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Gladiator 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Ridley Scott
R, 155 min. (intense graphic combat) |
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Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Tomas Arana, Derek Jacobi, Spencer Treat Clark
Producers: David Franzoni, Steven Spielberg, Douglas Wick
Screenplay: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
Cinematography: John Mathieson
Distributor: Dreamworks SKG
Released: 5.05.00 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Some movies are presented as larger than life epics - examples such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur,
Braveheart, Titanic, and Gone With the Wind prove this.
What sets them apart from other movies are their grand schemes - big actors, big stories, and big sets. This
best describes the feeling you get when viewing Gladiator, Ridley Scott's latest directorial triumph.
These movies rarely disappoint an audience, and this movie is no exception.
We are presented with a simple story; Maximus (Russell Crowe) is the greatest general in Rome who is annointed as
the next Emperor by the aging Caesar, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). But Caesar's son, Commodus (Joaquin
Phoenix), will not accept this decision and decides to do something about it. He kills his father in a fit
of rage, proclaims himself Emperor, and orders the execution of Maximus. Of course, Maximus escapes, but
returns home to find his family killed and is sold into slavery. He sees his opportunity for revenge when
he becomes a gladiator through the slave trade. Eventually he will make it to Rome and the Coliseum to
confront Commodus. Along the way he is befriended by Juba (Djimon Hounsou), a fellow slave, who encourages
him to stay true to his course. The rest of the story is predictable enough, with Maximus and Commodus
facing off in a final battle in the arena.
The acting is surprisingly good, with Russell Crowe giving a powerful performance as Maximus, proving his
Oscar nomination for his role in The Insider was no fluke.
His presence is his greatest strength in this role, and he makes his character believable. Joaquin Phoenix
also gives an impressive turn as Commodus, whose maniacal traits make him easily disliked. You can see
both his evil and vulnerability to be wanted at the same time, which is not easy to do on film. Connie
Nelson plays Commodus' sister who is torn between her love for Maximus and her loyalty to her brother.
Djimon Hounsou, who burst on the scene with his performance in Amistad, also gives a nice turn as Maximus'
friend in captivity.
Ridley Scott's use of pale gray and lifeless colors throughout the movie gives the right feel for a revenge-minded
movie with no happy endings. The re-creation of the Roman Coliseum is also impressive as you get an
accurate picture of how a day in the arena might have been like. The details of Rome are also impressive
as you are taken into the city with the gladiators.
Although a simple story, there are many underlying themes throughout the movie. And although, as Maximus
delares, he will "have my revenge in this life or the next", he also has a sense of the betterment of
Rome. He knows that Commodus will corrupt Rome and lead to its destruction from within, so his mission
is twofold in many ways. Gladiator takes us on a long journey of glory, a fall, and then of redemption, which
could just as easily be the story of Rome as it is the story of Maximus. The movie proves that it belongs
in that elite group of grand epics, where even its minor flaws are overlooked because of its grand theme.
© 2000 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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