gladiator christian movie review

"AD without J.C."

What You Need To Know:

(PaPa, BB, C, RHRH, L, VVV, S, N, A, D, MMM) Pagan worldview with many moral, redemptive & revisionist history elements as well as evil rebuked; 3 mild obscenities & chants of worship to Roman gods; extreme violence including decapitation, blood spurting, bodies cut in half, arms & legs hacked to pieces, constant violence in warfare & gladiatorial games, threats of violence, patricide, & attempted patricide; suggestions of incest but never consummated & discussions of homosexuality; upper male nudity; alcohol use; potions; and, deception, greed, envy, & gambling.

More Detail:

At first blush (and blush one might after seeing all the violence), GLADIATOR appears to be a classic toga movie which, during the Golden Years, would have starred Kirk Douglas or Tony Curtis. Like the traditional toga movie, the gladiatorial games, which are used to attract an audience to the movie, by the way, are roundly condemned and moral virtues, including the supremacy of the republic over dictatorship, are stressed. From this perspective, the only change is the enhanced intensity of the violence. Special effects allow viewers to linger over spurting blood, decapitations, gashes, and wounds and make them feel as if the movie was really shot during Roman times.

However, looking beyond the surface, there is something missing in GLADIATOR, and it is not just an accurate history of Rome. This movie is purportedly set in 180 AD, but there is no reference to Christ as Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) is succeeded by his son, Commodus.

In real life, Commodus was a (blond not brunette) monster who kept hundreds of concubines, many of whom were boys, and who thought of himself as the god Hercules. He often went into the arena to fight wild beasts, in events that were so rigged that the audience laughed at his charade. However, there were many Christians in Rome at this time, including his morganatic wife, Marsha, who conspired with some in the Senate to remove Commodus from power.

In contrast to history, GLADIATOR telescopes events so that the fight to relieve Commodus of power becomes a battle between two individuals, one of whom is a fictional character based in part on the gladiator who was paid to kill Commodus. As such, GLADIATOR is a carefully drawn universe with a heaven and a hell and plenty of atmosphere, but no Christ and definitely no Christians.

The movie opens at the end of the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Emperor Marcus is watching the last battle against the last German tribe. (In fact, most of the German tribes remained unconquered.) His general Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, leads a vicious Calvary charge against the Germans.

After the battle, Marcus’ son Commodus and his daughter Lucilla arrive from Rome. Realizing that Commodus is twisted by ambition, Marcus tells Maximus that he wants Maximus to assume the throne so that Maximus can turn the government back over to the Roman Senate, and thereby restore the Republic. Maximus asks for time to think about this.

Commodus, expecting the worst, kills his father while Maximus prays to his ancestors and the Roman gods. In this patricidal scene, Commodus tells Marcus that Marcus wanted him to have the four major virtues – wisdom, justice, fortitude, and temperance – but he, Commodus, has other virtues which Marcus fails to value, including ambition.

After he strangles Marcus, Commodus orders the death of Maximus, but Maximus, in a fancy bit of wordplay, defeats his guards, and although he is wounded, he escapes. After riding for days to reach his home, he finds that his wife and son have been crucified by order of Commodus.

A slaver finds Maximus near death, on top of the graves that he dug for his family. The slaver takes him to North Africa Zucchabar, a Roman province. There he sells Maximus, along with some other slaves to Proximo, who runs a vicious gladiatorial arena. Proximo tells the slaves that they will all die in the arena, but Maximus organizes the slaves and helps them triumph.

Maximus is such an impressive killing machine that Proximo takes him to Rome to gain fame and fortune. The emperor, Commodus, is intrigued by this new gladiator, until he finds out who he is when Maximus removes his helmut. A few senators plot to overthrow Commodus using Maximus. Commodus imprisons the senator leading the conspiracy and challenges Maximus to a rigged gladiatorial combat.

Although vengeance is Maximus’ primary motivation, he exhibits several virtues, not the least of which is mercy when killing is unnecessary. Furthermore, the movie makes clear that the bloodsport of the coliseum is distracting and destroying Rome. The movie rebukes dictatorship and mobocracy and commends republican government. There are several instances of laying down one’s life for another. There are prayers to the Father, God, visions of heaven, commendation of monogamy, refutation of incest, and several other virtues. For these reasons, conservative reviewers may appreciate this movie in spite of its violence. However, it seems as if the filmmakers are toying with the audience, attracting them with a violent “blood and guts” epic while positing and parading these virtues in the dialogue.

This is almost a four star movie. The battle scenes are well filmed. Russell Crowe does his usual tremendous job of acting; Connie Nielsen is terrific as Lucilla; and, the late Oliver Reed is unsurpassed as Proximo. The quality of the acting must be attributed to the director, Ridley Scott, who clearly cared about this production. Regrettably, there are moments when the movie drags, especially when the fighting is too drawn out, and these moments prevent the movie from reaching four stars.

The screening was packed, and this will probably be the case with the theaters, but GLADIATOR is missing something. After all, the story opens in 180 AD, the year of our Lord, but the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, whose love and sacrifice overthrew the corrupt Roman Empire, is never mentioned. Perhaps, screen QUO VADIS for your teenagers before they waste their money on GLADIATOR.

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Reviewed by: Emmett W. Elliott CONTRIBUTOR

Rome in the Bible

bravery, courage

D irector Ridley Scott , who also directed the sci-fi cult movies “Alien” and “Blade Runner”, does not resort to sexual titillation in “Gladiator”. The film only hints that deviant sexual behavior may have taken place when Lucilla (Connie Nelson) must endure the incestuous advances of her own brother Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix ). Instead of the usual Hollywood dosage of bare skin on screen, Scott exploits violence. In short, “Gladiator” is a gory computer-generated special effects blockbuster.

“Gladiator” begins in 180 A.D. with General Maximus ( Russell Crowe ) about to vanquish the last threatening barbaric horde. Scott engages the moviegoer with a grand opening battle scene reminiscent of “ Saving Private Ryan .” The ensuing bloodbath contains close-ups of clashing metal, blood, beheadings, and dismembered body parts much like sequences seen in “ Braveheart .”

The hero of the movie, Maximus, is comparable to William Wallace who announced in “Braveheart”, “I came home to raise crops, and God willing, a family. If I can live in peace, I will.” Likewise, General Maximus yearns to return to his Spanish farmland and reunite with his wife and son; however, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius ( Richard Harris ) has another plan for his beloved general.

Jealousy overpowers the morally flawed Commodus when he discovers that his father, ruling the empire as an expansionist dictator, favors Maximus to protect Rome until the Senate assumes enough power for Rome to govern as a Republic once again. Reminiscent of the first murder ever recorded, a jealous Cain slew Abel in Genesis 4:8 , Commodus asphyxiates his father to become the new emperor. Subsequently, Emperor Commodus orders the execution of Maximus and his family.

Unbeknownst to Commodus, Maximus survives his execution only to be enslaved by his saviors. He is purchased as a slave by Proximo (Oliver Reed) and forced to entertain the people (“the mob”) as a deadly gladiator. Maximus unites with Juba ( Djimon Hounsou ) and Hagen (former Mr. Universe Ralph Moeller) as fellow gladiators. Maximus quickly displays his superior skills as a warrior to emerge as a champion among the gladiators. The mob coins him “The Spaniard” and at times is even silenced by his unique talent as a killer of men.

Meanwhile in Rome, Commodus refuses to listen to the advice from the Senate. Instead of dealing with important domestic issues, Commodus chooses to focus his visionless political agenda on maintaining happiness among the mob by reopening the barbaric gladiator games in the spectacular Roman Coliseum. To Commodus, it does not matter how he governs as long as his poll ratings are high as best sampled during the games. This governing policy lasts until Proximo brings his band of gladiators to Rome where Maximus quickly wins the crowd over. To make matters increasingly difficult for the emperor, Maximus openly defies the emperor after each victory. Once again, fancy abandons Commodus for Maximus. The plot thickens leading to the eventual main event between the jealous Commodus and the mob’s newfound hero, Maximus.

Unfortunately, Scott was careful enough to censor any mention of Christianity (at least the theater/video version… the DVD release reportedly does have a powerful and prayerful scene where Maximus watches as Christians are fed to the lions). Maximus hopes to reunite with his family in the afterlife, but what kind of afterlife? In a time when Christianity was sweeping across Rome, I wished that our gladiator had been a converted Christian.

The performances are uniformly good, but most moviegoers will select this film for the action sequences and special effects seen briefly in the trailers. The computer-generated graphics enhance the action sequences and recreate a glorious Roman world albeit void of Christianity. Due to this major oversight, “Gladiator” falls short of classic and offers new meaning to the movie’s tagline: “A hero will rise.”

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Common sense media reviewers.

Masterful but really violent Oscar winner.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

"Strength and honor," the motto that Max

In the midst of losing his family, his life as a R

Very violent, many bloody battle scenes, many deat

A character desires his sister. An exposed male ba

"Bitch," and one "s--t." A tra

Parents need to know that Gladiator is a 2000 movie in which Russell Crowe plays a Roman general who is betrayed by a power-hungry emperor's son and must survive as a gladiator. This is a very violent movie. A woman and child are brutally tortured, killed, and crucified mostly offscreen, and their charred…

Positive Messages

"Strength and honor," the motto that Maximus lives by, is upheld in his behavior no matter what happens to him.

Positive Role Models

In the midst of losing his family, his life as a Roman soldier and general, and his chance to become emperor, Maximus continues to live his life upholding the motto "strength and honor," even as he is sold into slavery and forced to become a gladiator.

