Well its now May and I must admit I haven't probably posted up as many reviews as I have done last year as yet (well I think!) but here is another one and its another film and I've opted for Gladiator, Ridley Scott's acclaimed historical epic drama. So grab yourself a sword, helmet and shield and prepare to enter the colosseum....
So here's the story, which is set back in AD 180 and it begins with General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) of the Roman army fight and win against the Germanic forces, which ends the war on the frontier. Maximus, who has already gained the respect of the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) who as a result of the victory wants him to be his succesor after he dies and end the political corruption in Rome, in spite of the fact that Marcus has a son, Commodus (Jaoquin Phoenix) whom Marcus does not approve of and is not a moral man. As Marcus meets with Commodus and tells him that he will not be his successor, Commodus is deeply wounded by the news and does not take it well and ends up smothering his father to death and he takes the throne. Commodus then asks Maximus for his loyalty, however Maximus turns him down and leaves, only to be arrested by one of his own men, Quintus (Tomas Arana) who has decided to be loyal to Commodus instead and tells Maximus that his wife and son will be executed. Maximus however manages to escape his execution sentence after killing the Praetorian guards that hold him captive and he flees on a horse to his home in Spain, where he desparately tries to save his wife and son, but he arrives too late to find them already dead. Maximus devastated, buries them and passes out and is soon found by a slave caravan, which takes him to Zuchabbar in the African province of the Roman empire and he is sold to a man named Proximo (Oliver Reed) and made to fight as a gladiator.
Maximus however as a gladiator proves to be a great success given his superior fighting skills he wins every match he faces and he begins to gain popularity in the province. Maximus also makes a friend with one of the other gladiators, an African former bounty hunter called Juba (Djimon Hounsou). As a result of Maximus's sucesses, Proximo reveals that they will be returning to Rome to the Roman Colosseum. The timing of this is a result of Commodus who has decided in his new reign as the emperor of Rome that he will bring the games back to the Colosseum. As Maximus and the other gladiators arrive at the Colosseum they are pitted against a group of warriors, who fight them using chariots, but Maximus again uses his military resources and leadership to upset the odds and secures a victory. Commodus is surprised by the result of the match and he goes to meet Maximus (who wears a metal helmet to conceal his face) but is angered when Maximus refuses to tell him his name and demands he take off his helmet, which Maximus does and tells him that he will have his vengeance for the murders of his wife and son and Marcus. Despite Commodus's wish to kill Maximus the crowd who are won over by the Spaniard, and chant for him to live, which Commodus reluctantly allows. And from here Maximus is thrown into a fight for his own survival against the crazed and corrupt Commodus and also find a way to try end his reign and the corruption in Rome.
There is not much doubt that Gladiator is a very entertaining historical drama and its popularity is fairly easy to comprehend as the film offers many sequences that are thrilling as the battle scenes are so well staged and gladiatorial fights are as compelling as they are bloody. The film's story is of course pretty much as old fashioned as it gets in its battle of good vs evil with Maximus, the moral and decent soldier in the field, who fights for the Roman empire, only to be ultimately betrayed by his own men and sentenced to death by the corrupt and amoral Commodus and he eventually manages to escape and fight his way back to Rome where he enters the Colosseum as a gladiator. The film however succeeds very well in showing the complexity of Commodus's character as well as while he is twisted and corrupt he is also quite pitiful as he was almost cruelly shunted aside by his father and denied the throne which was rightfully his. However Commodus is also depicted as having inappropriate and incestuous feelings for his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).
