Gladiator (2000) Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings. Screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson, story by David Franzoni. Directed by Ridley Scott. 154 minutes. Rated R, 4 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to ejohnsonott@prodigy.net or e-mail ejohnsonott-subscribe@onelist.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Just before a battle scene early in "Gladiator," General Maximus (Russell Crowe) turns to his second in command and says "At my signal, unleash hell." The moment is significant for two reasons. First, because Crowe delivers the sentence perfectly – as an instruction, not a movie tagline (imagine how the command would have sounded in an old Clint Eastwood or Arnold Schwarzenegger flick). Second, because when Maximus finally gives the signal, his troops really do unleash hell, a horrific, mesmerizing explosion of fire, blood and fury.
Directed by Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner," "Alien," "Thelma and Louise"), "Gladiator" is the first film since the '60s to visit the swords, sweat, decadence and deliverance of the Roman Empire. In the heyday of the genre, the films could be divided into two camps: low budget, cheesy, overstuffed action epics with wooden acting and strong homoerotic subtexts, and expensive, cheesy, pretentious Judeo-Christian action epics with hammy acting and slightly more subtle homoerotic subtexts. Scott's film successfully navigates around these traits (not that there's anything wrong with a juicy homoerotic subtext). He presents his tale in a direct, no-nonsense fashion, with uniformly excellent acting and, thankfully, no laborious speeches.
For a Roman epic, the story is easy to follow. (SPOILER ALERT: PLOT POINTS FOLLOW) General Maximus is a humble Spaniard who has never even seen Rome. His only goal is to finish his service to the emperor so he can return home to his wife and son. But after the aforementioned battle, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) asks Maximus to be his successor. The aging leader can't turn over the empire to his children. While his daughter Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) would "make a fine Caesar," women are forbidden to rule, and Aurelius fears that his reckless son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) would abuse the power of the throne.
His concern is well placed. When Commodus learns of his father's plans, he murders the Emperor and orders the deaths of Maximus and his family. Maximus escapes his would-be assassins, but arrives home too late to save his wife and son. The grieving General is captured and made a slave, landing in a North African outpost where ex-gladiator Proximo (Oliver Reed) runs a training camp. Eventually, Maximus ends up in the Colosseum of Rome, fighting for his life while the sneering Commodus gazes down from the good seats. Maximus, anonymous behind his warrior helmet, has a new task – to somehow avenge the murders of his loved ones and insure that the wishes of his commander are finally carried out (END SPOILER ALERT).
It's a familiar plotline ("Rob Roy" and "Braveheart" covered the same turf), but Ridley Scott has a knack for taking a simple story and turning it into something special. "Gladiator" dazzles because of stellar acting, thrilling action scenes and spectacular imagery.
Russell Crowe heads the fine cast with yet another flawless performance. Fresh from dual triumphs in "L.A. Confidential" and "The Insider," he is positively searing as Maximus, using his amazing physicality to turn an icon into a man. Crowe is the grounding force of the movie – we believe because he makes us believe.
In his best work to date, Joaquin Phoenix is riveting as the wicked Commodus. Playing an effete character with balls is no easy task, but Phoenix pulls it off grandly. Although they receive limited screen time, Connie Nielsen makes quite an impression as the regal Lucilla and Djimon Hounson is memorable as the warrior Juba.
"Gladiator" also gives us the chance to see two seasoned veterans strut their stuff. With wispy white hair and a deeply creased face, Richard Harris simultaneously projects corporeal frailty and strength of spirit as Emperor Marcus Aurelius. In his final role, Oliver Reed steals scenes with gusto as the jaded entrepreneur Proximo. Incidentally, the press kit for the film states "Sadly, Oliver Reed passed away in Malta on May 2, 1999, near the end of filming his role in 'Gladiator.'" Is it just me, or does the use of the word "near" seem ill chosen?
The art direction in "Gladiator" is as impressive as the cast. Deftly combining elaborate sets with computer graphics, Scott and company present ancient Rome, from the streets of the city to the magnificent Colosseum, with incredible verisimilitude. An aerial shot gliding up and over the massive Colosseum is particularly breathtaking. For me, though, the most memorable image was that of Maximus' hand gently sweeping over stalks of grain, which speaks well of the artistry of Ridley Scott.
Still, I have a few quibbles with the film. The numerous battle scenes are extremely robust, consistently exciting and inventively staged, but Scott's frequent use of jump cuts makes the action hard to follow. And while the swordplay is quite impressive, it can't hold a candle to the phenomenal mano a mano sword fight at the end of "Rob Roy," where you can actually feel the imposing weight of the weapons.
Finally, there's a question of thematic depth. Maximus battles not to end the tyranny of slavery or to stop the barbaric games where men are killed as entertainment for the masses, but to avenge his family and be true to his fallen sovereign. His cause is personal – a bit too personal for a story of such grand scale. As a result, I found myself admiring "Gladiator" instead of being engulfed by it. Still, my admiration is quite strong for this gorgeous, savage, terrifically acted film. Ridley Scott may not have created the perfect epic, but he came awfully close.
© 2000 Ed Johnson-Ott
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