Gladiator (DVD)

...and Oliver Reed as the Gladiator trainer. The two hell-raisers seem in their element here: two venerable actors being given free reign to make what they want of fairly blandly-written characters. Much has been said of Reed’s swansong; all that needs saying, and all that I believe he would like said, is that he clearly relished the part, underplayed for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. As for Harris, all I can say is that it’s ...
...overlooked by the film world for so long. The big disappointment for me was Joaquin Phoenix. Everyone else I know thinks that he was excellent, but I can’t help but feel that he hammed it up a bit. The psychology behind his character’s motives was sound enough, but he just didn’t strike the chord of terror into me that he should have done. Cowardly, yes; a little crazy, yes; scary, no. On the whole, the film was extremely impressive; ...

james.bridgeman 25.01.2001 (26.06.2002) · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...we go any further, that Gladiator is my favourite film, bar NONE, so you may feel that this review is a bit biased! The film stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, the main character in the film. The film starts with a battle scene. Maximus is a General in the Roman Army who is very near to being allowed home. Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, (Played by Richard Harris) has something of a soft-spot for Maximus, and tells him that when he dies he would like HIM ...
...slave, he is sent to gladiator school. Here he thrives, ending up in the Colosseum, fighting for his life before a demanding crowd, which includes his arch enemy, the paranoid meglomaniac and now Caesar, Commodus. Maximus survives every fight, against all the odds, and the toughest Gladiators. He goes on so well that the crowd love him - well most of the crowd, when Commodus finds out who "The Spaniard", as he is known, actually is, he arranges a ...

fords 14.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...Having said all that, Gladiator is indeed a marvellous way to kill a couple of hours. It truly impresses, from the flyover of ancient Rome to the gladiatorial contests; there are some stunning set pieces. Crowe is engaging and believable, a genuinely fine actor (LA Confidential etc,) and deserves his praise. But Oscar winning direction? The names sound like Life Of Brian. MAXIMUS was really the best they could come up with? I could have picked that ...
...understand, even appreciate it if Gladiator borrowed properly from the heritage. Braveheart at least had the good grace to have the hero die without a confrontation with the leader of an empire, a finale we could believe. What ruins the final reel is the confrontation between Crowe and Phoenix: If you were the leader of a Pan-Global empire, would you really allow yourself to face down your strongest enemy? Why not just shoot him in the head? But ...

revere 31.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...of mouth, but I guess Gladiator is bigger than your average film. This super inflated DVD is living proof of that. It comes on two discs. Disc one contains the feature and Directors commentary; disc two features a plethora of extras (including the kitchen sink). The film itself harks back to the great epics of the fifties and early sixties, owing a great deal in particular to that other great gladiator epic, Spartacus, though you don't get Russell ...
...it includes : * Gladiator : HBO First Look - a 25 minute documentary on the making of the film. * Deleted scenes with an optional commentary by Ridley Scott. * Gladiator Games - a 50 minute documentary on the history of gladiators. * The making of the music for Gladiator. * Montage featuring the best of the deleted footage. * A production journal by Spencer Treat Clark (Lucius). * Original Storyboard Comparisons and conceptual art. * Photo ...

robbroome 20.08.2001 (03.10.2001) · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...fighting impressive battles in the gladiator arena works himself up until he is fighting in the collosium. The famous arena in rome where the new emporor is holding games. Maximus and the emperors sister join forces to somehow get rid of the emporor who is ruling to suit himself not the people. Maximus is becoming amazingly popular amongst the people of rome meaning that the emperor doesn't want to kill him off. What does Maximus do to get rid of ...
...Commodas: played by Jaquin Phoenix Gladiator has certainly promoted his career, showing when he was up for an oscar. He plays the evil emperor in this story and he suits it well. He is only in it for himself, he wants to be well known and loved by the people of Rome but doesn't want to put anything into it to help people. He comes face to face with Maximus in battle. Does he kill Maximus? If anyone is reading this opinion and hasn't seen the film ...

