Gladiator
Russell Crowe is back in theatres as Maximus, a Roman General, in Ridley Scott's latest
film. It's a spectacle of a film, in the tradition of Ben Hur. What is it about?
Maximus is pegged by Marcus Aurelius to succeed him and turn Rome back into a Republic. However, Marcus's son wants to be the Emperor so he kills his father. Then, he
arranges a little sunrise murder for Maximus and has Maximus's family slaughtered.
Maximus escapes, finds the bodies of his family and passes out, only to be made
a slave then a gladiator. He fights his way back to Rome, where he comes up against his enemy,
Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix.
The battle scenes are thrilling in this film. It is a violent film, but a lot of the
violence isn't as gruesome as it could be. The opening battle is bewildering in its
intensity. It reminded me of Branagh's Henry V battle scenes. The gladiator scenes
are amazing, especially the ones in the Coliseum. I know that many of the effects of
the film were computer generated, but I couldn't tell that at the time.
Other people in this film are Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, Connie Nielsen as
the sister of Commodus, Derek Jacobi as a Senator and the late great Oliver Reed
as the Gladiator owner.
Is this a movie to watch? Yes. If you are a Russell Crowe fan, definitely, and if
your interest is piqued by it, it's worth a visit to the cinema. It is violent,
but worthwhile. Don't see it on video, the effects may not be as awe-inspiring!
I give Gladiator ***1/2 stars out of 5.
Other worthy Russell Crowe films are LA Confidential, The Quick and the Dead, The
Sum of Us, and Virtuosity.
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