Gladiator (2000)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator,' reminded me of 'Game of Thrones,' because it's about a noble character facing a web of corruption and greed.
  
  Army general Maximus (Russell Crowe) is asked by King Aurelius (Richard Harris) to succeed him, but then his heir Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) kills the King, takes the throne, and sentences Maximus to death. However, he manages to escape and not only finds a place as a successful Gladiator, but ends up in Rome where he begins a plot to undermine and oust the power-hungry new ruler.
  
  That's compelling because you long for Maximus to succeed, especially given how the odds are stacked against him so well by the script. But it also works because he's played so stoically by Crowe against the evil of Phoenix's Commodus. Combine that with the huge and immersive production that brings ancient Rome to life brilliantly, and you've got yourself a really great character drama.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There's this idea running through the script that Rome is this sacred idea, and that the politicians who despise Commodus are somehow working to protect it for the people. That has potential, but none of that is given much development, so the political infighting all falls rather flat.
  
  VERDICT: 'Gladiator,' is a great character drama about a noble man facing off against power and corruption.

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