Gladiator
4 Stars out of 4
By Paul Touchstone
May 8, 2000
Wow. "Gladiator" is one of the best movies of the year. I knew Russell Crowe was a respected actor before this, but he should be nominated for Best Actor for his work in this movie.
The movie is set in the first 200 years after Jesus was born during the time of the Roman Empire. Crowe plays Maximus, a Roman general who is hand picked by the dying emperor to be his successor. Unfortunately, the emperor's son Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, feels differently. Commodus kills his father and takes the throne. His first action is to have Maximus executed. Maximus escapes, but Commodus's army kills his wife and son. Maximus is forced to become a slave and fight as a gladiator to have a chance at getting revenge against Commodus.
This movie is great because of its excellent story, actors, director (Ridley Scott), and battle scenes. It's been quite a while since I've seen such realistic war scenes. Go see this one at the theater!
Rated R for language and war violence. 154 minutes.
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