Violence & Scariness

Very violent, many bloody battle scenes, many deaths. Main character's wife and child are burned and crucified to death offscreen, his wife's charred ankles and feet are shown. Tigers are killed with swords. Decapitations. Bodies cut in half with swords. A lot of blood. Maximus cuts into his skin to remove the tattoo that distinguishes him as a Roman soldier and general. References to rape and incest.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A character desires his sister. An exposed male backside. A character is said to have "moaned like a whore."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"Bitch," and one "s--t." A trader who has purchased two giraffes openly wonders if they are "queer giraffes" because they are not mating.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Gladiator is a 2000 movie in which Russell Crowe plays a Roman general who is betrayed by a power-hungry emperor's son and must survive as a gladiator. This is a very violent movie. A woman and child are brutally tortured, killed, and crucified mostly offscreen, and their charred feet and ankles are shown. People are sliced up, burned, and decapitated. Blood is constantly being shed. Tigers are killed by swords. There are references to rape and incest. We see an exposed male backside. A character is said to have "moaned like a whore." We hear "bitch" and "s--t." Overall, while a very loose interpretation of what actually happened in the earliest years of the reign of the tyrannical Emperor Commodus and the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire, the movie does explore the theme of stoicism and how it helped Maximus to survive tremendous hardships as he continued to live by the motto "strength and honor." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (38)
• Kids say (126)

Based on 38 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In 180 AD Rome, the aging Emperor Marcus Aurelius ( Richard Harris ) watches as Maximus ( Russell Crowe ), his most trusted general, fights the barbarians in Germania in a terrible, bloody battle. The emperor's son, Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix ), wants to succeed his father, but Caesar doesn't think he has what it takes. When Aurelius chooses Maximus to lead the people back to democracy, Commodus kills his father before the Senate hears about Maximus, then orders the execution of Maximus and his family. Maximus escapes, is captured, is sold into slavery, and becomes a gladiator. To confront Commodus, he must win enough fights to be called to Rome. Meanwhile, Commodus finds ways to distract the populace while he disables the Senate. The only one he trusts is his sister, Lucilla ( Connie Nielsen ), who pretends to support him to protect her young son.

Is It Any Good?

GLADIATOR is a movie of such astounding scope and sweep and such masterful storytelling that it makes its storyline seem classic rather than clichéd. Breathtakingly sumptuous visuals credibly recreate the world of Rome in 180 AD, a world of unimaginable reach and power. Director Ridley Scott stages the fight scenes brilliantly, each more inventive and gripping than the last. The results are something like a deranged computer game, with new peril coming literally from all sides. Fellow gladiator Juba ( Djimon Hounsou ) explains the appeal of the fights when he says that fear and wonder are a powerful combination.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why some people are drawn to watch other people battle. What's the appeal of movies like this?

There are many historical inaccuracies in this movie. Why do you think the filmmakers decided to tell a fictional account of the Roman Empire instead of sticking to the facts?

What do you think would be the challenges in bringing to life the Roman Empire circa 180 AD?

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 5, 2000
• On DVD or streaming : August 19, 2003
• Cast : Connie Nielsen , Joaquin Phoenix , Russell Crowe
• Director : Ridley Scott
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 155 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence and some sexual references
• Awards : Academy Award , BAFTA , Golden Globe
• Last updated : April 17, 2024

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• DVD & Streaming
• Action/Adventure , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Russell Crowe as Maximus; Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus; Connie Nielsen as Lucilla; Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius; Djimon Hounsou as Juba; Oliver Reed (in his last film role before his death) as Proximo

Home Release Date

• Ridley Scott

Distributor

Movie review.

Ancient Rome is thriving. After General Maximus leads the Roman legions to victory in their final battle against the Germanic tribes, he longs for nothing more than to return to his wife, son and farm in Spain. But Emperor Marcus Aurelius has other plans. Knowing that Maximus holds the utmost loyalty to him and to Rome—and not trusting his own son and heir apparent, Commodus—the aging emperor asks Maximus to succeed him on the throne.

The depraved Commodus gets wind of this and arranges for Maximus to disappear—permanently. Maximus escapes his assassins but winds up as a slave to Proximo, a trainer of gladiators. The general, who becomes a slave forced to fight to entertain the man who tried to have him murdered, plots revenge.

Positive Elements: Maximus is a man of honor and is incorruptible. He turns down an opportunity for power and riches because it violates the principles for which he stands. He tells the decadent Commodus, “What we do in life echoes into eternity.” He tells a scheming Lucilla, “I never acquired your comfort for lying.” Three gladiators form a bond of friendship and self-sacrifice to help each other. And, in a back-door way of affirming what is good, the evil Commodus gets his comeuppance in the end.

Spiritual Content: Many references to “the gods.” Maximus talks about the “Elysian Fields,” a paradise of classical mythology. Maximus carries small statues to represent his family and ancestors and prays to them. The film several times shows Maximus imagining meeting his family in the afterlife, symbolized by going through a door into wide, green fields.

Sexual Content: Nothing explicit. There is a barely hinted-at past between Maximus and Lucilla, and the film leaves open the question of whether Lucilla’s son, Lucius, is Maximus’ child. A gladiator master asks a man, “What do you want, a girl? A boy?” Commodus makes several incestuous advances against his sister, Lucilla.

Violent Content: Frequent and extreme. The film opens with a headless Roman soldier on horseback and the Germanic leader taunting the Romans with the soldier’s head. Opening battle scene shows men impaled by spears, pinned to trees by arrows, and frequent killing by sword. Gladiatorial combat features just about every possible way to kill a man short of nuclear weapons. To his credit, Director Scott does not dwell on gore; once the point is made that a man has been killed, the camera moves elsewhere. Still, the gruesome images burn deep.

Crude or Profane Language: A woman is called a b–ch. One s-word.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Little. Emperor drinks wine.

Summary: Gladiator is a great film cinematically. The acting is powerful and the story is strong, even if it is a bit of a rehash of the Ben-Hur story—without the redemptive ending. Still, I left the theater feeling vaguely ill-at-ease, and it took me several hours to figure out why. I then realized that the degeneracy shown on screen—Emperor Commodus happily clapping his hands as a gladiator is decapitated, the crowd roaring its bloodlust—is too close to some forms of entertainment today, particularly professional wrestling. The gladiators of Rome took on certain contrived personalities, and gladiatorial combat was intended to tell some sort of story, just like today’s equivalent of gladiatorial entertainment. And as the crowd’s appetite was whetted by increasingly bizarre and violent combat, so too are today’s wrestling maniacs. Gladiator serves as an object lesson as to what can happen to a society that proceeds down such a violent path. The extreme violence used to create that lesson, however, prohibits children and teens (and will dissuade many adults) from getting a chance to experience it.

DVD Update: DreamWorks really pulled out all the stops for its DVD presentation of Gladiator . Of course, the usual extras are there. Theatrical trailers. Television commercials. A gallery of full-color photographs. Even an option that allows viewers to hear running commentary by the filmmakers throughout the motion picture (director Ridley Scott, editor Pietro Scalia and director of photography John Mathieson). But that’s just the beginning. There’s so much material that the studio needed to include a second disc to hold all of these fascinating features:

STILLS & STORYBOARDS: Gladiator ’s photo gallery includes well over 100 stills, with dozens showing how set designers recreated ancient Rome and its majestic Colosseum. Another section shows scores of conceptual drawings and original storyboards that map out action sequences like a comic book (a brutally graphic one with violent shots charted in detail). A link also describes an omitted scene in which a rhinoceros is released into the arena to wreak havoc on combatants.

“MAKING OF” SPECIAL: A 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at Gladiator captures both the greatness and corruption of the Roman empire. It takes viewers to filming locations such as Morocco and Malta. It also emphasizes the cinematic choreography of Gladiator ’s extreme violence (showing the filming from a distance with ball-capped crew and boom microphones in full view), which takes the edge off the carnage somewhat and looks more like big kids in costume playing war. Viewers get mini history lessons and a deeper appreciation for the movie’s remarkable art direction and set design. They’ll also meet a Russell Crowe far less stoic and irritated than he typically appears on camera. Instead of looking like he’s been baptized in lemon juice, the Aussie actor displays a delightful sense of humor and is quite likable in these interview clips from the set.

INTERVIEW WITH HANS ZIMMER: The brilliant composer behind this film, The Prince of Egypt, Mission: Impossible 2, The Lion King and many others offers audiences an educational glimpse at the creative process of scoring a film. He talks about his various forms of inspiration, “method composing” and how artists in diverse areas of filmmaking work together as a team. While very informative, this featurette flashes some of Gladiator ’s most violent images on the screen behind Zimmer’s commentary, which is unfortunate.

SCENES THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT: Numerous scenes—some of them quite powerful—landed on the cutting room floor never to be seen by theater audiences. But they’re included here. Viewers have the option of viewing them “as is” or with comments by director Ridley Scott concerning why those clips were excised from the final product. One especially poignant scene finds Maximus in the underbelly of the Colosseum as lions are being let into the arena to devour innocent Christians. It’s not a violent moment, but a soul-stirring reminder of the price paid by early Christ followers. This bonus section is not without its problems, however. Additional violence appears in the form of men being burned alive, eaten by vultures and executed by a firing squad of archers. A fallen combatant is impaled in the head with a large spear. The bloody stumps of amputated limbs are also pretty gruesome.

A CHILD’S JOURNAL: Spencer Treat Clark, the child actor who plays the role of heir-apparent Lucius, kept a detailed daily journal throughout the making of Gladiator . It is reprinted along with a veritable scrapbook of photos and memorabilia from his tour of duty on the set. It’s a unique and interesting backstage pass that offers a look at the filmmaking process through the eyes of a boy. If there’s a down side, it’s how he takes pleasure in describing some of the movie’s more graphic scenes and how they were shot.

HOUR-LONG DOCUMENTARY: The crown jewel of this package may be “Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport,” a riveting, hour-long documentary peppered with film footage. The emphasis is on revisiting Roman culture and understanding the historical significance of gladiatorial combat. Interviews with academicians and archaeologists offer tremendous insights, not just into the nature of brutal entertainment and its stranglehold on one of the world’s largest civilizations, but into the cultural climate that is connected with so much of New Testament history. From Jesus to Paul, vital figures of the faith spoke of and interacted with the people and leadership of Rome.

The documentary explains the dual social status of the gladiator—an outcast who can become a superstar, if only for a short time. It analyzes the lure of wealth, fame and possible freedom. And the bloodlust of ancient times is compared to modern sport. Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, director of the British School of Rome, addresses the issue of desensitization by stating, “The Romans, the more they watched, the more they see people being killed, the more used to it they become and the more indifferent to it, morally, they become.” Its similarity to modern pop culture isn’t lost on Professor David Potter, who teaches Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan. He explains, “We think that it’s so beyond our comprehension that we can’t understand how 80,000 people could watch people wave swords at each other in the Colosseum. On the other hand, you turn on television nowadays any day of the week and you’ll see wild animal attacks, advertisements for people being washed away in floods and what have you.”

Indeed, some might not unreasonably argue that Gladiator exploits that very mentality, pandering to the bloodlust of desensitized audiences. It grossed more than $180 million in the U.S. alone and features extreme violence. And while some of that carnage spills over into these DVD extras, DreamWorks has certainly created an engaging, often educational bonus package.

