I can't believe that I have never written about this film before. It's GLADIATOR! The best movie ever! Okay, maybe ever is an overstatement. But I've seen this so many times, I could probably do a one woman stage production of it. Is that something people would pay to see you think? I mean, I've bored everyone I know with it, I've watched it in Spanish, had multiple posters, I've got the really expensive DVD with the trivia track on it. This movie is great because it delivers what it promises. It's simple, but it's not stupid. This is a movie about a guy who wants revenge, that's what it says it is, that's what happens.
Okay, so in case you were on Mars or something for the early part of the 2000s, this film stars Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general of the Roman army on the eve of victory against German savages. If you know anything about the history of Rome, you can pretty much guess that they win. On the scene arrives Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix and Lucilla played by Connie Nielsen. At this time I would like to point out that Connie Nielsen has been paid money to make out with Russell Crowe and Christopher Meloni and this just seems unjust to me. Also in this film is Richard Harris as the emperor, Oliver Reed as the owner of Maximus' gladiator dorm or whatever and Djimon Hounsou as Maximus' co-gladiator. Okay, so Commodus kills his dad, Dumbledore, then he sets out to kill Maximus, has Maximus' family killed and generally pisses him off. Maximus is grieved by the loss of his wife and son and has to find a reason to live, namely to kill Commodus. So, he becomes a Gladiator in the hopes that one day he's good enough to get in front of Commodus so he can shank him. Hey, we all need goals. It goes like this:
One of the best things about this film is the performance that Russell Crowe gives and not just because he worked himself into being Gladiator-shape after having just done The Insider, which you should watch. Anyway, it's the layers he gives his characters, lots of people do action hero out for revenge on man who murdered his family, but with him you get the genuine loss and longing and a man struggling with his own destiny. I also love the chemistry between he and Lucilla.
Joaquin Phoenix is an exceptional baddie, again giving his character some pathos, not just a cartoon villain. See this would be the difference between this film and that crap Spartacus on Starz: NUANCE, CHARACTERIZATION, A REMOTELY BELIEVABLE PLOT LINE. Just don't even try to watch that as a substitute for Rome, you will end up feeling more deprived than when you began. Anyway, Ridley Scott did an excellent job with this, not that you need me to tell you that. I love the different visual styles for each location, the fight scenes are incredible and I do love the ending even though it makes me cry. Although, I am pretty convinced Maximus should have survived that shanking because it sort of looks like Commodus hit kidney. I've had this debate with people about forty times, I realize it would ruin the ending if he lived, but it looks like kidney. If it was his lung, he would have been passed out before the end of that scene. Also, the Hans Zimmer score with accompaniment on vocals by Lisa Gerrard is fantastic.
And now your Gladiator complaints. Which I will ignore. Also accepting your Maximus shanking wound comments.
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