Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott, cinema's
premiere visual stylist, has delivered remarkable imagery in all his
films, and his latest effort, Gladiator, proves no exception. Scott,
who reinvented science fiction cinema with Blade Runner, now breaths
new life into the Roman epica genre which has been dormant for 36 years
(the last film of this kind was The Fall of the Roman Empire in 1964
of which Gladiator, ironically, is a remake).
Near death, the emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) disinherits
his son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), whom he has judged unfit to govern the empire.
When Commodus murders his father, the emperor's most loyal general, Maximus (Russell
Crowe) suspects foul play. But before Maximus can act, he is seized and ordered
to be executed by Commodus. Barely escaping, Maximus undergoes a tragic personal
odyssey which ultimately returns him to Rome as a gladiator slaveand in a position
to avenge himself.
Taking advantage of CGI technology, the film depicts golden Rome
as never beforea majestic, shining metropolis, rendered convincingly in three
dimensions. The storyline and characters are equally captivating. In the lead,
Russell Crowe offers up a brooding, compelling performance as the tragic hero
Maximus. The other performances are convincingly introspective, from the infantile
Commodus and the patrician poise of his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), to
the gladiators themselves, particularly Djimon Hounsou as Juba. And Oliver Reed
caps off his career with an impressive performance as gladiator-trainer Proximo
(Reed died of a heart attack shortly before filming wrapped).
While ostensibly set in the second century, Gladiator draws on a
number of periods in Roman history. Commodus' character, for instance, is (at
least partly) inspired by an earlier Roman despot, Gaius Caligula (particularly
his incestuous tendencies and attempts to fan public approval by financing lavish
games).
Scott also pulls no punches in showing the visceral brutality of
the times. The scenes of the Roman circus are rife with carnage and spectacular
swordplay, and are at once both horrifying and exhilarating. And if not entirely
true to historic fact (the protagonist, Maximus, is an invented character), Gladiatorrings true in its depiction of Rome. It is a powerful, energetic film, literate
and suffused with Ridley Scott's trademark style, which invests every moment
with a heightened sense of reality.
—Paul Andrew MacLean |

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