Russell Crowe meant nothing before the film Gladiator, but after its worldwide success he was suddenly catapulted to global stardom - it's easy to see why as well because Crowe was the seething, brooding, noble, overpowering presence at the heart of one of the most epic adventure films of the last ten years or so, totally dominating the screen whenever he was on it.
The vehicle of the film itself was undoubtedly bound for the top with or without Crowe, but the presence of a man seemingly born to play the general who became a slave who became a gladiator who dared to defy an emperor, certainly made it much more bankable, just as did the knowledge that this was the last hurrah for Oliver Reed, who died during the making of this epic.
It's easy to see why it was so globally popular - it tells the story of a great Roman general, Maximus, who has devoted his life to serving the glory of Rome and his emperor, Marcus Aurelius, played by a pretty frail looking Richard Harris. Maximus has been away from his home for years, commanding the emperor's legions as they lay waste to the whole of Europe, driving all before them as they add to the Unholy Roman Empire.
He is loved by his soldiers and commands their absolute loyalty - the film opens as he completes the conquest of Germany, completing a campaign which has taken years. The Republic of Rome has fallen into disrepair and the Senate has lost all respect as the Emperor rules supreme, but Marcus Aurelius is nearing the end of his life and sees Maximus as the hero to rescue the ideal of the empire. He vows to hand over the Empire to Maximus when they return home, much to the despair of the Emperor's natural son, Comitus (Joaquin Phoenix) , who takes the law into his own hands and murders his father, also ordering that Maximus should be guilt and his wife and son crucified.
Unfortunately for the bad guy, Maximus escapes and is captured by Arabic slave traders and soon proves his worth as a gladiator, capitalising on all his years of military training to become the most famous gladiator of his era, eventually working his way back to Rome and a confrontation with his arch enemy.
Now that's the plot in a nutshell, but it certainly doesn't do full justice to a literally awe inspiring, epic piece of cinema, with Crowe towering over everything as he broods on revenge and his hatred for Comitus, a particularly nasty piece of work.
The story is a bit on the hackneyed side and a trifle predictable, but Ridley Scott's realisation of the story of a noble cause and the rescue of Rome is powerful stuff, which captivates a mood and a magic which is unique.
The fight scenes are tremendous and well staged, totally believable and gripping, and all the women love the noble hero who wins through in the end. It's his eyes, just watch it ... that's what all the women say. Sickening ain't it? Well, no, actually, it isn't - Maximus is a noble hero fighting for a great cause and wracked with passionate hatred of Comitus. He's wonderfully sincere and believable and if Russell Crowe stars in 100 other films, he will never be as absolutely perfect as he is in this wonderful, wonderful epic - an echo of all those marvellous historic movies from the Fifties, with obvious similarities to Kirk Douglas' Spartacus, but old Dimple Chin was never as good as Crowe is here.
Usually the Oscars are pretty meaningless in terms of good cinema, but this film won five of them, including best picture and best actor.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood ... more
predecessors, Ridley Scott'sGladiatoris a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood ... more
predecessors, Ridley Scott'sGladiatoris a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The General who became a slave. The slave who became a Gladiator. The Gladiator who defied ... more
an Empire.Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, GLADIATOR is a dazzling combination of vivid action and extraordinary storytellin...
The great Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) has once again led the legions to victory ... more
on the battlefield. The war won Maximus dreams of home wanting only to return to his wife and son; however the dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) h...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Great fast paced direction. Never slows. Superb fight scenes. Disadvantages: Two and a half hours is long enough to add more plot, the credits are longer than the film.
baddog 29.05.2001 ·
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)
![Gladiator [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78493847.jpg "Gladiator [DVD] [2000]")
![Gladiator [Single Disc]-DVD](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/99150363.jpg "Gladiator [Single Disc]-DVD")
Dec 27th, 2001
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