DVD special features review by Bob Smithouser

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‘gladiator’: thr’s 2000 review.

On May 5, 2000, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe unveiled their R-rated epic in theaters nationwide.

By Kirk Honeycutt

Kirk Honeycutt

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On May 5, 2000, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe unveiled their R-rated Roman epic, Gladiator, in theaters nationwide. The film claimed five Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards, including best picture. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below.

Emphasizing brawn over brain and spectacle over intimacy, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator nevertheless is an impressive accomplishment in its re-creation not only of the golden age of the Roman Empire but of the unspeakable brutality with which one of the world’s greatest states conducted its business.

Following up on his recent best actor Oscar nomination, Russell Crowe solidly anchors this epic-scale gladiator movie — the first in nearly four decades — by using his burly frame and expressive face to give dimension to what might otherwise have been comic book heroics. A guy’s guy, but one who should have considerable appeal for women as well, Crowe will be a major factor in the worldwide success of this ultimate jock movie from DreamWorks and Universal.

Like the Caesars, who commanded vast armies and ruled much of the world’s population, Scott marshals the resources of a cast of thousands, colossal sets, exquisite costuming and graphic imaging to paint in the details of a credible though sometimes geographically confusing depiction of the Roman Empire.

Although the physically daunting production at times threatens to overwhelm the implausible tale, Crowe and several actors, most notably the late Oliver Reed, Connie Nielsen and, in an extended cameo, Richard Harris, never let the human dimension get lost.

The screenplay, originally written by David Franzoni ( Amistad ) with John Logan and William Nicholson apparently doing rewrites, formulates a startlingly simplistic good-vs.-evil scenario. It also asks an audience to swallow the idea of Rome’s greatest general becoming almost overnight a slave and then a gladiator. Then again, in the second century of the Christian era, the Empire was a pretty crazy place and anything could, and did, happen.

The movie opens as Crowe’s General Maximus undertakes the final battle of his three-year campaign in the northernmost reaches of the Empire. “At my signal,” he tells his aides, “unleash hell.” And hell it is. Scott treats us to a striking display of warfare A.D. 180-style. The ancient killing machines swing into action: Thousands of spears and flaming arrows pierce the air, catapults fling fiery clay pots against flammable trees, hand-to-hand combat entails broadswords and axes, and a flanking maneuver led by Maximus himself sees the cavalry slip behind enemy lines to finish off the outmanned resistance.

In this early sequence, Scott signals the scope and scale of his ambitions, painting a broad canvas of blood, valor and horror, where action is slowed down to create a blur of shade and color, an impressionistic chiaroscuro of maniacal madness.

As the smoke of battle drafts away, the movie’s main characters are revealed. The dying emperor himself is unaccountably on hand, the white-manned Marcus Aurelius (Harris in a role John Huston would have played 20 years before). Waxing philosophical about a rule where virtue and wisdom is overshadowed by constant warfare, Marcus lays bare his unhappiness about the corruption of Rome.

He informs Maximus, his wastrel though ambitious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and his much wiser daughter Lucilla (Nielsen) of his intention to pass over his son to appoint Maximus as Protector of Rome. However, Commodus makes certain the old man dies before those wishes are widely known. He declares himself emperor before the body is cold, then orders Maximus’ immediate death.

Escaping execution, Maximus makes his way seemingly overnight — locations are vague throughout — to his home, where he finds his wife and son hideously crucified. Gravely injured himself, he falls into the hands of a slaver, Proximo (Reed), who turns him into a gladiator along with fellow slave Juba (Djimon Hounsou).

Meanwhile, Commodus, implausibly unaware of Maximus’ survival, arrives in triumph back in Rome where he indulges himself in all kinds of villainies. To take the populace’s minds off his evil designs, he restores the gladiator games to the capital.

Soon enough, Maximus, who has covered himself in glory in games in the provinces, gets called up to the big leagues. Arriving in Rome, he aims to achieve greatness in the arena, win the hearts of Romans and challenge the emperor himself, the man he has vowed to destroy.

Neither Scott nor his writers seem the least put off by the flatness of this moral universe. Crowe’s warrior embodies all that is good in the Roman ideal — where strength is found in honor and one remains loyal to a higher morality than political power. Phoenix’s tyrant, on the other hand, is a sniveling and indolent punk, snarling his every line of dialogue and incapable of even the slightest glimpse of anything reflecting his noble lineage.

To drive home Commodus’ tyranny, his entry into Rome is accompanied by monochromatic shots of the pageantry that ape those in Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda classic Triumph of the Will . Scott thereby ensures his audience always understands where the moral center lies. But some of the fun drains out of the movie when its makers resort to caricature over character.

Nielsen’s Lucilla is more confusing than complex, seemingly allied with her brother but emotionally pulled toward Maximus, with whom she once had a romantic dalliance that left them both bitter. But Nielsen delivers a character whose contradictions stem from not only divided loyalties but a moral inheritance from her father.

Reed’s ex-gladiator-turned-slaver emerges as one of the film’s more interesting figures, a man of practicality who, as practical men are often wont to do, proves to be a man of more honor than one might initially think.

But it is Crowe who dominates, a sexy and decisive man of action, bloodied but never bowed. Crowe is one of the most watchable of movie actors, fast on his way to becoming a movie star.

Arthur Max’s sets recreate a splendid Rome, though some CGI shots of the afterlife, which figures prominently in Maximus’ inner life, are too contemporary looking to jibe with the ancient world. Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s music catches the ominous majesty of the cruel Empire. John Mathieson’s camera is never showy yet always in the right place to catch the action. The stunt work is thrilling, an unimaginable choreography of men, weapons, chariots and wild animals down to the smallest details.

The movie is impressive in scope, but like the gladiator games themselves, designed for mindless spectacle to please the multitudes. — Kirk Honeycutt, originally published on April 24, 2000. 

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Gladiator (2000)

• Information at Internet Movie Database
• Review by Matt McEver, Journal of Religion and Film .
• Cinema in Focus , a social and spiritual commentary by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman.
• Roger Ebert Review , Chicago Sun-Times
• Looking Closer , review by Jeffrey Overstreet, "searching for truth, beauty and meaning in the movies."
• Hollywood Jesus visual review
• Review at Movie Parables
• " Gladiator and the Visions of the Afterlife," Steve Lansingh, TheFilmForum: Christian Conversation about the Movies .
• " Gladiator : The Reluctant Warrior," Kevin Reynolds, TheFilmForum: Christian Conversation about the Movies .
• Review , Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health - Spiritual Practices for Human Being .
• The Garden he enters is completely white, symbolizing the holy spirit.  He also must enter through a narrow gate.  This alludes to the passage in Matthew's Gospel. (submitted by Steve Ash, Memphis TN)
• After his death, he levitates on the ground towards a heaven-like garden that is completely white.  Since in this film heaven is a lateral place it is not unlikely that his levitation was meant to symbolize an ascension. (submitted by Steve Ash, Memphis TN)
• When Maximus is deloused after being bought by Proximo.  He is being baptised into a new life as a slave. (submitted by Steve Ash, Memphis TN)
• Maximus is portrayed as a devout, even pious man.  He is is reminder not to associate "pagan" with "godless."  We should be careful not to Christianize his beliefs. (submitted by Mike Clark, Hamilton, Canada)
• The old method used for making an oath was for a man to place his hand in the groin area and this is shown briefly when Maximus makes his vow to the good king (before his son kills him). I just think this is a cool clip to help bring the Bible to life. (submitted by Dave Robinson, MCYM/Club Beyond (a joint partnership between Young Life and Youth for Christ to reach US Military-dependent students) Bad Aibling, Germany)
• When Commodus is taunting Maximus, while Maximus is tied up in a crucifixtion -like pose.  Then Commodus stabbs Maximus in the side, very symbolic of Matthews passion narrative. (submitted by Steve Ash, Memphis TN)
• There is a quote that goes a little like this: "What you do today echoes through eternity." I think an entire year can be filled with lessons using this quote as a launching point. (submitted by Dave Robinson, MCYM/Club Beyond (a joint partnership between Young Life and Youth for Christ to reach US Military-dependent students) Bad Aibling, Germany)
• Proximo is a John the Baptist character in the film.  Once realizing how good a gladiator Maximus is, he guides him to achieve his goal. (submitted by Steve Ash, Memphis TN)

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By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

• Remember Me 14 years ago
• Shutter Island 14 years ago
• Green Zone 14 years ago

After an absence of 35 years, the Roman Empire makes a thrilling return to the bigscreen in “ Gladiator .” A muscular and bloody combat picture, a compelling revenge drama and a truly transporting trip back nearly 2,000 years, Ridley Scott’s bold epic of imperial intrigue and heroism brings new luster and excitement to a tarnished and often derided genre that nonetheless provided at least one generation of moviegoers with some of its most cherished youthful memories. But risky as this undertaking was at a budget well north of $100 million, the unfamiliarity of its trappings look likely to work in its favor with modern audiences, who should flock to this exciting entertainment in large numbers. Overseas haul promises to be even bigger than the domestic take for a picture that will have the incidental effect of making Russell Crowe a major star.

From roughly 1951 with “Quo Vadis” through the mid-’60s, the ancient historical/biblical/war spectacle represented one of the mainstays of world cinema. Revived on the widescreen as a way to lure audiences into theaters with something they couldn’t see on TV, these extravaganzas, which ranged from Oscar winners such as “Ben-Hur” to so-called sword-and-sandals potboilers like “Hercules” and far worse, were among the biggest commercial attractions of the period. But the costly and overlong “Cleopatra” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” hastened the genre’s demise.

The last of the full-blown, old-fashioned imperial epics, “The Fall of the Roman Empire,” a vastly underrated end-of-the-cycle flop in 1964 that remains stupendous in many respects, provides “Gladiator” with its historical point of departure, four of its principal characters and numerous plot points: Both films’ first acts are set in 180 A.D. in the forests of Germania, where the army of Marcus Aurelius finally subdues the barbarian hordes but where the aging emperor is eliminated by his treacherous son, Commodus; they also place in opposition Commodus and a great general who was the late emperor’s favorite, with Commodus’ beautiful sister torn between them. The stories subsequently move to Rome and conclude with mano a mano combat between the two mortal enemies.

