2000   UK Gladiator
Gladiator Image Cover
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Director:Ridley Scott
Studio:Dreamworks Video
Writer:David Franzoni, David Franzoni
IMDb Rating:8.4 (353,342 votes)
Awards:Won 5 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 79 nominations
Genre:Action, Adventure, Drama
Duration:155 min
Languages:English
IMDb:0172495
Amazon:B00009ZYBY
Search:NetflixYouTube
Ridley Scott  ...  (Director)
David Franzoni, David Franzoni  ...  (Writer)
 
Russell Crowe  ...  Maximus
Joaquin Phoenix  ...  Commodus
Connie Nielsen  ...  Lucilla
Oliver Reed  ...  Proximo
Richard Harris  ...  Marcus Aurelius
Derek Jacobi  ...  Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou  ...  Juba
David Schofield  ...  Falco
John Shrapnel  ...  Gaius
Tomas Arana  ...  Quintus
Ralf Moeller  ...  Hagen
Spencer Treat Clark  ...  Lucius
David Hemmings  ...  Cassius
Tommy Flanagan  ...  Cicero
Sven-Ole Thorsen  ...  Tiger
John Mathieson  ...  Cinematographer
Summary: A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart


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