9 of 10
Cinematography by John Mathieson
Russell Crowe
Joaquin Phoenix
Connie Nielsen
Oliver Reed
Richard Harris
Derek Jacobi
Djimon Hounsou
Is Rome worth one good man's life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again.
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| Gladiator 9 of 10 |
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| Directed by Ridley Scott Cinematography by John Mathieson Russell Crowe Joaquin Phoenix Connie Nielsen Oliver Reed Richard Harris Derek Jacobi Djimon Hounsou |
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| This movie was my Braveheart. It affected me the way Braveheart affected almost every other male in America. The sheer size and virility of it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. (I watched Braveheart after this. It doesn't have the same effect if it's the second epic action film you see.) I think I was drawn so powerfully to this movie because of one simple thing: Russell Crowe's Maximus is truly magnificent, one of the most memorable characters ever. (This was my first experience with Crowe, and I currently think that he is the best modern actor that I have ever seen.) There is a moment in the film where he returns to his family's home only to find his wife and only child killed by his enemies. That scene is simply amazing, and also very hard to watch. Maximus' sorrow and desolation is incredibly evident on Crowe's face and in every fiber of his body as well. The final scene is also amazing, but I will leave you to see that on your own. Harris exhibits a powerful screen presence as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and Oliver Reed (who passed away during the movie's filming) is excellent as the former gladiator Proximo. But it was Joaquin Phoenix, aside from Crowe himself, who really stands out here. His Commodus is a masterful mixture of evil, spoiled, petulant selfishness, and a kind of sad, desolate, all-destroying neglect. The cinematography is very choppy, which usually irritates me, but which I think fits extremely well here. It heightens the feeling of confusion during the fight scenes, which makes the viewers feel that they are down in the arena themselves. Speaking of fight scenes, the opening battle in Germania is astounding. It left me speechless, and I never really regained my composure. Powerful, powerful stuff. Is Rome worth one good man's life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again. |
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