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In treatment, look and feel, however, there is a world of difference between the two movies; although shot through with an intelligence rare for the genre, Anthony Mann’s film was stately, formal and, for its detractors, slow, while Scott’s is vital, visceral and pulse-quickening. And at its center is a great hero, a “real man” who will inspire both male and female viewers, a fellow of few words who speaks plainly and can handle himself in any situation, especially physically.

Jagged and impressionistic in a way clearly influenced by “Saving Private Ryan,” 10-minute opening battle is a savage spectacle, as General Maximus (Crowe) commands his troops to “unleash hell” on their overmatched adversaries with a deluge of arrows and flaming canisters that set the barbarians’ protective woods on fire.But as external conflicts are put to rest, internal trouble is only beginning. The arrogant and unbalanced Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) arrives at the front, along with his beautiful older sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), just in time to learn that his ailing father (Richard Harris) has named the triumphant Maximus his successor as emperor. For his part, Maximus, a Spaniard who has never seen Rome and, far more important, has been separated from his wife and son for nearly three years, wants no part of this plan.But Maximus makes the mistake of spurning Commodus. After killing his father in a fit of jealous spite, the insecure new emperor orders the execution of the popular general. The resourceful Maximus escapes this fate but reaches home too late; when he arrives, he finds his wife and son dead, his farm torched. In the poetic manner of Sergio Leone, Scott uses a man of action’s bitter and idealized memory of his lost family as a motif and a motive for the single-minded pursuit to which he devotes the remainder of his life.

At the 45-minute mark, action shifts to a distant North African outpost of the empire, where the captive Maximus is taken as slave. Purchased by gladiatorial entrepreneur Proximo (Oliver Reed), Maximus conceals his true identity but, when thrown into the arena for the first time, he fights well as a team with the African Juba (Djimon Hounsou), who will become his closest confidant.

After returning to a Rome that looks as much like Hitler and Albert Speer’s plan for Berlin as it does the Forum as it really ever looked, the new emperor orders 150 days’ worth of games at the Colosseum in an attempt to win the favor of the people. Bringing Maximus and other top fighters to Rome, Proximo, an old gladiator himself, advises his new stars to “win the crowd.”The gladiators’ entrance into the Colosseum has inspired Scott’s most staggering visual coup; after their detention in dark, confusing bowels of the great stadium, they are suddenly rushed up and out into blinding sunlight before thousands of crazed spectators waiting to see their blood flow. Drawing upon his army expertise, Maximus makes sure this doesn’t happen, turning the tables on the intended victors of the entertainment (a “re-creation” of the second war of Carthage) and earning the immediate attention of the emperor as a result.

Commodus is aghast to learn that the man whose death he ordered is still alive, and alarmed that this slave is suddenly more acclaimed among the people than he is. Also inspired by Maximus is Lucilla, his long-ago lover who dares to suggest a meeting with a rogue senator, Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), who would dearly love to use Maximus’ popularity as a political weapon against Commodus. Convinced by Lucilla’s desire to rid the empire of her neurotic brother, Maximus joins the dangerous plot, agreeing to an escape after which he will lead a waiting army into Rome against Commodus and help restore a republic.

In the meantime, of course, Maximus must survive arena combat that is heavily rigged against him. The gladiatorial contests are tense, dynamic and brutal, to be sure, and probably no less or more violent than most viewers would want them to be. Less fetishistic about the weaponry and modes of fighting than “Spartacus” and some other Roman combat pictures of yore, “Gladiator,” with its fast flurries of action and jump cuts, emphasizes the ferocious speed and urgency of every move in the arena, to the slight detriment of spatial unity and action continuity; in terms of the classical building of tension in a one-on-one fight, the standard is still the Anthony Quinn-Jack Palance battle in Richard Fleischer’s “Barabbas.”

But “Gladiator” enjoys a solid foundation in the strength of Maximus, the vividness of its evocation of the Roman world and the integrity of the story arc. Script by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson shrewdly appropriates touchstone moments from previous epics, just as it also cuts down the talk to a minimum when possible; there is none of the windy speechifying that ground many an epic to a halt in decades past. The action is presented in strictly Roman terms, with none of the Judeo-Christian angle so common to the genre in the ’50s.

The film revels in both the glory and the horror that were Rome. Proximo’s luminous description of the Colosseum to Maximus beautifully conjures an image of what was then the center of the universe, and the games themselves are presented in context as gaudy, lowbrow entertainment. Countless details in Arthur Max’s brilliant production design and Janty Yates’ highly diversified costume design are offered up in wonderfully offhand fashion.

Crowe is simply splendid, every inch the warrior with his image of a tranquil domestic life an emblazoned but irretrievable memory. Phoenix makes for a more neurotic, internalized Commodus than the gleeful maniac created by Christopher Plummer in “Roman Empire,” a coddled youngster literally in love (and lust) with his sister. As the latter, Nielsen has a consummately regal beauty and bearing; when her father says, “If only you would have been born a man, what a Caesar you would have made,” it’s instantly credible. Harris is excellent as the philosopher emperor (played by Alec Guinness in 1964) who rues having spent most of his career making war, and supporting players Jacobi, Hounsou and a corpulent David Hemmings as the clownishly bewigged emcee at the Colosseum make distinctly favorable impressions.

But the scene stealer, in his last role before his death on location, is Reed, who hadn’t brought such relish to a performance in years, and to whom the film is dedicated. Proximo’s excitement over being able to return to Rome brings out the old man’s boyish delight in his profession, which he insists is just “entertainment,” and Reed clearly reveled in both the physicality and the modestly hammy opportunities the part presented. Pic reps a great sendoff for him and a fine way to be remembered.

Production represented a gargantuan undertaking in four countries; even if the film is a big hit, it’s unlikely that the genre will come back in any significant way due to the costs involved. CGI effects have allowed numerous sets, notably the Colosseum, to be enhanced in size and spectacle value; the stunts, fights and battles are as forceful and realistic as anyone could want, John Mathieson’s widescreen cinematography is magnificent, and the pacing across 2½ hours is well modulated.

• Production: A DreamWorks release (in U.S.)/Universal release (foreign) of a DreamWorks Pictures/Universal Pictures presentation of a Douglas Wick production in association with Scott Free Prods. Produced by Wick, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig. Executive producers, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald. Directed by Ridley Scott. Screenplay, David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson, story by Franzoni.[###]
• Crew: Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), John Mathieson; editor, Pietro Scalia; music, Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard; production designer, Arthur Max; supervising art directors, John King (Malta), David Allday (U.K.), Benjamin Fernandez (Morocco); art directors, Peter Russell (Malta), Keith Pain (U.K.); set decorators, Crispian Sallis, Sonja Klaus (Malta), Jille Azis (U.K.), Elli Griff (Morocco); costume designer, Janty Yates; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Ken Weston; supervising sound editor, Per Hallberg; visual effects supervisor, John Nelson; special visual effects, Mill Film, London; special effects and prosthetic supervisor, Neil Corbould; stunt coordinator, Phil Neilson; fight master, Nicholas Powell; associate producer/assistant director, Terry Needham; second unit director/camera, Alexander Witt; casting, Louis DiGiaimo. Reviewed at Harmony Gold, L.A., April 19, 2000. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 154 MIN.
• With: Maximus - Russell Crowe Commodus - Joaquin Phoenix Lucilla - Connie Nielsen Proximo - Oliver Reed Gracchus - Derek Jacobi Juba - Djimon Hounsou Marcus Aurelius - Richard Harris Falco - David Schofield Gaius - John Shrapnel Quintus - Tomas Arana Hagen - Ralf Moeller Lucius - Spencer Treat Clark Cassius - David Hemmings

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Gladiator (2000)

Like its hero Maximus — the squinting, beefy, unassuming, indomitable Roman general-turned-gladiator — Ridley Scott’s film Gladiator is brave, impressive, ambitious, confident, competent, and commanding. Maximus’ story is epic in scope and expertly told; the world he inhabits is convincingly realized and vividly photographed; his enemy is unsettlingly dissolute and depraved; his defeats and setbacks are tragic and daunting; his struggle to overcome is heroic. If he has never heard of the Christian theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, he is at any rate an embodiment of the classical cardinal virtues of fortitude, prudence, temperance, and justice; especially contrasted with his contemptible opponent, who explicitly avows lacking them all.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/spiritual value, age appropriateness, mpaa rating, caveat spectator.

Unfortunately, also like Maximus, Gladiator isn’t especially interesting. The makings are here for a great epic spectacle in the tradition of Spartacus and Ben Hur, but Gladiator, while it honors this tradition, doesn’t live up to it. All the pieces are in place, but somehow they just don’t come together. In spite of this, it’s still pretty decent entertainment, and worth seeing in theaters for its immense set pieces (never mind if most of them are computer-generated; the illusion is pretty convincing).

Director Ridley Scott made his name with the groundbreaking science-fiction films Blade Runner and Alien, both of which, like Gladiator, were triumphs of set design and visual style, memorable more for the haunting worlds they created than for any engaging character development or moral interest. In these earlier films, Scott had the advantage of showing us worlds we had never seen before. Gladiator takes us to familiar territory, though new computer effects and Scott’s strong direction make it worth seeing anyway.

What’s missing from the story is an emotional center, a point of connection for the audience: a problem that manifests itself right from the start, as the film with the armies of Rome poised to vanquish the barbaric hordes of Germania. One of the barbarians approaches and contemptuously tosses a single decapitated Roman head — doubtless a herald or messenger — toward the Roman army. Moments later the two armies are engaged. Scott directs this battle sequence not with the directness of Braveheart or the disorienting chaos of Saving Private Ryan , but with an impressionistic camera that runs colors and shapes together like a living Monet. It’s a nice exercise in style; yet the film has given us nothing of the nature or context of the quarrel between the two sides, so we aren’t emotionally invested in the outcome; we have no reason to root for one side against the other (I suppose the barbarians do lose sympathy points for ignoring the civilized tenet of allowing messengers safe passage).

After the battle, we learn more about the general who engineered the Germans’ defeat. Maximus (Russell Crowe, last seen in The Insider ) has served Caesar in many campaigns, but wants no greater reward than to return home to his farm and his wife and son, whom he has not seen in over two years. (He prays for them to the gods in touching words: "Whisper to them that I live only to hold them again.") The aging Caesar, however, has other plans for Maximus: Rome is beset by corruption within as well as barbarians without, and Caesar’s ambitious son Commodus is ambitious but morally unfit to rule. Caesar wants to bypass his son for the succession and name Maximus protector, hoping that he can restore the tarnished glory of the Eternal City.

