Review by Lars Lindahl (larsattacks@mail.com)
"Gladiator" (2000) ***1/2 (out of four)
Directed by Ridley Scott Written by David H. Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, and Djimon Hounsou.
Imagine this. You're given a sword and a shield and very basic, minimal training. A man you don't know tells you that this will be the last day that you will live. You are thrown into an arena with thousands of spectators wanting to see you die. You frantically monitor several closed doors which, in seconds, will release vicious enemies prepared to destroy you. You watch as the innocent friends you made in the last few days are murdered in cold blood. If you are lucky enough to survive this chaos thrown at you, you know you're going to have to do it all over again tomorrow. Eventually know matter how strong or skilled you are, you're going to die. This is the life of a gladiator. You'll never have to be a gladiator and after seeing Ridley Scott's powerful Gladiator, you'll be thankful for that.
With his new film, Scott has returned cinema to the fascinating age of the ancient Roman Empire. And like those preceding it, Spartacus and Ben Hur, Gladiator has nearly everything going for it - a strong lead actor, a wonderful supporting cast, eye-catching special effects, and a great script. Since the two aforementioned films came out before the prime target viewers of Gladiator (teenagers to thirty-year-old males) were around, a whole new genre may just be reborn and revisited.
>From a weak beginning, the film starts off extremely gloomy and inauspicious. Rome's best general Maximus (Russell Crowe), who has helped the Empire conquer nearly everywhere they have attempted, is currently (in the year 180 A.D. that is) waging a war against Germania. Scott shoots the gory battle in an awkward style, similar to that of Saving Private Ryan but much less effective. It's blurry, in slow motion, and the sound is muted. As soon as this artistic method began, it was hard to tell what was what and who was who. It's a good thing Scott stops this after the first twenty minutes or else Gladiator would have been torture to watch. Instead, the general swears he will get out after this battle. He wants to go back to his family and his crops, he wants a quiet life. But, unexpectedly, he gets anything but that. The dying emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), decides to have Maximus appointed new emperor of Rome once he dies. He asks Maximus to restore the Republic by giving more power to the senators. All of this does not go well for Aurelius' son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who was expecting his father to name him the new emperor. Jealous and upset, Commodus kills his own father, names himself emperor, kills Maximus' wife and son, and attempts to kill Maximus. But Maximus is able to escape his own death and vows to kill Commodus and fulfill Marcus Aurelius' wishes. Now a slave, the only way he can win his own freedom and complete his goal is to become a winning gladiator, who eventually are released for their success.
A story of betrayal and promises, Gladiator is more than just a mindless action flick. You actually care about the characters, sometimes even the evil villain Commodus, who is just a young man as determined to make Rome one way as Maximus is determined to make it the other way. Phoenix plays his character brilliantly. Think of Commodus as the Percy Wetmore (of pant-wetter The Green Mile) of the Roman Empire - a whiny, sleazy, "respect-me-because-my-father-was-a-good-man" brat who hates when he's not the center of attention. Every scene we see Commodus, he's either crying or he looks like he has just been crying. Phoenix has definitely matured as an actor since To Die For, and Gladiator shows he's more than just River's little brother. Crowe is also excellent as the film's grisly-faced hero. Maximus is one of the few characters in recent cinema who actually has emotions. This guy actually acts like a anyone in his situation would act, he's no invincible superhero who only blurts out one-liners, he (believe it or not) acts like a human being! The rest of the cast, including Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, Walter Hill, Derek Jacobi, and Connie Nielsen are also first rate.
Ridley Scott, using outstanding special effects, has brilliantly recreated the Roman Coliseum, the loudness of the Roman Mob, and the city of Rome in general. The visuals are breathtaking and voluminous, like a Cleopatra of the year 2000. The costuming is also wonderful from the detailed shields and armor to the exquisite dress of the upper-class politicians.
Gladiator is another movie you have to see on the big screen to get the most out of the experience. Along with U-571, action fans should have plenty to see in theaters this week and should expect much more excitement to come this summer of 2000.
Grade: ***1/2 (out of four)
Lars Attacks! A teenager attacks past and present cinema http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks
larsattacks@mail.com (c) 2000 Lars Lindahl
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