Gladiator (2000)
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 "What we do in life echoes in eternity." — Maximus
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Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. The film was co-produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures. DreamWorks Pictures distributed the film in North America while Universal Pictures released it internationally through United International Pictures. It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed (in his final role), Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, Richard Harris, and Tommy Flanagan.
Plot
Set in Roman times, the story of a once-powerful general forced to become a common gladiator. The emperor's son is enraged when he is passed over as heir in favor of his father's favorite general. He kills his father and arranges the murder of the general's family. The general is sold into slavery to be trained as a gladiator - but his subsequent popularity in the arena threatens the throne.
Why Maximus Will Fight
- The epic score by Hans Zimmer and chanting by Lisa Gerrard. Do the math. The beautiful and tear-jerking end credits song, "Now We Are Free" is of special note.
- The DVD includes several deleted scenes that add to the story, such as a scene where we learn that Commodus is selling off Rome's grain stores to pay for the games and another scene where Commodus has two innocent praetorians executed because Maximus is still alive (explaining why Quintus refused to give him a sword during the climactic battle).
- Maximus Decimus Meridius is a likable and rollable protagonist. He is a Hispano-Roman legatus forced into becoming a slave who seeks revenge against Commodus. Before the events of the film, he had earned the favor of Marcus #Aurelius and the love and admiration of Lucilla. Then Proximo bought him and had him train as a gladiator, and his exploits in the arenas of North Africa brought him to Rome. After the murder of his family, he vows vengeance.
- Russell Crowe was practically born to play his role for him when he is ready to fight the enemies.
- The Battle of Germania scene. It was the best battle scene in the entire movie.
- Plenty of awesome dialogues, such as "Are you not entertained?!"
- Lucius Aurelius Commodus is one of the more memorable antagonists in the movie, he is the insane son of Marcus Aurelius and the new emperor of the Roman Empire after he killed his father. He has Maximus' family killed for refusing to serve him, causing Maximus' quest for vengeance. While he is like Scar, he has a unique motivation in the movie.
- Joaquin Phoenix's performance helped his evilness and acting.
- Maximus taking down his opponents at the gladiatorial arena and repeatedly asking the crowd if they aren't entertained is amazing.
- It draws inspiration with its plot from the 1964 film The Fall of the Roman Empire, while also drawing several cues from Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus.
- The moment that Maximus reveals his identity to Commodus while also making it clear that he'll get his vengeance no matter what.
- The final battle is excellent, where Maximus and Commodus confront each other in a duel to the death. Points go to Maximus, who remains terrifyingly calm while Commodus is losing it as the battle goes on. Even when Commodus stabbed him to ensure an advantage, Maximus held his own, and even when Commodus resorts to outright cheating, he still wins.
- Maximus forces Commodus' hand backward to stab him in the throat.... all the while bleeding to death.
- Also, Quintus gives one last "Fuck you" to the Emperor by refusing to give him his sword and ordering the guards surrounding him to sheathe their swords. Commodus is killed as a result.
- Awesome pacing.
- Amazing direction by Ridley Scott, the same person who directed Alien.
- Fantastic cinematography.
The Only Bad Quality
- The gladiator wearing a bull carcass is underwhelming.
Reception
Gladiator received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the acting (particularly Crowe's and Phoenix's performances), Scott's direction, visuals, screenplay, action sequences, musical score, and the production values. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Gladiator has an approval rating of 77% based on 202 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladiatorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.