This scene establishes both Caesar and Maximus as sympathetic figures. You can’t help liking a politician with a conscience or a soldier who cares nothing for his career but only for his family. Then, however, Caesar does a foolish thing of the sort that comes from not having seen enough movies: without having yet shared his plans with anyone but Maximus, he reveals them also in private to Commodus; who in a moving and disturbing scene is as much appalled and dismayed at this final rejection of his father as by the crisis to his own aspirations. I trust I will be spoiling nothing when I reveal that Commodus kills his father and claims the mantle of Caesar for himself.

Maximus immediately realizes that the old Caesar did not die of natural causes, but has no time to regroup: he finds himself branded a traitor, and is sentenced to execution along with his family. Maximus’ escape is sudden and daring — so sudden that I missed his first move; I’ll have to watch for it on DVD — but he returns home much too late to save his wife and son. Grieving and exhausted, he buries them before collapsing on the blackened earth of the burned-out farmhouse. When he awakens, he is a prisoner, not of Commodus’ minions, but of slave traders who sell him for a gladiator.

With the death of his family, the screenplay brings the hero as low as he could go, as well as further establishing the villainy of Commodus. But there’s a dramatic and emotional tradeoff: Now that his family is dead, Maximus cannot hope to have the one thing for which he lived — except perhaps in the afterlife; a point worth returning to later. His life, at any rate, is from this point on directed toward two interrelated goals: (1) avenging himself on the man responsible for his family’s murder, and (2) realizing the murdered Caesar’s intentions for setting Rome on the road to reform.

The problem with this is that neither of these goals provides much of a moral or emotional center for audiences to care about. While revenge-scenes at the climax of a film are hugely popular with audiences (however morally problematic they may be), revenge as the driving force of an entire story is rather thin and uninvolving.

As for the fate of Rome, this is something the film never gives us any more reason to care about than we had in the initial battle-scene with the Germans. Characters talk a great deal about "the glory of Rome" and corruption and so forth, but we are never shown the practical consequences of these notions in the lives of Roman citizens. In my capsule review of a completely different film, The Mask of Zorro , I praised that story for the way it wove the evil effects of the villains’ oppression of the Californian people inextricably into the mechanics of the film’s plot. I don’t say that Gladiator would have had to go this same route (though it would have been one way to improve the story). But even a minute or two at the beginning of the story where we see the concrete effects of Roman corruption in the lives of Roman citizens, combined with a minute or two at the end that illustrates how Maximus has made a real difference, would give us something real to care about. As it is, I was impressed by the spectacle, but felt curiously detached from all the characters.

There is, however, one further issue: Maximus hopes to be reunited with his family in the afterlife, a hope that is intriguingly conveyed through juxtaposed flashbacks of real or imagined homecomings and footage of a sequence in which his wife and son went, as they thought, to meet the returning Maximus, but were met instead by Commodus’ executioners. The hoped-for reunion that did not occur then, Scott suggests, may yet be coming in another world. This is sensitively and thoughtfully handled, and could have been genuinely moving. Yet somehow it isn’t.

Maximus is a decent and pious pagan. His faith is, we trust, sincere, and according to the Church’s teaching it is indeed possible that such a person might be reunited with his loved ones in paradise, redeemed by the grace of a Savior whose name he never knew. Yet Maximus’ faith, however sincere, is not one we share; nor is it one that he himself in any way grows in, questions, struggles with, or nurtures. We watch him labor to attain his goals regarding avenging his family and fighting for the fate of Rome; but his unbaptized faith is both static and alien, and therefore, at least to me, somewhat uninvolving. It may even be admirable, but it isn’t very interesting.

A complicating factor is that the story takes place in 180 AD, at a time when the Christian church in Rome was well over a century old. Christianity was still suppressed, but was popular nevertheless, especially among the slave population — of which gladiators were a subset. I don’t know if Christianity was popular among gladiators, especially since the early Christians were so united in their condemnation of killing for spectacle; but I couldn’t help wondering why there was no Christian presence whatsoever in this film.

The point here is not that Maximus ought to have been, or become, a Christian, but that the Christian faith was available as one possible catalyst by which Maximus’ hopes for the afterlife might be thoughtfully engaged; and the film perhaps lost an opportunity here. Perhaps Maximus could have been depicted as having doubts about the afterlife; as struggling with the fear that his family was simply gone and that he too would be when he died. Perhaps he could have had a conversation with one Christian slave — like the actual conversation he had with an African heathen gladiator — in which Maximus might have asked a few questions about the new religion and its teaching on the afterlife: not as a spiritual seeker looking to convert, but simply as a man in the dark interested in as many different points of view as possible. And perhaps the Christian’s reassurances that, yes, he did believe that Maximus could hope to see his family again could have helped Maximus grow in his own pagan hope. Again, not the only way to go, but one way the afterlife theme could have been more thoughtful and involving. Gladiator is a good film. It could have been a great one.

RE: Gladiator

The review contains this sentence “Like its hero Maximus — the squinting, beefy, unassuming…” What is the point of mentioning he squints? I squint because of light sensitivity and find that the word is often used in a negative context. People dont usually mention squinting unless they want to put someone down. So what are you trying to say about his character when you mention he squints?

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Maximus: I'm required to kill--so I kill. That's enough.

Proximo: That's enough for the provinces, but not for Rome.

A foolish choice in art direction casts a pall over Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" that no swordplay can cut through. The film looks muddy, fuzzy and indistinct. Its colors are mud tones at the drab end of the palette, and it seems to have been filmed on grim and overcast days. This darkness and a lack of detail in the long shots helps obscure shabby special effects (the Colosseum in Rome looks like a model from a computer game), and the characters bring no cheer: They're bitter, vengeful, depressed. By the end of this long film, I would have traded any given gladiatorial victory for just one shot of blue skies. (There are blue skies in the hero's dreams of long-ago happiness, but that proves the point.) The story line is " Rocky " on downers. The hero, a general from Spain named Maximus ( Russell Crowe ), is a favorite of the dying emperor Marcus Aurelius ( Richard Harris ). After Maximus defeats the barbarians, Marcus names him protector of Rome. But he is left for dead by Marcus' son, a bitter rival named Commodus (the name comes from the Latin for "convenient" and not what you're thinking).

After escaping and finding that his wife and son have been murdered, Maximus finds his way to the deserts of North Africa, where he is sold as a slave to Proximo (the late Oliver Reed ), a manager of gladiators. When Commodus lifts his late father's ban on gladiators in Rome, in an attempt to distract the people from hunger and plagues, Maximus slashes his way to the top, and the movie ends, of course, with the Big Fight.

This same story could have been rousing entertainment; I have just revisited the wonderful " Raiders of the Lost Ark ," which is just as dimwitted but 12 times more fun. But "Gladiator" lacks joy. It employs depression as a substitute for personality, and believes that if the characters are bitter and morose enough, we won't notice how dull they are.

Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix ) is one of those spoiled, self-indulgent, petulant Roman emperors made famous in the age of great Roman epics, which ended with " Spartacus " (1960). Watching him in his snits, I recalled Peter Ustinov's great Nero in "Quo Vadis" (1951), collecting his tears for posterity in tiny crystal vials. Commodus has unusual vices even for a Caesar; he wants to become the lover of his older sister Lucilla ( Connie Nielsen ), whose son he is bringing up as his heir.

The moral backbone of the story is easily mastered. Commodus wants to be a dictator, but is opposed by the senate, led by Gracchus ( Derek Jacobi ). The senators want him to provide sewers for the city's Greek district, where the plague is raging, but Commodus decides instead on a season of games. Proximo arrives with his seasoned gladiators from Africa, who prove nearly invincible and threaten the emperor's popularity. The moral lesson: It is good when gladiators slaughter everyone in sight, and then turn over power to the politicians.

The Colosseum productions play like professional wrestling. Events are staged to re-create famous battles, and after the visitors wipe out the home team, a puzzled Commodus tells his aide, "My history's a little hazy--but shouldn't the barbarians lose the battle of Carthage?" Later, an announcer literally addresses the crowd in these words: "Caesar is pleased to bring you the only undefeated champion in Roman history--the legendary Titus!" The battle sequences are a pale shadow of the lucidly choreographed swordplay in " Rob Roy " (1995); instead of moves we can follow and strategy we can appreciate, Scott goes for muddled closeups of fearsome but indistinct events. The crowd cheers, although those in the cheaper seats are impossible to see because of the murky special effects.

When Maximus wins his first big fight, it's up to Commodus to decide whether he will live or die. "Live! Live!" the fans chant, and Commodus, bowing to their will, signals with a "thumbs up." This demonstrates that Commodus was not paying attention in Caesar School, since the practice at the Colosseum at that time was to close the thumb in the fist to signal life; an extended thumb meant death. Luckily, no one else in the Colosseum knows this, either.

Crowe is efficient as Maximus: bearded, taciturn, brooding. His closest friend among the gladiators is played by Djimon Hounsou , who played the passionate slave in " Amistad ." Since protocol requires him to speak less than Maximus, he mostly looks ferocious, effectively.

Nielsen shows the film's most depth, as the sister. Phoenix is passable as Commodus, but a quirkier actor could have had more fun in the role. Old pros Harris, Jacobi and Reed are reliable; Scott does some fancy editing and a little digital work to fill the gaps left when Reed died during the production.

"Gladiator" is being hailed by those with short memories as the equal of "Spartacus" and "Ben-Hur." This is more like "Spartacus Lite." Or dark. It's only necessary to think back a few months, to Julie Taymor's " Titus ," for a film set in ancient Rome that's immeasurably better to look at. The visual accomplishment of "Titus" shames "Gladiator," and its story is a whole heck of a lot better than the "Gladiator" screenplay, even if Shakespeare didn't make his Titus the only undefeated champion in Roman history.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Gladiator (2000)

Rated R For Intense Graphic Combat

150 minutes

Russell Crowe as Maximus

Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus

Oliver Reed as Proximo

Connie Nielsen as Lucilla

Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius

• William Nicholson
• David Franzoni

Directed by

• Ridley Scott

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Gladiator Reviews

As a sword and sandal epic, it still holds the exciting pulse to this day with Russell Crowe's magnificent performance and its emotional story about the Roman gladiator who fights as a liberator against a corrupt emperor. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 14, 2024

Russell Crowe takes ownership of his character and gives him an immeasurable truth and sadness. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 19, 2023

The individual performances are great and the images are stunning, and -- perhaps most important -- Gladiator offers an escapist quality that makes its derivative flaws seem minor.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 30, 2023

Gladiator is not a bad film at all; in fact, it's visually stunning, easily the most impressive work Scott has done since "Blade Runner." But it is apparent that reaction to this film is splitting along a fault line called "age."

