A film review by Sam Floeter Copyright © 2000 Sam Floeter

It has been described by some as Braveheart meets Ben Hur. Well, comparing Gladiator to Braveheart is like comparing baseball to football: just because there’s a ball involved doesn't’t mean the two are alike. I think that the only similarity the two films have in common is that both films are entertaining.

The basic plot of Gladiator runs as follows: After defeating the Germans in battle, General Maximus (Russell Crowe) is offered the position of Caesar by the ailing patriarch Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). The Caesar knows that Maximus is kind and just, the type of man who could restore power to the Senate and bring about the end of corruption within the empire. Then, on the other hand, there is Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Marcus’ son and current heir to the “throne”. Commodus is the anti-thesis of Maximus, possessing all the ill traits that will only take the empire further on the downward spiral. Marcus tells his son of his plan to give power to Maximus, and Commodus kills him in a jealous rage. He then orders Maximus’ and his family killed. Maximus eventually escapes, unable to save his family, however, and vows revenge. Taken as a slave, he is forced to fight in the Gladiator ring, but as the bodies pile up, and his legend grows, Maximus decides to use his political leverage to topple the government.

Now, if you’re looking for a no-holds barred action extravaganza, you may be disappointed. Gladiator leans towards the dramatic, rather than the melodramatic. Personally, it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, but it was good nonetheless. I wasn’t too keen on the choreography and camera direction during action scenes. During many fight sequences, the camera is moving all over the place without focusing on anything in particular, so you don’t get to see extreme graphic detail. This is how the large scale battle sequences differ from Braveheart. In the latter, there is an equal mix of camera motion, intercut with extremely graphic scenes of heads getting splattered by sledgehammers, shorn appendages, and rolling heads. Gladiator, however, rarely displays such a liberal attitude towards carnage. In fact, much of the violence is hinted at, rather than shown—but there is quite a bit of violence, so it’s all a matter of asthetics really. I prefer to know exactly what is going on, who is killing who, and how they are getting killed, so it did get a little frustrating.

As usual, Russell Crowe gives a convincing performance as Maximus, described in the screenplay as having "a face that is like the map of a soldiers hard life", he both looks the part, and carries the quiet charisma of a born leader. Russell Crowe is such a diverse actor that you may have seen him in an earlier role and never knew it was him. After waching Gladiator, I couldn't imagine a better person for the role. As others before me have said--Russell Crowe IS Maximus.

Also, Joaquin Phoenix is one hell of an actor, and I don't think it will be too hard for him to escape from his brothers shadow. His performance is so good that at times you actually feel sorry for Commodus--he is just a young man, scared and jealous, unable to win the love of the people of Rome. I think Joaquin will probably have a few movie offers after this one. Also, his black chest carapace was probably one of the coolest pieces of armor in the film (next to Maximus armor in the opening scene).

One gripe of mine is that they shouldn’t have made it look so melodramatic in the previews. Gladiator could have been a more entertaining film if they had made it a melodrama. I mean, lets face it—you don’t go and see a film called Gladiator because you want to see tragic plot development. It seems lately that action films don’t follow the formula that was so successful in the eighties and early nineties. How long has it been since a good action flick like Die Hard, Terminator 2, or Last of the Mohicans has graced the silver screen? Too long.

The scenery, props, and costumes used in Gladiator are very cool. The acting is sound. The CGI work is also good. I didn’t like the ending though, and I thought the action of the final fight scene was pretty limp Also, the plot could have used a little work. On the whole, Gladiator is worth the six bucks.

	Running Time: 154 Min | Rated: R | US Release: May 5th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• Maximum Russell Crowe
• Upcomingmovies.com: Gladiator
• DreamWorks SKG Fansite-Gladiator

A hero will rise.