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Click for full sized poster	Gladiator Rated [R], 150 minutes Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed and Richard Harris Screenplay by David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson; Story by David Franzoni Directed by Ridley Scott website: www.gladiator-thefilm.com

Review by Paul Fischer. Cranky's review here.

In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor, is stripped of his rank and sold into slavery, as Marcus's devious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) ascends to the throne. Renamed Narcissus and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences. His battle skills serve him well, and he becomes one of the most famous and admired men to fight in the Coliseum. Determined to avenge himself against the man who took away his freedom and laid waste to his family, Maximus believes that he can use his fame and skill in the ring to lead the people of Rome to overthrow their tyrannical leader. As the gladiator begins to challenge his rule, Commodus decides to put his own fighting mettle to the test by squaring off with Maximus in a battle to the death.

The true art of cinema is redefined with this remarkable film, an epic in the classic tradition, coupled with a contemporary honesty and rawness. There's little doubt that with this masterful achievement, director Ridley Scott has crafted a visual masterpiece, a stunning piece of cinema, which is cinematically expansive, but not at the expense of character, narrative or theme. It would have been easy for this movie to simply look grand, as it does, to take the viewer back to a world rarely seen on film. Easy indeed, but in this case, Gladiator is as much a film about the nature of heroism versus that of treachery, than it is about the violence of a once powerful society. Combining the merits of films such as Ben Hur and Spartacus, Scott weaves together all the elements of epic filmmaking, and combined those with a detailed sense of character, all the while filling his wonderful canvas with images that are shimmering and overpowering.

He has also peopled his canvas with some superb performances. From The Insider to the central role of the betrayed general, is a leap for star Crowe, but it's one that proves that he remains one of the most exciting screen performers of his generation. As the cameras follow his every facial nuance, he gives an expressive and hypnotic performance. While Joaquim Phoenix has the role of the treacherous young Emperor, it's a part that he runs with and from which he never lets go. Phoenix is devilishly hypnotic here, and is aided by other top-notch work by veteran British thespians Richard Harris and Derek Jacobi. The movie features a magnificent Hans Zimmer score that matches the movie's sublime visual imagery, enhanced by the rich cinematography of John Mathieson.

Gladiator is the kind of movie making that Hollywood should embrace more often but rarely does. Here is a film that is captivating escapism and breathtaking cinema, a masterful and hypnotic spectacle that not only transports us back to an ancient world, but also does so with a story that is memorable.

© 2000 Paul Fischer. All Rights Reserved.

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