Full Review | Jul 13, 2023

This Ancient Roman swords-and-sandals epic is one of the last big-budget, grandiose Hollywood blockbusters to win Best Picture.

Full Review | Jun 14, 2023

Great visual spectacle and first-rate entertainment... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Apr 11, 2023

When the dust finally settled, “Gladiator” pulled off a few minor miracles. It catapulted Crowe into super-stardom, removed any doubt that Scott could work within any particular genre with success, and took a dusty old genre and made it new again.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 19, 2023

Gladiator benefits from a second half that is, given its focus on Maximus’ vengeance-fueled exploits, virtually overflowing with spellbinding interludes...

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 30, 2022

The film’s most important effect, if you will, is Crowe himself as the unabashed hero General Maximus, followed closely by Joaquin Phoenix as the Emperor Commodus. Gladiator is at heart their simple story.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Nov 2, 2022

It is an honorable movie, so are they all honorable movies. But that's not enough. It's not great. It's a disappointment. Caesar hates disappointment, so kill it swiftly and be done.

Full Review | Nov 2, 2022

The new film has spectacular fight scenes in dazzling sets and a familiar story about honor and betrayal, courage and cowardice. It's the perfect vehicle for some old-fashioned sword-clanging fun.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 2, 2022

Gladiator delivers everything its title promises. The surprise is that this bold revival of the period "sword-and-sandals" epic does so with solid acting, sure pacing and superior style interspersed with payoff-worthy pathos.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 2, 2022

Such magnitude demands a heroically proportioned star, and Russell Crowe is the man, muscled but mournful and quietly spiritual. All hail, Maximus.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 2, 2022

Gladiator gets kudos for attempting to give a fresh face to the genre but it's merely a good, not great, film.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 2, 2022

The real star of the film is director Ridley Scott, who transports you from the comfort of your theater seat to the darkness that was Rome.

Full Review | Nov 1, 2022

The blend of digital imagery and contemporary showmanship combine to make you feel like a privileged ticket-holder at a compellingly ghastly program in the most famous arena on Earth.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 1, 2022

The way the movie repeatedly drives home the motivations for Phoenix's paternally scorned neurosis and Crowe's proud victim becomes repetitious; you think they could have brought some more shading to the characters in 160 minutes.

A mountain, a fever dream, an epic poem of a motion picture. Equal parts Ben-Hur and Braveheart, it is a victory not likely to be equaled any time soon.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Nov 1, 2022

Wholly improbable and voluptuously satisfying, Gladiator and its sheer shivery pleasure in cinematic spectacle and big emotion deserve a very Roman "thumbs up."

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 1, 2022

There is a plot, but it is at once so derivative and so undernourished that it never really registers as a story. As far as it goes, it's "Spartacus Lite," minus that epic's moral grandeur.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Nov 1, 2022

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

No place like Rome

W hen Gore Vidal was hired in 1958 to fix the screenplay for Ben-Hur - then in dire shape - a hapless William Wyler asked him: "These Romans: do you know anything about them? I mean, when a Roman sits down and relaxes, what does he unbuckle?"

A very pertinent question. The "unbuckling" issue - the micro-imagining of a world routinely conceived in giant terms - is where a film could so easily slip into Python territory and Ridley Scott's richly enjoyable Gladiator, the first proper Roman romp for 40 years, does not quite answer Wyler's query. But it is so entertaining and carried off with such dash and chutzpah, it makes you forgive the odd absurdity and wonder where this genre has been all your life.

Between the reign of Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius and his pampered, petulant son Commodus at the end of the second century AD, Scott deftly imagines a doughty soldier, bearing the outrageously virile name of Maximus. He is played by Russell Crowe, processing through a kind of triumphal arch into the A-list arena, grizzled and stubbled and troubled, his lips permanently pursed with suppressed contempt for the sinister and humbug- ridden politicians buzzing around him.

Having kicked some Teutonic butt in Germania - the uproarious battle-scene that starts the movie - Maximus is secretly ordered by the ailing emperor Aurelius (Richard Harris) to succeed him, ruling Rome as a kind of Cromwellian Lord Protector. The evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is very cross and lisps sandal-stamping lines like: "I am terribly vexed!" He promptly murders his father, announces his own succession, and orders Maximus and innocent wife and son to be slain. But Maximus escapes, is sold into slavery, obsessively trains as an awe- inspiring gladiator and returns to Rome in triumph as the darling of the mob to exact a terrible revenge.

Throughout it all, Crowe maintains a tough, slot-mouthed reticence; he is very persuasive as the superman of the Colosseum. Maximus is a slave by now of course, and this picture warily allows him one African comrade in the fellowship of chain and shackle. (Maximus is also supposed to hail from Spain, pointedly given his own ethnic identity as "The Spaniard"; I had a microsecond reverie of Maximus raising his sword and buckler in the cause of Elian Gonzalez.)

He is unmistakably patrician, however, and physically very like Richard Burton, with Burton's battered face and gravel-voiced machismo. But Crowe's Maximus is no Mark Antony; there is no destructive love interest in the picture. Maximus is sweetly devoted to his late wife; though it turns out he once had a bit of an unbuckling thing going in his backstory for Commodus's lovely sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).

Among the toga- and tunic-wearing ranks, Derek Jacobi supplies some I Claudius-style classiness as Senator Gracchus, and the late Oliver Reed gives a rather sweet, poignant performance as Proximo, the gladiator trainer who dreams of his own former glories - his presence, like so much in the film, partly computer-generated. David Hemmings, the former exquisite youth, sports two enormous windswept eyebrows as Cassius, the director of the gladiatorial revels.

But no hanky-panky here. Scott's movie here effectively endorses the Roman virtue of manly restraint, though here the question that must be asked is: where, oh where is the traditional homoeroticism? The massive hunks of male flesh on display do not have that deeply bronzed, oiled, chicken-basting look of yore, and the pecs lack the mammary fleshiness of a Victor Mature or a Stephen Boyd. And Crowe is certainly not into climbing into any communal male bathing area with his brother officers for some ambiguous small-talk about snails. When Peter Graves asks the little boy in Airplane if he likes movies about gladiators, this surely wasn't what he had in mind.

Where Scott really scores is in his big Rome set-pieces, especially Crowe's combat with men and tigers in a computer-enhanced Colosseum much bigger and more monumental than the original. Forty years ago, these great spectacles were intended to lure cinema audiences away from their new television sets,and part of the thrill lay in knowing that those sets and extras were real. Now they have the same effect as the battle set-pieces and crowd scenes in Phantom Menace: impressive in their way, but that epic innocence, for good or ill, is quite gone. To add to this state-of-the-art craftsmanship, however, Scott introduces a technique of a perceptibly earlier vintage: a gimmicky pop-video flashing and flickering when Maximus has to wield his sword and shield around: a kind of battle-strobe effect, which grates a bit.

What finally has to be said is that for all its implausible silliness and towering high camp, Scott's movie tells an engaging story, and the central arena fight-sequence in which Maximus and his gladiators playing the doomed Carthaginians end up defeating the Romans and reversing history "to the emperor's horror" is wittily and adroitly done: a sly demonstration of the confluence of politics and mass entertainment. You will find your thumb tilting upwards.

• Ridley Scott

Most viewed

Gladiator Review

12 May 2000

150 minutes

Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Quo Vadis - that was when they made movies as big as cities, proper, meaty, swallow-an-afternoon films. Well, what may have been out of vogue for 40 years is making one hell of a comeback. In the grandest tradition of them all, Ridley Scott, together with man of the moment Russell Crowe, has enriched the legacy of sandals, swords and leather wrist thingees to create a magnificent epic. Hammering on all the touchstones of yore while utilising all the tricks the modern filmmaker has to hand, this is hardly subtle, but its impact is absolute, its performances loud and clear and its ambition all up there on screen.

Commencing with a full-scale, extras unlimited, realism unabated battle sequence in a mud strewn Germanica, we are confronted by a general tired of war and an emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), near death. Furious at the bond between Aurelius and his beloved warrior, his unhinged heir, Commodus, kills pop and condemns Maximus to death. Big mistake. Especially when you kill his loving wife and child, whom he yearns to for, by burning and crucifixion.

And so the plot follows Maximus rise as a gladiator - trained by a remarkably vociferous and effective Oliver Reed, whose face is peculiarly CGI'd in certain scenes from beyond the grave - driven by lust for revenge. In the meantime, Rome is in turmoil with the nutty new emperor, played with gleeful hamminess by Phoenix, attempting to dismantle the Senate while his doting sister Lucilla (Nielsen) seems to have other plans. And just to make things more complicated, she happens to be Maximus' ex.

Russell Crowe was clearly born in a hard month, in a hard year during a freak outbreak of total hardness. The man exudes the physicality of a wild animal. Shifting testosterone like a pre-bloated Brando, he holds the screen with such assuredness and force you simply can't rip your eyes away from him. When he looks pissed off (as he does for 90 percent of the time), the movie possesses its own gravitational pull.

Ridley Scott was also the man for the job. His trademark visual panache - making everything seem utterly glorious no matter how brutal or gritty - presents the events on a truly epic canvas of filtered light and ancient landscapes. CGI has recreated Rome's massive colosseum and the gore splattered combat sequences therein are literally stunning - the face-off between Maximus' and his gladiator brothers and a stream of chariots in mid-arena makes a mockery of Ben-Hur's fabled race sequence, and utilising Private Ryan-esque frame-jumping techniques gives the fighting a tangible realism that crashes out of the screen.

There is an interesting if token commentary on the use of violent entertainment to subvert the masses, but on the whole, historical accuracy is reserved more for the technical elements than any sense of political, religious or dialectic truth (accents are all over the shop). The film also bobbles in its need to cram so much politicking in, to draw in an empire in crisis to the more personal story of one man's revenge.