As for the performances well they are all largely excellent as the film features a fine cast. Starting with Russell Crowe well for me he is actually the weak link in the chain here as his performance as Maximus is actually not bad at all but its hardly great and it has to be said is much overrated and in my eyes didn't exactly merit the Academy Award he received for it (call me bias if you will!). And for me it remains one of Crowe's most bland performances and Maximus himself is largely a very one dimensional character, which in a way is a pity given that Crowe is an adept and very capable actor. Despite that however Crowe does do very well with the physical side of the film as he handles the fight scenes really well as he engages in some fierce hand to hand combat and he does lend a strong presence and authority to his character. Crowe also has some good moments in the film such as the scene where in the Colosseum he is forced to remove his helmet and reveal himself to Commodus and he says to the emperor "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelias. Husband to a murdered wife, father to a murdered son. And I will have my vengeance in this life or the next!". Crowe also has the odd moment of levity in the film such as in the scene where, Lucilla's son, Lucius (played by Spencer Treat Clark) and Lucius visits Maximus who in the market and says to him "I hear you can crush a man's skull with your own hands" and Maximus says "Not a man's.... a boy's!". Another good moment is later on in the film when Maximus has been captured trying to stage a coup against Commodus. And as Maximus is chained up and confronted by Commodus he says "I knew a man who once said that death smiles at us all. All a man can do is small back." and as Commodus "I wonder did your friend smile at his own death?" and Maximus says "You must know, it was your father". Then there is Maximus's opening scene where he addresses his men as the Roman army takes on the forces in Germania. And he says to his troops "Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium (the afterlife) and you are already dead! Brothers, what we do in life... echoes in eternity!". And there is of course Crowe's most memorable line where he says to Quintus, his second in command "At my signal, unleash hell!".
Joaquin Phoenix by contrast actually gives the film's best peformance as the twisted and corrupt Commodus who is both loathsome and pitiful and Phoenix deserves much credit for his complex potrayal of the immoral emperor. Phoenix has quite a few highlights in the film, the first one that comes to mind is the scene where Commodus's father, Marcus, tells him he won't be emperor and Commodus tearfully asks why he hates him. And as Marcus pleads with Commodus to embrace him, Commodus does and starts to smother him to death and he says "I would butcher the whole world if only you would have loved me!". Another scene is where Commodus realises that Lucilla has betrayed his trust by plotting against him with Maximus and he disguises it by telling Lucius the story of "The emperor Claudius who betrayed by those closest to him by his own blood." And as Lucilla starts to silently cry as he tells the story to Lucius, Commodus continues "And the emperor was heartbroken. The little bee had wounded him more deeply than anyone else could ever have done. And do you know what happened then? The little bee told him everything!". Another fine scene is where Commodus taunts Maximus in Colosseum after Maximus defies him once again as he refuses to kill Rome's most prized gladiator. And in the scene Commodus says to Maximus "they told me your son cried like a little girl when they nailed him to the cross and your wife moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again, and again, and again!". And Phoenix's finest moment arrives in the scene where after Maximus has been captured, Commodus expresses his full intentions of his incestuous expectations for his sister to provide him with a son. And Commodus says "And as for you, you will love me as I have loved you. You will provide with an heir of true blood, so that Commodus and his progency will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful?" and as Lucilla turns her head away, he angrily grabs her face and yells "AM I NOT MERCIFUL???????!!!!".
Which brings me to Connie Nielsen is also excellent in her role as Lucilla, Commodus's sister and former lover of Maximus, who is forced to leave in fear of her brother and tries to resist his incestuous advances and then betrays his trust to conspire against him with Maximus. Nielsen also has some good moments in the film such as the scene where she meets with Maximus in a prison cell after he reveals himself to Commodus and she says to Maximus "Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the emperor of Rome!". Also her reactions in the scenes where Commodus learns of her betrayal and also when he tells her that she will give her a son so his reign can continue.
Richard Harris also provides a fine performance as Marcus Aurelius the ageing emperor who is dying and turns to Maximus to succeed him as emperor. Harris also has some good dialogue in the film such as in the scene where he tells Maximum that he wishes him to take over as the protector of Rome. And Marcus explains to Maximus his decision and says of Rome "You have never been there. You have not seen what it has become. I am daying, Maximus. When a man sees his end... he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak of my name in many years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant? Or will I be the emperor who gave back Rome her true self?". And later in his last scene where he tells Commodus that he will not be the emperor and he pleads with his son, on his knees "Commodus, your faults as a son, are my failure as a father".
