"Maximus! Maximus! Maximus!"
This is what the crowds at the Coliseum chant... a lot. But I should say more. Gladiator is the tale of the rise and fall and rise again of a great Roman general, Maximus (Russel Crowe). The movie begins in Germania, where the last great battle for Roman expansion is fought. The only way to describe this sequence is excellent with more intensity than any sport on televison. The battle prompts the aging emperor to make a decision that will restore Rome's glory, that is until the Emperor's rat bastard son, Commodus (Jaquin Phoenix) decides to take matters into his own hands.
This chain of events leads our hero Maximus to make not one, but two important decisionsleading to his becoming a slave, and then a gladiator. After proving himself as a serious badass, he and all his gladiators buddies go to Rome where the real action starts.
The entire film is an intesne mix of battles and arena sequences with a very well developed plot that really pulled me back to the times of ancient Rome. Director Ridley Scott (Alien) does an excellent job, not only holding the story together, but enhancing it with fantastic special effects and great acting. Russel Crowe proves that he's an actor that can be part of a great ensembale or the shining light of the whole film (both true in this case). This film is a must see for drama and action buffs alike. You will not be disappointed.