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• DreamWorks Distribution

Summary Before Maximus (Crowe), the heroic Roman General, can honor the wishes of his dying emperor Marcus Aurelius (Harris) by assuming the emperor's role, the emperor's cruel and corrupt son Commodus (Phoenix) orders the execution of Maximus and his family. Escaping death, Maximus assumes the life of an anonymous gladiator, fighting his way b ... Read More

Directed By : Ridley Scott

Written By : David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson

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Gladiator (United States, 2000)

Gladiator is the kind of movie upon which Hollywood once built its reputation but rarely produces anymore: the spectacle. Filled with larger-than-life characters, gorgeous scenery, impressive set design, and epic storytelling, Gladiator is designed not just to entertain, but to enthrall. It draws audiences in and immerses them in a reality that is not their own. A boisterous reaction is expected every time the protagonist defies the odds and wins a conflict, or changes the tide of battle in his favor. This is filmmaking on a grand scale.

Director Ridley Scott made his name in movies by helming two acknowledged science fiction classics: Alien and Blade Runner . Aside from those films, however, his resume is littered with mediocre and unpromising titles, such as his most recent outing, G.I. Jane . (Some argue that Scott returned to form with 1991's overrated Thelma and Louise , but that's not an opinion I share.) Gladiator represents the British-born filmmaker's second attempt at an historical epic, and is far more successful than his previous endeavor, the stultifying 1492: Conquest of Paradise , which recounted Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World.

Gladiator is set in 180 AD, and uses actual historical personages and events for background. The events that transpire in the film are largely fictional, but they blend in well with the known facts. The Roman Empire is in full blossom, having survived the excesses of one corrupt emperor after the next. The latest Caesar, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), is a scholar who has taken to the battlefield to repel a barbarian threat from Germania. To that end, he has invaded, relying upon the leadership and valor of his best general, Maximus (Russell Crowe), to win the day. Maximus does not disappoint, and the Emperor privately decides to name him a his successor - a decision that does not sit well with Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Marcus' son. In a fit of rage and grief, he kills his father, then has Maximus taken away to be executed. The general, however, escapes death, slaying his would-be killers, then races home to protect his wife and son. But he is too late - by the time he arrives, they are both dead, and he is soon taken prisoner by slave-traders. Along with his new friend Juba (Djimon Hounsou), he is bought by Proximo (Oliver Reed), an owner and trainer of Gladiators. Recognizing Maximus' potential, Proximo grooms him for a trip to Rome's Coliseum.

Gladiator weds the heroic scope of movies like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Braveheart , and Rob Roy with the serpentine political treachery of I, Claudius . (A connection that is italicized by the presence of Claudius lead, Derek Jacobi, in the supporting role of a Roman Senator.) The film never fails to be involving and entertaining, and there are plenty of moments designed to stir the adrenaline. Additionally, the screenplay manages to avoid the trap of predictability. The villains are at least as smart as the heroes, and far more ruthless.

For New Zealand-born, Australian-bred actor Russell Crowe, Gladiator represents an opportunity to expand his reputation, which was heightened earlier this year by a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann's The Insider . This is Crowe's first opportunity to carry a big-budget motion picture. The role of Maximus requires more presence than acting skill, and Crowe proves equal to the task. From films as diverse as Proof, Romper Stomper , and The Insider , we know he can act. Gladiator shows that he can dominate the screen with a cold stare, a clenched jaw, and a sure gait - attributes normally reserved for the likes of action mega-stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

The supporting cast is comprised primarily of European notables. The exception is Joaquin Phoenix, whose Commodus is a conflicted-yet-detestable villain. Phoenix plays the character as a spoiled degenerate with effeminate mannerisms and huge appetites (historians mark the real Commodus as one of Rome's worst emperors). Yet, like a snake coiled and ready to strike, he is both unpredictable and dangerous. Connie Nielsen (who was one of the astronauts in Mission to Mars ) is Commodus' sister, who was once Maximus' lover and whose 8-year old son is the current heir to Caesar's throne. Veteran actors Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, and Oliver Reed (in the final performance of a long career) all have significant screen time. And Djimon Hounsou, whose breakout role was as the lead in Amistad , plays Maximus' brother-in-captivity.

Perhaps Scott's greatest achievement with Gladiator is neither keeping the pacing of a 2 1/2 hour movie tight nor choreographing a spectacular battle scene, but creating a second-century Rome that is entirely credible and stunning in its detail. Ancient Rome is one of the most romanticized civilizations in the history of humanity, and rarely has it been brought to life with the grandeur of this film. The Coliseum, for example, has been resurrected to its full glory (largely through the use of digital technology). Gladiator consistently looks good, although, during some of the fights, rapid cutting creates a sense of disorientation and confusion.

One minor stumbling block for the film is an occasional tendency towards moments of pretension. One of Gladiator 's themes is that power comes through controlling the mob. Successful gladiators are those who not only sate the crowd's desire for blood, but do so in an entertaining fashion. From time-to-time, a character will make a florid, preachy speech about this (or some other issue). We get snippets of dialogue like "The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate, it's the sand of the Coliseum." (Delivered by Jacobi, the line sounds positively Shakespearean.) There's nothing wrong with injecting social commentary about the bestial nature of human beings into a movie like Gladiator - my argument is that it should be more subtle. But that's a minor quibble.

Like many of the great Hollywood historical epics, Gladiator is the story of the triumph of a heroic figure over seemingly-insurmountable odds. In this case, he is a slave taking on the most powerful man in the world - the Emperor of Rome. The ending may be a unlikely (although, from Commodus' point-of-view, it could be a shrewd move if handled properly), but it is as exhilarating and satisfying as the final confrontation between Liam Neeson and Tim Roth in Rob Roy . As spectacles go, Gladiator has a great deal to recommend it. And, while the film has the ingredients to win over most audiences, it remains to be seen whether the marketing campaign and positive word-of-mouth will generate enough ticket sales for this cinematic combatant to remain strong when the field of early summer challengers becomes more difficult.

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Nick Cave's Gladiator 2: Christ Killer Is The Sequel We Still Want To See

Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" made an impact when it was released in 2000. The historical epic won multiple Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and grossed over $460 million at the international box office, which is an impressive feat for any movie, let alone an R-rated 155-minute drama about persecution and death. After years of waiting, a sequel is finally happening with Scott in the director's chair once again. However,  "Gladiator 2" isn't going to be as bold and dangerous as it could have been.

Little is known about "Gladiator 2" as of this writing, but the word in the colosseum is that it will revolve around Lucilla's (Connie Nielsen) son, Lucius. According to Deadline , "Normal People" star Paul Mescal will portray the character, and he's expected to gain some serious muscle for the part. While most of the details are being kept close to the vest, it's clear that the story isn't based on Nick Cave's "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer" idea, which would have seen Maximus return from the dead and embark on a supernatural crusade.

With the sequel finally happening, now is the perfect time to revisit Cave's bold idea for "Gladiator 2" and mourn as we wonder what could have been. In a world where unnecessary sequels are a dime a dozen, "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer" would have proven that some needless follow-ups are original and brilliant in their own right.

The story behind Gladiator 2: Christ Killer

"Gladiator 2" began gestating in 2002. John Logan, who co-wrote the first film, penned a script that took place 15 years later and followed Lucius as a grown-up. However, when Russell Crowe decided that he wanted to reprise the role of Maximus in the sequel, Nick Cave was hired to come up with a brand-new story that brought Maximus back from the dead. Things got weird after that.

In Cave's story, Maximus is resurrected by the gods so that he can kill a Christ-like figure named Hephaestos. It turns out that Hephaestos is starting to build quite the following on Earth, and that poses a threat to Jupiter, Mars, and the other Roman deities. Maximus accepts the assassination mission after the gods promise to reunite him with his deceased wife and son. That said, it turns out that Maximus' son is alive and well, and the former Roman general gets tricked into killing him.

Afterward, the resurrected Maximus joins an army of Christian crusaders — who are sick of being fed to crocodiles — as they wage war against the Roman Empire. This act of betrayal causes Maximus to be cursed with immortality and forced to live through humanity's perpetual cycle of bloodshed. The script's closing scenes are a montage of Maximus fighting in history's most famous conflicts, from the Crusades to the Vietnam War, before he lands a job at the Pentagon. Who doesn't want to see this movie?

Gladiator 2: Christ Killer complements the first movie

While Nick Cave's sequel idea seems nuttier than a squirrel's lunch on paper, the script is more grounded than you think. The supernatural and fantastical elements are kept to a minimum, but it's not like these ideas were ever alien to the "Gladiator" mythos. After all, the closing moments of the first film see Maximus strolling through Elysium's wheat fields, ultimately acknowledging the existence of an afterlife.

Still, Cave's sequel still boasts enough epic battles, amphitheater atrocities, and colosseum carnage to work as a traditional "Gladiator" movie. During his travels, Maximus bumps into old friends such as Juba (originally portrayed by Djimon Hounsou), and the villain of the piece is none other than Lucius, who grew up to be more corrupt than Uncle Commodus. "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer" brings some bold new ideas to the table, but it doesn't rip up the rulebook either. The essential elements of a "Gladiator" movie are all present and accounted for.

Furthermore, "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer" explores themes that were established in the first movie, especially regarding Maximus. His ultimate rebellion against the Roman Empire — and, by default, the gods it worships — is akin to him refusing Commodus' vicious authoritarianism in the first movie. As for new concepts, the story chronicles the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, which is a bloody chapter of Roman history that lends itself to violent and dramatic storytelling. 

Nick Cave is the real deal

Nick Cave was primarily known as a musician when he was hired to write "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer." His only other scriptwriting credit at the time was "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead," a suspense-drama about violence and oppression in a high-security prison. Despite being relatively obscure, the film has received some notable plaudits throughout the years, with The Guardian describing it as a "sledgehammer to the senses" that provides a nuanced take on prison life. In fact, it's comparable to "Gladiator" in the sense that it's another story about oppression and persecution.

Since then, Cave has established himself as a very talented screenwriter, as evidenced by his scripts for "The Proposition" and "Lawless." Unsurprisingly, his treatment for the "Gladiator" sequel was also well-received, with Ridley Scott describing it as "a piece [that] works very well" (per The Quietus ). Perhaps he was considered too unproven at the time, but Cave has proven himself to be a sophisticated and consistent storyteller since he was hired to write "Gladiator 2." Furthermore, he has a fascination with the more uncivilized elements of human nature, and his style lends itself to a "Gladiator" movie.

Ultimately, a "Gladiator" sequel that featured the death of a Christian deity and time travel was deemed too off-the-rails for studio bigwigs and producers to support. That's a shame. While the upcoming sequel will undoubtedly be good, especially with Ridley Scott back at the helm, it probably won't be as bold and thought-provoking as Cave's idea.

