.
The young Cuba Gooding outacts everyone else in this early '90s boxing flick, although Dennehy is in full, frothing-at-the-mouth mode as a man interested only in making money, even at the expense of lives..
This is a pretty average film with a good performance from Robert Loggia.
At this point in his career, Gooding JR was still in his early stages, but comes through like a champ in this interesting and gritty underground pugilism movie.There are lots of montages, plenty of boxing set to cheesy motivational 80s songs.
The finale is quite ludicrous but inevitable in these types of flicks, and good triumphs over evil as it tends to do in movies if not real life.It will never be known as a classic but is in the same vein as some of Van Damme's best If you love boxing and are a fan of the ridiculous, GLADIATOR is for you.
Tommy Riley (James Marshall) is new in an inner city Chicago school and gets in trouble with some of the black students called the Storm Troopers led by Shortcut.
Underground boxing promoter Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia) hooks him into a fight run by Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy).
Jimmy buys out Tommy's father's gambling debts.Firstly, the fights look ugly.
The pinnacle of this genre – which will likely never be bested – is Rocky, but every couple of years another film comes out that seeks to capitalise on the strength of the formula and build its own niche nestled snugly on Sylvester Stallone's bosom.Rather than go into the usual rigmarole of "a guy walks into a boxing ring" let's tick the boxes required to satisfy a formula film.The Guy Tommy Riley (James Marsden in chiseled glory).
Pappy Jack desperately needs a pretty face to sell to the gamblers and spectators and sees Tommy as his "Great White Hope".The Friendly Corner-Man who just Hopes no-one gets Hurt Ossie Davis is Noah, he teaches Tommy the tricks of the trade and makes sure he has an idea of what he is up against.
Lincoln must fight Tommy to break into the big league, Tommy doesn't want to fight Lincoln as he has a condition where a solid blow to the head might kill him which necessitates.The REAL BIG BAD GUY Brian Dennehy is Mr Horne, an ex-boxer turned promoter who runs the whole operation and plays the boxers like puppets o satisfy his own ends and desires.
Of course the finale pits a wounded Tommy against a crafty, devious and dirty Horne man to man.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I think we can safely tick all the boxes above.There are lots of montages, plenty of boxing set to cheesy motivational 80s songs, and plenty of cheap shots – and frankly – nut shots, to make the guys say "owwww".The finale is quite ludicrous but inevitable in these types of flicks, and good triumphs over evil as it tends to do in movies if not real life.Final Rating – 6 / 10.
Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a tough white Irish kid from Bridgeport, moves with his down-and-out father to Chicago's south side.
After defending himself using his Golden Gloves honed boxing skills against a local street gang called the Stormtroopers outside of a diner where he works as a dishwasher, Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia), a recruiter for an underground boxing competition, convinces Tommy to fight an unregulated amateur boxing match.
Tommy enters the world of underground boxing run by sleazy promoter and former light heavyweight contender, Mr. Horne (Brian Dennehy).
He's also not above manipulating his young fighters like Tommy's friends, Romano (John Seda) and Lincoln (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), for a quick profit.
Must be a bug in the IMDb rating calculation system.Anyway - this is a solid and entertaining movie with a tight and fast paced script, good acting, action, a little romance, and a realistic atmosphere and depiction of the gritty underground boxing game.
Gladiator (1992) Columbia DTV 101m Director: Rowdy Harrington Stars: James Marshall, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Brian DennehyTommy Riley is a new transfer to the slums of Chicago.
No, it wasn't the excitement of the coliseum, but the excitement in the ring was just as good.Now, I like Cuba Gooding, Jr. and I thought he did a really good job here, especially his relationship with Tommy Riley (James Marshall).Lots of good actors here: Robert Loggia, Brian Dennehy, and Ossie Davis.Addicted fathers, greedy promoters, toughs on the street, it had it all except a justification for the "R" rating, and a realistic ending.
After tossing hands with a couple of young punks, Tommy catches the eye of a promoter (Brian Dennehy) of an underground boxing circuit.
A new school to get used to & gangster hoods preying on himself & his father John for gambling debts, Tommy takes a job as a dishwasher at new found friend Dawn's family diner.
One faithful night after pounding members of a local street gang in front their fearless leader Short Cut, Tommy is realized by & impressed with by onlooker Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia), a slick boxing scout.
After some coaxing, Pappy Jack gets Tommy to fight in an illegal underground boxing circuit for one fight.
What Tommy does not see coming is the evil & cunning of Pappy Jack's boss, Mr. Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehey), former Lt. Hvywt.
Fellow boxers Romano Assadro(Jon Seda) & Abraham Lincoln Haynes (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), girlfriend Dawn (Cara Buono), & wise corner man Noah (the late Ozzie Davis).
With lust for money & the quest for his new "White Gladiator", Horn buys John Riley's gambling debts, which forces Tommy to fight for him exclusively.
He suffers profound brain trauma & is hospitalized in a county facility for the " poor & indigent." Angered by his friend's savage beating, Tommy takes on Short Cut in a big money fight & wins.
Tommy used Horn's own philosophy against him which was," When you're weak, you act strong & when you're strong, you pretend to be weak." The ending shows Tommy & Lincoln shaking hands to cement their friendship, which is probably the only sentimental & touching moment of the whole film.Gladiator proves that with an adequate cast & superb fight scene quality by Tak Fujimoto, even a lower quality movie can surprise.
"Gladiator" (1991) tells of a young down-on-his-luck student (Marshall) who takes up underground boxing to pay off his father's gambling debts.
Great location shooting is one of the movie's strong points; the streets of Chicago look truly mean and cold, and the school that Tommy Riley has to attend looks more like a prison.
Director Rowdy Herrington creates a world that is threatening, from the school gangs, to the nasty loan sharks who are after Tommy's father, and the brutal world of illegal boxing, which is a scene that has little to do with the legitimate sport of boxing.
James Marshall plays a troubled boy in a film that reflects a one mans struggle who gets wrapped up in a dangerous world of underground illegal boxing.Tommy Reilly has recently moved to chicago.
Pappy Jack likes what he see's and offers Tommy money to fight one night.
The boss of the underground boxing like's what he saw and offers Tommy more monet to fight.
During his time boxing he makes two good friends.
gladiator was a very good movie.
Tommy is not only a survivor, but also a loyal friend to fellow boxers played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Jon Seda, and to his new girlfriend (Cara Buono).****  Mild Spoilers Ahead  ******"Gladiator" is a gritty but touching movie.
James Marshall was terrific as Tommy  and the rest of the cast was very good.
In other words, yes, I believe this particular boxing promoter (Brian Dennehy) would have gotten in the ring to fight Tommy.For the above reasons I give "Gladiator" the match and a score of 89/100.
Is it a bad movie, well I didn't think so as it isn't that complicated to follow, and it isn't that far fetched, it tells us a story of two young men living in the slums who find themselves trapped in the dark world of illegal unlicensed boxing, one who wants a better life and the other who has been forced into fighting to pay off his fathers gambling debts.