GLADIATOR (2000)

Country: U.S.A. / U.K.

Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Epic

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Russell Crowe / Joaquin Phoenix / Connie Nielsen

Plot

Maximus, General of Ancient Rome, is betrayed by the newly crowned Emperor Commodus, who murders his family and forces him into hiding.  Living as a slave and then as a gladiator, Maximus returns to Rome to exact vengeance.

What I Liked

The emperors of Ancient Rome liked to keep the masses placated with mindless bloodshed in the various arenas throughout their Empire.  Inevitably, as time passed, the emperors would have to continually top themselves and each other in decorating this bloodshed with increasingly lavish productions, replete with sets, live animals, mock sea battles, and –of course- more and more bloodshed, so as to prevent the audiences from growing desensitized and bored.  In some ways, “Gladiator” can be said to be a worthy product of that tradition as it has continued through the millennia to today’s popular cinema.  It is nothing, if not a two and a half hour visual spectacle with monumental production values.

I chose the word “monumental” because the plentiful set pieces and visual effects continue to be convincing and dazzling, despite the rapid advancements of filmmaking technology which have produced increasingly jaded audiences over these past fifteen years.  From the cinematography of the early scenes documenting Maximus’ escape from Commodus’ forces to his time as a slave in a far off land, along with the magnificent CGI effects that revive the awe of Ancient Rome, remain as gorgeous as they are convincing.

What I Didn’t Like

[Ancient Rome is probably my favorite period of world history and I’ve done my fair share of reading no the subject, but I’m going to resist the temptation to point out all of this movie’s historical flaws, out of respect for creative license and recognizing that it is a work of historic fiction.]

The marvelous display serves as a terrific distraction from what are ultimately generic characters populating a bare-bones story.  Our good guy, wronged in the worst way and fighting his way up form nothing, is the ultimate underdog who, armed with nothing but his manly stoicism and brute force, triumphs (spoiler?) over a suitably whiny and effeminate bad guy.  Actors Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix are at least suitable in their bare-bones roles as good guy and bad guy, respectively.  It could even be argued that an escapist epic like this shouldn’t bother with moral complexities or underlying themes about society, power, or life; yet it is still obvious that the filmmakers didn’t put half the attention to detail into writing their movie that they did into actually producing it.

Ultimately, “Gladiator” failed to pull at my heart-strings or inspire me in even the slightest way.  This was the second time I’ve seen the movie and I admit I was still thoroughly impressed by the majesty of its visuals, but on an emotional level I was completely unmoved.  This film was a mega-hit upon its release, but today I don’t really hear many people talking about this one when the topic of great movies comes up anymore.  I think that’s because, while it’s certainly worth seeing at least once for the sheer visual power, a second viewing is entirely unnecessary because there is very little to enjoy once one gets over the “wow” of the initial spectacle.

Most Memorable Scene

For a lot of people I’m sure that the multiple scenes of gladiatorial combat that takes place in the second half of the movie are the most memorable, which makes sense, considering the title, as well as the fact that these scenes amount to the dramatic climax of the films plot.  Not to mention the sheer scope of what the filmmakers accomplished technically in pulling those scenes off.  They are truly technical masterpieces.

However, when I think of “Gladiator,” the scene that most often comes to mind is the moments preceding the opening battle between the Roman legions, with Maximus at the fore, and the enemy barbarians.  I’ve been thinking about why that is and haven’t yet come up with a satisfactory answer, but it’s the truth.  Those moments with Maximus and his men preparing for battle just stand out and maybe that’s all there is to it.  There’s not another moment in the rest of the two-and-a-half hours that makes use of silence and suspense over pomp and violence.

My Rating: 3 out of 5