swerty 26.07.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

"Gladiator", the new film by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielson is a welcome, rousing, intelligent way to herald the beginning of the summer movie season. "Gladiator" is simply a great movie, perfectly positioned in the summer, the thinking person's antidote to mindless summer blather. Maximus (Crowe) is a victorious general that is befriended by Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), the dying Emperor of Rome. Commodus ...
...that Maximus is his father's choice to succeed him. Commodus kills his father and takes the throne, sentencing Maximus to death. Maximus escapes but becomes a slave, eventually becoming a gladiator. Scott has used a lot of computer generated imagery to create a vision of Rome that is truly spectacular. The colosseum scenes are brilliant and all of the additional scenery is executed with equal skill. Scott really makes the world come alive. Many ...

tommybut 21.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

I bought a copy of Gladiator on video a few weeks ago, as I hadn't watched it already, unlike most people, and I was wondering what all the fuss was about. I have to say I really didn't think this was going to be my cup of tea, but boy, was I wrong. Gladiator tells the story of Maximus (Russell Crowe) who is forced into slavery when the Emperor is murdered by his vengeful, angry and bitter son, who is angry because his father chose Maximus as his ...
...new Emperor takes over the Roman Empire, and begins a reign of tyranny and destruction. Maximus finds himself in North Africa where he discovers a talent for fighting in the arena. A talent that will evenatually lead him to Rome, to the Collesium, and to a showdown with his old nemisis. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is 2 hours 29 minutes long, and an epic story is told. The initial battle is a little gut wrenching and brutal and for some maybe ...

angel316 27.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

Gladiatorial combat is immortalized in this film, the only way it can be: through stunning action sequences and beautiful imagery. It also immortalizes, above all, director Ridley Scott. Since this is and action film, the story isn't the most important element, but for an action film it is actually quite good. For one thing, I liked the disturbing under-the-surface incest element going on between Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and Connie Nielson. Furthermore, ...
...the gladiators until it became as if he were a general leading his army again. The plot itself needed to be there in order to fully create a sense of grandeur. With its insurrection story, the rise of the hero and his trek to the capitol of Rome, and the look at the people in power, the plot creates a sense of time-and-place necessary for an epic that couldn't exist with the visuals and action alone. The acting is among the best one ever seen for ...

Ronny 21.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...yield quite spectacular results. Gladiator likewise makes full use of available computer-generated wizardry to fully realise its simply awesome visual conceits. From the staggering Collessium in Rome - where the film's real action takes place - to the beautiful landscapes and vistas of the Roman Empire, Scott never fails to impress with a series of breathtakingly evocative imagery and atmosphere. A director renowned for his ability in these areas, ...
...Crowe - as Maximus, the Gladiator of the title, is always at the film's heart, a genuinely heroic hero driven by loyalty and justice - dignified to the last, merciful yet unforgiving. Crowe's performance is once again spellbinding, as it was in La Confidential, The Insider and even the earlier Quick & The Dead. Now, truly, he must rate as one of Hollywood's premier leading men. Surrounding him is a wealth of thespian talent - Richard Harris (as an ...

EnglishPatient 21.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

I didn't get to watch Gladiator at the cinema so I was doubtful about whether my viewing would be spoilt by all the opinions and reviews I had been given by others. I needn't have worried though because Gladiator is one of my favourite films of this year! My husband bought the DVD for me and he opted for the Widescreen edition with two discs. This cost us £23.59 from Blackstar, but other editions and prices are available (there are a few offers around ...
...is produced by Dreamworks and is directed by Ridley Scott. There is an all star cast, including Russell Crowe, Derek Jacobi, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris and Joaquin (think that's how it's spelt) Phoenix. Each one provides an excellent performance and from the moment I started watching I was hooked. The second disc with the Documentary on Roman Blood Sports is a great bonus. As a history student it provided a great insight into the world of the Gladiators ...

