Year:
2000
Studio:
DreamWorks SKG
Movie:
3/5
DVD:
4/5
Movie
I still don't really understand why Gladiator
won a Best Picture Academy Award. It's a great-looking period piece
drama/action movie that's more or less historically correct. And it did
quite well at the box office. But I watch the movie and it doesn't
quite grab me. Not that I remember what the competition was so maybe
this was the best movie of the lot.
In any case, Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a Roman general waging war in
Germany for Caesar Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). The campaign is
over and it is time to go home to his wife and son and be a farmer
again. But Marcus Aurelius has other plans for Maximus. Marcus is dying
and after he's gone he wants Maximus to become the Protector of Rome
and help change the Empire back to a Republic.
All noble and all but Maximus is not interested. And it could have
ended right there but Marcus' son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is
visiting his father at the same time. Commodus has long expected to be
the next Emperor so when dear old dad says that it's not to be,
Commodus commits patricide and regicide and becomes Emperor. And
Commodus knows that Marcus had plans for Maximus so he has Maximus
executed.
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So far
nothing to do with gladiators. Maximus escapes (and is wounded). He
goes back home (Spain I guess since he's referred to as The Spaniard)
to find his wife and son crucified. Delirious, he is found by a passing
slave caravan and taken to Africa, where he is sold to a gladiatorial
stable run by former gladiator Proximo (Oliver Reed).
Maximus becomes a good gladiator and when Proximo goes to Rome with his
stable, it is Maximus' chance to confront Emperor Commodus and extract
bloody vengeance.
DVD
This is a two-dvd set. The first dvd has the movie plus the commentary
track with director Ridley Scott, editor Pietro Scalia, and
cinematographer John Mathieson. An average commentary. The second dvd
has a 25-minute behind the scenes, a 50-minute program on gladiatorial
combat, a 20-minute Hans Zimmer interview about the music, a bunch of
deleted scenes with commentary, actor Spencer Treat Clark's diary,
photographs and production notes. None of it really jumps out at me and
it was all kind of boring.
Recommendations
It's a good Russell Crowe film. There are some great
fight scenes and the period looks is very good. In the end though I
found the movie lacking something. Yet lots of people seem to like it
so I guess people should check it out.
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