Gladiator

I think apart of me believes that I am allergic to popular movies. I talk to people and tell them that I had never seen Gladiator. They look at me with this look of shock, how could I have not seen Gladiator?!?!? Its such a brilliant film.

I mean I had no doubt. It won Best Picture, its got Russell Crowe in it, its praised by so many people, why wouldn't I watch it?

Well I think its because I watched No Country For Old Men.

Now its been a long time since I've seen No Country for Old Men. I need to re-watch it because I believe every movie deserves a second watch... most of the time.

I will re-watch it and give a full review but in short, I didn't like No Country for Old Men. I thought it was boring, I thought it was stupid. I did not care for this movie whatsoever.

But hey! This movie won Best Picture. Well you know, its because of this movie that I realize that Best Picture sometimes doesn't mean shit.

A movie can still be boring as hell but still win a lot of awards. I don't know if I just have a totally different outlook on things, or what, but this movie did nothing for me, especially nothing like it did for countless other people who thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

But I'm not here to talk about No Country For Old Men, that's another review.

My point is, I have my hesitations about a huge hype over films because I've heard it before and its been wrong. But for some reason, the hype over Gladiator has never, ever gone away. People sing its praises, whether they like Russell Crowe or not, whether they like Ridley Scott, they call Gladiator a freaking masterpiece...

And I'm starting to understand why.

Gladiator starts with the story of Maximus. (There's a longer name for him but everyone calls him Maximus) (played by Russell Crowe). He is the General of Emperor Marcus Aurelius's Army and a charismatic leader due to his valor in battle.

Aurelius (played by the Late Richard Harris) loved Maximus. The Emperor is dying and is expected to name his successor. Now this is Rome after many years of Tyranny. The Senate has lost the power it once had and the Emperor is the sole power. But Aurelius has the intention of restoring democracy back to Rome. In doing so, he will not pass his crown to his son, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix). Instead he intends to hand power over to Maximus and make him protector of Rome until power is restored to the Senate. When this is revealed to Commodus, he kills the Emperor and tries to kill Maximus.

Maximus escapes and flees. His wife and son however are brutally murdered. This is overly heart breaking as all Maximus wanted to do was to go home to his wife and son.

Well Maximus is taken prisoner by a roaming caravan and becomes a slave, subjected to the arena as a Gladiator, forced to fight for the entertainment of the Roman Empire.

All the while, Commodus is planning a massive games to celebrate his installment as Emperor.

All the while, his sister, Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen), an extremely political and strategic woman is looking for a way to get rid of Commodus as she worries about her son who is the next heir to the position of Emperor.

This is actually a really great part of the movie. I know this movie came out before Game of Thrones, but it really depicts Rome as a Game of Thrones-esk light. And its great. There's this great game of politics between Lucilla and Commodus as she plays his side but behind his back plans his downfall.

All the while she's working with Senator Gracchus, (played by Derek Jacobi) to bring power back to the Senate and rid Commodus of power.

Well with the new games coming to the Colosseum, Maximus has become a leader of the Gladiator team.

He goes to Rome with the intention of exacting his revenge on Commodus. There's a great conversation he has with the man who owns him, Proximo (played by Oliver Reed, who passed away before the movie was released) where Proximo explains that if Maximus is able to win the crowd and the mob, he is able to win his freedom.

But Maximus could honestly care less of his freedom and is more interested in revenge.

Its a great Game of Thrones-like story that includes a lot of gruesome killing, and all the masculinity that Russell Crowe can dish out.

I think I thought that Gladiator was just a movie about great Gladiator fights in Rome but its so much more than that.

But while we're on the topic, I should talk about the fights.

They're great!

Honestly, I think its almost better that this movie was made in the 90s because there's no digital blood. Its done so well and it was right before things started getting CGI and shit all up in here. And it just makes it better.

Russell Crow teams up with a young Djimon Hounsou, and the two of them make that great 90s team up of the races that everyone seemed to be doing. Shawshank Redemption, Die Hard with A Vengence, etc. While Hounsou's character is not really that developed, there's a great relationship between the two and the fights they are in are just brilliantly choreographed.

There's this great feeling of Ben Hurr in this film where its gritty, its violent, but at the same time, the film is just overall epic.

I have to wonder if this movie would have been such a brilliant success if the music, provided by Hans Zimmer, didn't make this movie just down right epic!

I think Ridley Scott wanted to make the most accurate Rome film ever made, and I won't speak of the historical accuracy, but the way its made, along with the music, along with the characters, all makes the movie just down right epic and its no wonder that its just considered one of the most manly movies ever.

I should talk about the dynamic between Maximus and Commodus.

I've never been a huge Joaquin Phoenix fan. Maybe I haven't seen him in enough, but I just have never really been impressed with him.

This movie starts to make me rethink that position. Joaquin Phoenix does a very good job playing just an incredibly insane man who is not well. He's just a child and he's just creepy.

The dynamic between him and Maximus is phenomenal. On one hand you have a soldier with all the virtues that Commodus talks about of Marcus Aurelius in the beginning. The very virtues that Commodus says he does not have.

Maximus is moral, Commodus is not. Maximus has seen war and has experience, Commodus does not. Maximus is loved, Commodus is not. And that's the great differences between the two.

Its just a great relationship and it only gets better and better the more I think about it.

Other strengths the movie has?

Again, Connie Nielsen's character is just complex and strategic.

Is she the best female character ever made? No. I'm pretty sure Gladiator does not pass the Bechdel Test, not by a long shot.

If you don't know what the Bechdel test is, its the test of whether or not a film or a book has:
1) More than one female character
2) If those female characters talk to other female characters about things other than men.

Yeah... Gladiator fails that.

But honestly, that's not really a requirement for me when I think of good movies. Lucilla is an intricate part of the film and she's a great character.

I don't know. I'm trying to find something wrong with this movie and its really hard. I've heard criticisms that Russell Crowe really didn't give that great of a performance because he looks stoic and is fooling you into believing its profound when its really boring...

I don't agree with that.

Personally, I love Russell Crowe. I love him in this, I love him in other things, and I love this movie.

Honestly, while it was a long movie, a complaint I've had for a couple of the movies I've reviewed recently, it was a great length in my opinion and it really is a great film. Maybe the music assists the epicness of the film but that just makes a great mixture to make a great film.

And if the only other complaint is a movie not passing the Bechdal test, I think I can say this movie is just absolutely spectacular.

I wish I could say something more thought provoking or more deep about this film but there's just so many good things about this film that I can only say its great.

But those are my thoughts. I really want to hear some dissent here. Is this movie overhyped? What do you think? Comment and Discuss Below!

I'll leave you with this. So Russell Crowe is in a band. He sings folk music... or rock... or something like that. Here's him singing with Jimmy Fallon. Enjoy!