tange 13.08.2001 (06.01.2003) · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...themselves to unleash hell. Gladiator is the new Emperor in historic drama films. With such a brilliantly described battle scene taking place, the Emperor of the Rome looks on at the excellence of Maximus’ battle skills. For the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius sees Maximus like his own son who has achieved so much for him while under his reign. How can Rome’s greatest General be rewarded? All he intends to do is return home to his farm in the ...
...in the street. The gladiator battles here are amazing. As they stand in their radiant armour face to face, sword to sword, cheers for killer blows echo around the arena. You see and hear the power, the potency and the magnificence in the bloody battles and along you are carried, gripped for the outcome. Ridley Scott directs with a great knowledge of how to take control of the audience’s minds and takes them on a journey of not only enjoyment ...

ncostall 03.09.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...two weeks later! Gladiator was the big blockbuster movie a couple of years back, scooping a handful of Oscars, including one for its Australian star, Russell Crowe. The film brought back to life a genre of film that has long been taken for dead. Since the days of Spartacus, The Robe, El Cid, and a couple others in the Sixties, there hasn’t really been anything major in the vane of anything biblical or Roman-related themes. Certainly not in ...
...where they were talking about Gladiator as a film example, and how many obstacles were encountered that the film could have so easily not been made. Amazing! So, what’s the story, morning glory. Well, Miss Glory, the film revolves around Crowe’s character, Maximus Meridius, a tough, courageous, commanding Roman general on the brink of returning home to his beloved wife and son after years of fighting to expand the Roman empire, ridding ...

kleft 07.07.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...Maximus' career as a Gladiator begins, and he realises if he becomes good enough, he might get close enough to the new Caesar to kill him. After almost a decade of sissy boy heroes with floppy hair (Leo DiCaprio, Hugh Grant, etc.) Russell Crowe burns a hole in the screen as Maximus - butch, gruff, honest, hairy and decent, he's a real man's man. No surprise that he took Number One in Empire's Sexiest Movie Stars Poll. Crowe dominates the screen, ...
...of movie icon presence the cinema has missed for a long time. Pacino, De Niro and Nicholson did the same thing back in their Seventies heyday...Crowe's performance is right up there with the greats. The trouble is, Crowe's performance is so magnetic that Joaquin Phoenix seems hopelessly mis-matched against him. As the whining, conniving Emperor who fancies his sister, he doesn't seem much of a match. The scenes where Commodus is whingeing to his ...

Plissken 08.09.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

This is the guy who did his bit for what he believed in and fought like a man. You can almost smell the testosterone dripping off Russell Crowe as he plays an army general in the age of the Roman Empire. Like a son to the Caesar, Maximus (Russell Crowe) does the Father of Europe proud as he wins battle after battle to claim more land in a bid to own the world as it were. However the aging Caesar - Marcus Aurelius - has a spoilt and egotistical son ...
...- who is jealous of Maximus because of the amount of attention he recieves from his fatehr. Things don't get any better when the Caesar passes away and gives the Empire to Maximus. Commodus isn't happy and sends him off to be killed. However Maximus being the Muhammed Ali of the Roman world gives a good fight and manages to escape unbeknown to Caesar Commodus. After collapsing with exhaustion in a desert, Maximus is taken slave tradersand sold to ...

mandymoo 03.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)

...character of Maximus (Crowe, the gladiator in question) and that of William Wallace are much the same - vengence seeking psychopaths out to avenge the death of their loved ones by the leaders of the age. Wallace/Mel Gibson brings a far greater emotional range to the Scottish-set film than Crowe does here. It's not the fault of crowe, easily as good or better than Gibson as a performer, but rather that of the scriptwriter and director. once his family ...
...before becoming a revenge machine. Perhaps fault lies with a certain cowardice on the part of the filmakers - they want their action hero manly and stoic. not the most interesting to watch though. Oliver Reed livens things up, as does Joaquin Phoenix on ludicrous form as Caeser. Richard Harris is on good form too. What makes the film good enough to ignore these faults is the astonishing, breathtaking cinematography, and the explosive action sequences. ...

RichardW 07.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Gladiator (DVD)