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Ridley Scott

Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi

John Logan, William Nicholson, David Franzoni, David Franzoni

Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment, Mill Film, DreamWorks Pictures

Taglines: What we do in life echoes in eternity.

In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus is one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus' devious son Commodus ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Reviews:

Author: Geronimo1967
This has got just about everything from "Spartacus" (1960) to "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) via a bit of "Quo Vadis" (1951) to it - and Ridley Scott has managed to create a magnificent spectacle of a film. Russell Crowe is the eponymous soldier "Maximus". Commander of the Armies of the Rhine for Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and his designated successor - until, that is, the emperor's son "Commodus" (Joaquin Phoenix) and his sister "Lucilla" (an efficient Connie Nielsen) arrive and suddenly it's all change at the top. Betrayed and left for dead, our hero must now make other shifts if he is to survive in his new world - controlled by slave-owning "Proximo" (Oliver Reed) and deliver him of vengeance on his new Imperial nemesis. The film looks great, the cast - including some some strong supporting efforts from Sir Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, Djimon Hounsou and Tomas Arana all contribute well to this grandeur of this historical saga. The high politics, betrayal and duplicity are matched with a sense of integrity and camaraderie as "Maximus" begins to galvanise his colleagues and his political allies into something more than a disparate band fighting just to survive each day. Reed and Harris both feature only sparingly, but both add a richness to the characterisations that are dominated by two on-form performances from Crowe and Phoenix that epitomise a struggle of good versus evil and ultimate power in an empire where corruption and brutality trade human life as if it were a watermelon. Add to this some superb visual effects and a rousing score from Hans Zimmer (and Lisa Gerrard) and we have a compelling watch on a big screen that shows there is still a glimmer of the Cecil B. De Mille spirit left in Hollywood.