Gladiator review

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From its opening frames of hand-to-hand butchery and unblinking conflict, Gladiator simply grabs you by the balls and never lets go. This is visceral film-making at its finest, painted on the grandest of canvases, and yet, one which maintains the finest eye for detail. It is, in short, an awesome achievement. Boasting a cast of thousands, remarkable digital effects, and a gripping saga of revenge, its ultimate success nevertheless boils down to the work of two men.

For Ridley Scott, Gladiator is a return to form after spending the better part of a decade wandering in a post-Thelma&Louise wasteland (GI Jane: why, Ridley, why?). Here he takes a genre which was on life support for 40-odd years and pounds it back into glorious existence. True, Scott is little concerned with historical accuracy and will be hammered for the film's multiple transgressions. But like Kubrick's schizophrenic Spartacus - - Gladiator's closest screen relative - - it's also a work which will triumphantly stand the test of time. The atmospherics are so strong that you can almost smell the sweat pouring from the Colosseum as Crowe battles man and beast for the entertainment of the Roman masses.

But, wisely, Scott's chief concern remains mythic storytelling, following Maximus' path from hero, to slave, to gladiator, to de facto revolutionary, a stoic empowered as much by his own inner strength as his skills in the arena. It's the stuff that ignites the Roman world which surrounds him. It's also the stuff from which great movie heroes are born. For all the epic majesty worthy of Cecil B DeMille or David Lean, Scott's greatest accomplishment is simply keeping his camera on Russell Crowe.

In a sense, Crowe is playing the same character that he did so well in both LA Confidential and The Insider: the brooding and indomitable, but reluctant hero. Unlike those previous efforts, however, Gladiator has blockbuster written all over it. If LA Confidential and The Insider heralded the New Zealander's arrival as a leading actor of his generation, Gladiator is his passport to stardom. Oliver Reed also turns in a solid performance in his final role, while Djimon Hounsou, as Maximus' gladiator sidekick, Juba, shows post-Amistad career longevity.

The one and only annoying fly in this ointment is Joaquin Phoenix. Perhaps Phoenix has been short-changed by Gladiator's screenplay, but his hammy `quest for love' is just too much to swallow. Rather than anticipating a showdown between two worthy screen adversaries, you sometimes wonder why Crowe doesn't just put the little emperor over his knee and give him a good spanking. Still, this doesn't detract from what can only be described as a gloriously entertaining thrill-packer of truly epic proportions.

Gladiator will never be confused with The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire. Instead, it marks a return to epic film-making worthy of Ben-Hur and Spartacus with breathtaking technical advances... A star is born. And his name is Russell Crowe.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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‘Unsung Hero’: God Himself Can’t Save This Uninspiring Faith-Based Drama

SAY A LITTLE PRAYER

Christian musician Joel Smallbone co-directed this biopic about his own hardscrabble family, who worshiped their way to wealth.

Jesse Hassenger

“I know what I believe,” says Rebecca Smallbone (Kirrilee Berger), a teenager defending her ability to write and sing pop songs, about halfway through the biopic Unsung Hero .

The audience has to more or less take her word for it, because while she will eventually become the Christian pop star Rebecca St. James, Unsung Hero doesn’t focus enough on Rebecca to give anyone a sense of her thoughts or feelings on much of anything. We’re left to assume that she simply shares most of her beliefs with the true subjects of the film: her parents, David and Helen. In the tradition of King Richard , where Will Smith played the cantankerous, determined, high-standards father of Venus and Serena Williams, the next step in biopic evolution apparently involves paying tribute to the parents who figure so prominently in certain success stories. This seems like a particularly appealing tactic for a faith-based movie like Unsung Hero . Call it Fifth Commandment Cinema.

Unsung Hero is Fifth Commandment Cinema without the benefit of Will Smith-level charisma to make the stubbornness and screw-ups go down easier. What it lacks in star power, it makes up for in astonishing levels of faux-piety and false modesty: Joel Smallbone, of the Christian musical act For King & Country, co-writes and co-directs a biopic starring himself, playing his dad David. As the movie tells it, David follows his dream as a Christian music promoter and, after taking a bath on an early-'90s Amy Grant tour (blamed vaguely on “the economy”), uproots the family and moves them to the United States to start a new record label with another artist. When they arrive, David learns that the deal has fallen through. Now the family is stranded in Nashville with a six-month visa, no jobs, and plenty of pressure to head back to Australia. David doesn’t want to give up, but he’s also not sure what to do next.

This may be why Smallbone plays his father with a constant expression of stricken nerves; with every new turn of fate, even some strokes of objectively fantastic luck, David looks as if he’s just learned that he was swindled out of his life savings. Facing a barrage of anti-Australian discrimination due to the family’s six children (with a seventh on the way) and alienating use of the word “knackered,” the Smallbone family—following a cross-country train trip so lengthy that Helen (Daisy Betts) appears to become several months more pregnant by the end of it—makes a go of it without a cushy music-industry job.

Relying on their faith and worth ethic, which is to say home-schooling and child labor, the family starts a lawn-care business to make ends meet. They also receive help from wealthy local couple Jed (Lucas Black) and Kay ( Candace Cameron Bure , also an executive producer). Various behind-the-counter wage workers may be framed as vaguely forbidding and judgmental, but the Smallbones can count on the gracious charity of the rich for a leg up.

To be fair, David eventually bristles at this help, because he bristles at nearly everything. Thankfully, Helen’s ability to read almost anything as a manifestation of God’s blessings more than compensates for David’s sad-sack weaknesses. (“It’s a miracle—it’s like some kind of sign we’re supposed to be here,” she exclaims about a note from her mother that, when inspected by customs officials, unexpectedly helps them get into the U.S. despite their intention to overstay their visa.) Through the family’s perseverance, their prosperity gospel comes true.

If you’re looking for insight into what fuels the music of Rebecca St. James or For King & Country, Unsung Hero seems to find any detailed depiction of artistry or creativity untoward. There is God-given talent, there is the faith to pursue it, and there’s a very long roll call of the family’s successes appended to the end of this slender quasi-inspirational story. It’s hard to glean much inspiration, for that matter, when the movie’s hardships start to feel a bit like poverty cosplay. While David’s parents’ financial standings aren’t specified, they seem plenty comfortable, and the movie never supplies a particularly strong reason that the family must stay in the U.S. after David’s job offer falls apart.

Doubtless there is some interesting combination of craft, grit, and calculation that goes into making mass-appeal Christian pop, and members of the real Smallbone family could probably speak to that. But the ones who made this movie have demurred in favor of honoring their father and mother. Here, it's hard to shake the feeling that it’s the feel-good inspo they’re after, not the songs.

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Entertainment, entertainment | movie review: ‘unsung hero’ more like band merch than insightful biopic.

Cinematic memoir can be a complex creative endeavor. Film is a collaborative medium, and memoir requires a certain acknowledgement of the author’s creation. Without that self-reflection, memoir can slip into murky, confusing territory. This space is where the new film “Unsung Hero” exists, which is billed as “A For King + Country Film.”

If you’re not yet aware of the Grammy winning Christian pop duo For King + Country , comprised of brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, “Unsung Hero” will introduce you to their folksy family lore, if not their musical successes. The film is a biographical drama about the Smallbone family, a large brood from Australia who emigrated to Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1990s, following father David’s dreams of working as a promoter in the music industry.

“Unsung Hero” is co-written and co-directed by Joel Smallbone (with Richard L. Ramsey), and he also stars in the film playing his own father, David, who eventually managed the music careers of For King + Country, and Joel’s sister Rebecca St. James. Their siblings work in the family business as managers, lighting directors and documentarians (they all make cameos in the film), and there’s a sense of can-do collaboration among the tight-knit Smallbone family. This theme runs throughout the film, and so it makes sense that Joel would undertake the telling of his family’s own story in such an intimate way.

Therefore, “Unsung Hero” is like a much more expensive extension of the camcorder home movies that serve as a running motif throughout. This isn’t just a music biopic or a family drama, it’s a presentation of a family narrative as told, and embodied, by the family themselves. A valid endeavor, to be sure, but important context when considering the work as a cultural product.

Joel Smallbone is an appealing actor, even if it is a bit distracting that he’s portraying his own father (he has described the experience as a “therapy session”). Joel is also a character in the film, as a child (Diesel La Torraca), while Daisy Betts plays Helen, the Smallbone matriarch and Joel’s mother. Helen is, of course, the unsung hero of this story, the heart and spine of the family who insists on keeping them together while David makes one last-ditch attempt to make it in the music industry in Nashville. Helen is the emotional center of the family and Betts is the emotional center of this film, her character unflagging in her determination, keeping spirits up as David’s dreams are slowly crushed.

The family of attractive Aussies arrive in the United States without a stick of furniture awaiting in their rental home, and they nest in beds of clothes while they get on their feet, with the help of a couple from their church (Lucas Black and Candace Cameron Bure). They clean houses and landscape yards, clip coupons and accept the charity that comes their way, reluctantly, on David’s part.

While David struggles with the dampening of his dreams, his daughter Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger) is just starting to embrace her musical aspirations. But she can’t chase them until her father gets over his own emotional obstacles and deep hurt at being rejected by the industry. It takes him some time to understand the advice given to him by his own father James (Terry O’Quinn) back in Australia, that his family isn’t in the way of what he wants, they are the way.

“Unsung Hero” follows a predictable narrative path of struggles and salvation, but it’s not a traditional music biopic — it doesn’t start with a record deal, it ends with one. The focus is on their hardships to get to that record deal, which is clearly what matters to filmmaker Joel Smallbone. It’s not the success, the Grammys, the stadium concerts, but the ways they stuck together, eked it out, allowed themselves to dream while sleeping on beds of clothing, thanks to their mother, who never let David’s challenges get in the way of her kids’ imaginations.

It’s a humble story, and it has the capacity to inspire in its simple message of perseverance, but the film itself, as an artistic product, feels limited in its observational scope, because the filmmaker doesn’t have any distance from the material. Smallbone is a fine actor, but alongside Ramsey, he’s a limited filmmaker. Their visual style is drab at best, and the storytelling lacks the kind of self-reflection that might elevate this project. As it is, “Unsung Hero” feels more like band merch than an insightful family portrait.

‘Unsung Hero’

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG (for thematic elements)

Running time: 1:54

How to watch: In theaters Friday

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