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Directed By
Ridley Scott
Written By:
David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
Cast:
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Ralph Moeller, Derek Jacobi, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Spencer Clark, Tommy Flanagan, David Hemmings, Sven-Ole Thorsen
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Gladiator (2000)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
August 7th, 2007
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'Gladiator' reminded me of Ben-Hur, the William Wyler epic from 1959, with Charlton Heston. There is nothing religious or biblically-inspired in Ridley Scott's Roman-era action flick, but the journey taken by the main character in both films is remarkably similar. Crowe, like Heston, is a prominent member of Roman society, a general in the army, to be exact. Heston was a wealthy Jewish merchant. Maximus (Crowe) is betrayed by Commodus (Phoenix), who frames him for the murder of his father, the beloved Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), who has picked Maximus as his successor, obviously because Commodus is cruel and insane.
Now, I do not know if this his historically accurate or not, though it does not matter a whole lot. Aurelius was the last of the five "Good Emperors" who oversaw an unprecedented era of stability and prosperity within the Roman empire. Aurelius was a philosopher who wrote prolifically, about Christianity, governance, and a variety of other things (though he was a pagan, like all Roman rulers before Constantine). Aurelius, in this movie, tasks Maximus with restoring the Senate, which is just retarded, as the Senate had been gone for many centuries, and Aurelius was far from being democratic. This is an observation on my part, a minor quibble, which has no bearing on how I would rate or criticize the film. Well, Commodus murders Maximus' family and ships him off to die, but he survives and becomes a slave, then a gladiator (obviously enough), which is how a slave could earn his freedom, killing other men in the Coliseum for the amusement of the masses. Ben-Hur is sent into slavery by Messala, his childhood friend, now a Roman centurion.
He saves the life of Arrius, a Roman politician and aristocrat, (Jack Hawkins), aboard a sinking galley, and Arrius takes him in as a son, and Ben-Hur plans on getting even with Messala, by besting him in a chariot race. Maximus dreams of revenge, too, and he wins the heart of Commodus' sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who is scared of and repulsed by her brother, who wants to have sex with her, and hints that he may even kill his own nephew if she rejects his advances. Yeah, the incestuous soap opera stuff is rather bland, but the combat scenes are extraordinary, stylish and violent, though never as impressive as that chariot race in Ben-Hur.
The story of Maximus is compelling, and Crowe won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance, though I believe his work in The Insider and A Beautiful Mind is superior. Crowe exudes heroism, a man of principle and dignity, haunted by memories of his wife and son, and living only for vengeance, that, once achieved, will allow him to die in peace, and be reunited with them in the afterlife (to the degree that an afterlife exists in Roman mythology). What screen presence he has. Joaquin Phoenix, a nominee for Best Supporting Actor, is terrific as the despicable Commodus, so hungry for power that he kills his own father, and so convinced of his own invulnerability that he actually challenges Maximus to a duel, expecting his guards to tilt the odds in his favor if things become too difficult for him, but most everybody is happy the bastard gets what is his long-overdue comeuppance.
Nielsen is good, too, as the beautiful Lucilla, who is moved by Maximus' determination, and his commitment to his dead wife, which means he won't be getting with her anytime soon. The recreation of ancient Rome is spectacular, especially the Coliseum. 'Gladiator' is the quintessential guy movie, filled with adrenaline and testosterone, and all of my male friends love it, while a lot of my female friends have mixed feelings about it. As for me, I do not think it the greatest film ever made, but it is entertaining, but was it of sufficient quality to win Best Picture, which is usually more of a popularity contest than anything else? Who is to say? You cannot change the past.
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