Summary Capsule
The Australian who became a Spaniard. The Spaniard who became a Roman. The Roman who killed everything in sight.
PoolMan's Rating: My kingdom for a sword. And shield. And trident. And net. Oh! And one of those wheelie deals with the horses!
PoolMan's Review: Mankind today isn't that different from mankind of yesteryear. Sure, we have digital watches, microwaveable bacon, and roughly seven McDonalds
per capita across the world, but how much have we really changed since the
height of the Roman Empire? That might seem like a ridiculous statement to
you, but all I really need to do is point at the WWF with its spectacle of
violence and high 'drama', and suddenly there's a note of validity. We
(collectively) love violence. We always have, and I don't care what Star
Trek: The Next Generation says, we won't be a utopian society by the 24th
century if we don't get rid of Stone Cold Steve Austin by then. So how
much of a surprise is it that a modern day audience absolutely eats up a
movie about the most violent bloodsport in history?
Now don't get me wrong here. Keeping in mind everything I just said, Gladiator is one hell of a film. It was the first movie I put in my DVD player when I got it, and its on my shelf right now. But at the core of this excellent, dramatic movie beats a heart made of bloody steel. Fight scene after fight scene, we follow the story of General Maximus (Russel Crowe) from the height of his military career into the depths of slavery as a gladiator. Initially he fights out of devotion to his beloved Caesar, (Richard Harris, not Justin's doggy) Marcus Aurelius, to complete Rome's occupation of the known world. But when Aurelius chooses Maximus to succeed him instead of his own son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the young prince murders his father, tries to have Maximus executed, and kills his family. Naturally, revenge consumes Max's life, and though he is trapped and sold as a slave, he never takes his eye off the man who killed his family.
What really makes the movie for me is Russell Crowe. This flick could have fallen seriously short if not for his steely, determined performance. He constantly makes the audience sympathize with him, even when he's knee deep in blood. It's a raw performance, and one I really appreciated. (not as much as our own Clare, perhaps, but...)
Visually spectacular (the reconstituted Coliseum is amazing), emotionally engaging, and viscerally satisfying, Gladiator was one of the best movies of 2000. Although we don't normally use old Oscar as our guide, 5 Academy Awards (out of 12 nominations) is nothing to sneeze at. Well received by critics and audiences, this is a movie that demands to be seen. If you haven't already, you really should.
 2000 Rated R Epic Action/Adventure Director
Starring
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During the battle with Tigris, Maximus' sword and shield jump hands, most likely due to reversed film.
In the scene where Max pats down his horse, keep an eye out for a crew member in jeans.
I realize they're not the same actor, but doesn't the slave trader
sound a LOT like Watto from Phantom Menace?
Fans of Conan the Barbarian may recognize Ralph Moeller, who played
the big German, Hagen, from the TV series Conan.
Connie Nielsen found a 2000-year-old signet ring in an antique store, which she wears in the movie.
In the Colosseum scenes, only the bottom two decks are actually filled with people. The other thousands of people are computer-animated.
Among the chanting of the Germanic hordes at the beginning of the film are samples of the Zulu war chant from the film Zulu
The Movie Store!
Gladiator: Movie [VHS]
Gladiator: Movie [DVD]
Gladiator: Soundtrack [CD]
Intermission!
This movie would be the last of Oliver Reed's long acting career, as he died during filming. Reed had appeared in 110 films dating from 1958 onward. Scenes from late in the movie are created with a stand-in, which is why Proximo utters the same lines he used earlier in the film before he is killed. However, this does not detract from the scene, it worked great.
Like modern day athletes, ancient Roman gladiators did product endorsements. The producers considered including this in the script but discarded the idea as unbelievable.
The real-life Commodus was in fact the only Roman Emperor in history to fight as a gladiator in the arena. However, he did it several times, not just once; also, he was not killed in the arena, but rather strangled in his dressing room by an athelete named Narcissus.
Official and Not-So-Official Websites
Official Dreamworks Site
Groovy Quotes
Maximus: At my signal, unleash hell.
Juba: Can they hear you?
Maximus: Who?
Juba: Your family. In the afterlife.
Maximus: Oh yes.
Juba: What do you say to them?
Maximus: To my son -- I tell him I will see him again soon. To keep his heels down while riding his horse. To my wife... that is not your business.
Lucilla: Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.
Commodus: The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story!
Proximo: Those giraffes you sold me,they won't mate. They just walk around, eating, and not mating. You sold me queer giraffes. I want my money back.
Maximus: Do you find it difficult to do your duty?
Cicero: Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have
to.
Gracchus: I don't pretend to be a man of the people. But I do try to be a man for the people.
Maximus Decimus Meridius: I knew a man once who said, "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."
Commodus: I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?
Maximus Decimus Meridius: You must know. He was your father.
Commodus: You loved my father, I know. But so did I. That makes us brothers, doesn't it? Smile for me now, brother.
Maximus: What we do in life echoes in eternity!
Maximus: Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?
Maximus: My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.
Marcus Aurelius: There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.
Commodus: It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed.
DVD Review
In a word: amazing. The DVD for Gladiator is crystal clear, sounds
beautiful, and is so jam-packed with extras I'm surprised you can't see the
little 1's and 0's spilling off the edges. There's tons of deleted scenes,
a documentary on gladiatorial life, a film on the making of the movie
itself, a production diary, and lots more. Be sure to check out the
deleted scene (hidden via an easter egg) of an unfinished fight with a
rhinoceros! This is what DVD's should be like. Tons to do and see,
certainly enough to warrant the purchase and not feel guilty about it.
Soundtrack Review
A well polished, dramatic score. Definitely worth a listen.
If you liked this movie, try these:
Ben Hur
Cleopatra
Airplane!
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