GLADIATOR (Theatrical Release USA 2000)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.0|5.0 Stars ìììì

Gladiator—good, well-told, well-written story—wisely chose  Russell Crowe as the lead actor. That choice made this film work. The movie also shows Richard Harris in the latter part of his career. It is a good pick and a great reminder of past, prime-time entertainment for the audience who appreciates Roman history films. Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Rome, Italy is under the rule of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Particularly pleased with General Maximus’ (Russell Crowe) victories over the difficult Germania borderlands, he offers the rule of the Roman Empire to General Maximus over his own son Commodus’ inherent rights. The greatly angered Commodus murders his father and takes vengeance on General Maximus’ family by ruthlessly murdering them. General Maximus ends up in Zucchabar where he is trained to fight in gladiator arenas. He works his way back to Rome through skillful fighting, performs in front of Emperor Commodus, and turns the Roman Empire against its own reigning Emperor.

Additional Thanks

Great Work for Director Ridley Scott. Thank you to Executive Producers Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, and Ridley Scott for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Proximo (Oliver Reed), Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), Juba (Djimon Hounsou), Falco (David Schofield), Gaius (John Shrapnel), Quintus (Tomas Arana), Hagen (Ralf Moeller), Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark), Cassius (David Hemmings), Cicero (Tommy Flanagan), and Tigris (Sven-Ole Thorsen).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. This is a good watch and tells its story well. This movie works as a big budget film with an epic story to tell. This film could use a little better presentation to move the movie into a higher interest level.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers