5/13/2000
Gladiator stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Oliver Reed as Proximo, Derek Jacobi as Gracchus, Djimon Hounsou as Juba, Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, David Schofield as Falco, John Shrapnel as Gaius, Tomas Arana as Quintus, Ralph Moeller as Hagen, Spencer Treat Clark as Lucius, David Hemmings as Cassius.
Gladiator should have a subtitle of Mad Max Goes To Rome. Maximus is a general that is to be named the next Caesar of Rome. Of course, the current Caesar's son, Commodus is not keen on that idea. Commodus kills his father before he can name a successor. Commodus takes the throne of Rome and sends Maximus to his death. Maximus survives and is found by a freed gladiator, Proximo who now owns him. Proximo sends him into an arena, only to find that Maximus is a great warrior and Gladiator. As with all entertainers Proximo, wants to play larger venues. So of to Rome they go.
In Rome, Maximus wins the crowd and has a face to face with the Emperor. Commodus recognizes him and wants to put him to death, but the crowd loves Maximus. From here Gladiator becomes a typical Roman politics and intrigue film. Maximus wants revenge for the death of his family.
Gladiator is a well made film with many British actors. The acting is superb, but the story is nothing that we haven't seen before in I, Claudius, Ben-Hur, Sparticus, or The life of Brian.
I give it 2 out of 5 handfuls of dirt: