Just occasionally Hollywood makes a historical epic without screwing up too badly, and this is a better example than most. Russell Crowe plays a Roman General, Maximus, who, after defeating the barbarian hoards in Germania, is offered the chance to become Caesar by the present incumbent Marcus Aurelius (played superbly, if briefly, by Richard Harris). The condition being, that he must return supreme power to the Senate. Maximus, who is a real home-boy at heart, wanders off to wrestle with his conscience, and you know he’s going to win by two falls and a submission. Meanwhile, the true heir to the throne, Commodus, declares his undying love and loyalty to Caesar. He expresses his filial devotion with a crushing embrace that kills the old man before he has announced Maximus as his successor. Commodus is played by Joaquin Phoenix, lesser-known brother of River, and he plays the role well, although I think he would have been happier in the pre talky days, when the villain got to wear a black hat and twirl some fiendish moustaches. I hate to criticize his strange lisp and accent, in case they are a natural affliction and not put on for the film.
Declaring himself Caesar, Commodus behaves in the grand tradition of Roman Emperors. After ordering the execution of Maximus and the crucifixion of his wife and son, (not sure why), he decamps for Rome, to terrify the Senate, slaughter exotic animals and ravage his sister. The film gets a little ragged at the edges here as Maximus, bound and guarded, escapes his captors in a manner that Jackie Chan would not be ashamed of. He then races home in a futile attempt to save his wife and son, is captured by slavers and sold to a gladiator school. The owner of the school is Proximo, played by a truly terrifying Oliver Reed in his last role (he died on set). It was nice to see Ollie in a film big enough for his talent, instead of the dross he’s used to pay the bills over the past few years.
Thence to Rome, where Maximus, having risen to the top of his profession in double quick time, is declared the peoples champion and gets to challenge the Emperor in the arena. Imagine Stone Cold Steve Austin versus Triple H but without the pantomime.

This is a good film in the tradition of Hollywood epics, but some of their faults are also repeated here. The Rome of this period was a mongrel empire, and coming from the provinces was no barrier to success, so we can accept most of the varied accents. The one part of the world unconquered and indeed undiscovered, was of course the USA, so it grates a little when actors make so little effort to disguise Brooklyn or downtown L.A. Remember John Wayne as a centurion in ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’? “Truly this was the sunna gard.” The worst perpetrator is Spencer Treat Clark who plays Lucius Verus, Commodus’ nephew. Clark has his films confused and thinks he’s in ‘The Brady Bunch’. Of all the myriad of deaths in this film his would be the most welcome, yet he escapes scot-free. No Justice.
The fight scenes are glorious and spectacular; particularly the opening battle against the barbarians, and you can see where the money went but the chariot scene in the arena is just a car chase from ‘The Blues Brothers’. Not an original film then as it steals bits from so many other films, ‘High Noon’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ are three that come to mind, but overall excellent and historically almost accurate, although Commodus’ reign has been shortened considerably.

Worth five Oscars? Not to me, but I’m a hard man to please.