Oliver Reed is excellent in what turned out to be the final performance of his career as the grouchy Proximo, a former gladiator, who now trades in using slaves as gladiators. Reed has some fine moments in the film, and even his opening scene is funny where he get's angry with a sleazy trader (played by the comedian Omid Djail) "Those giraffes you sold me won't mate, they just stand around. You sold me queer giraffes!" followed later as he driven in a carriage toward his home through a busy market place he moans "How long does it take to get into my own house?!". Also in the scene where he addresses the slaves, with Maximus among them, and he says to them "I am Proximo! I shall be closer to your for the next few days, which will be the last of your lives, than that miserable bitch of a mother who first brought you screaming into this world! And just as your mother was there at your beginning... I will be there at your end. And when you die - and die you shall - your transition will be to the sound of.... (claps his hands) gladiators.... I salute you!". And later on in the scene where he talks to Maximus after his success in African province and he tells him of his memories of being a gladiator himself as he says "Oh you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. I was the best not because I killed quickly, I was the best because the crowd loved me. And if you win the crowd, then you will win your freedom!".
As for the other supporting cast Djimon Hounsou is also good in his part as Juba, fellow gladiator and good friend to Maximus as they fight together in Africa and then later in Colosseum. Hounsou also get's the film's last words as he buries Maximus's two small figurines of his wife and son and he says "We will meet again, but not yet...not yet". And lastly Derek Jacobi also makes provides a fine turn as Senator Gracchus, a roman senator who opposes Commodus's rule and often makes sarcastic remarks to him. This is well noted in their first scene together where Commodus says "Rome is my children and I will embrace it like it were my own" and Gracchus says "Have you ever embraced anyone with plague, sire?!" to which Commodus turns him and says "No, but if you interrupt me again, I'm sure you will!".
As for Ridley Scott well he does a great job with Gladiator as the film is visually spectacular and he effortlessly handles the staging of the film's epic battle scenes, particularly at the start and also the fight scenes in the colosseum. Scott also makes good use of the film's locations as the opening sequence was actually filmed in the Bourne woods in Surrey, and the scenes of the desert travel and the African province were shot in Morroco, and lastly the Colosseum location was shot in Malta, where the production even built a smaller scale set of the Colosseum itself. The film at over two and hours long never drags and Scott paces the story very well throughout as well. And Ridley Scott was inspired to direct the film after he saw the painting
titled Thumbs Down (or Pollice Verso in Italian) by the French paintor
Jean-Leon Gerome, which was of a gladiator in the colosseum standing
over two slain corpses. The thumbs up and down signalling is also demonstrated by Commodus in the film as thumbs up means live and thumps down of course means die.
Which brings me onto the film's score by Hans Zimmer, which is excellent and remains one of his most memorable and recognisible scores and was also co-written by Lisa Gerard who provides the disinctive singing in the film. The film score itself did not win an oscar although it was nominated but it did win the Golden Globe award for best original score.
Now we get onto the flaws, does Gladiator have any glaring ones???? Well not as such but there are of course the odd little one here or there. But these niggles are morely on the character front and the one thing that springs to mind that bugs me is Marcus Aurelius's character as he comes across as a rather arrogant, presumptuous wanker who rather cruelly inflicts the decision on his son to not let him become emperor. And while this is very understandable its the manner in which he shafts his son at the start and doesn't even bother to ride with him that shows his open contempt for him. Not only that there is the infuriating presumption that after all Maximus has done for him that he won't even let him go back to his wife and family and insists he end the corruption in Rome instead. I mean hasn't the guy done enough for you already????!!!! And its the arrogance of giving Maximus no choice when Maximus says "I need time to think" and Marcus says "Of course and by the morning I hope you will have agreed with my decision". Acchh bugger off ya old arrogant twat!
And I enjoy looking at cause and effect in movies and it has to be said, and this is by no means a flaw, but Maximus's capture and ultimate demise actually lies with Lucius as the youngster naively reveals to Commodus while they have a playful swordfight that he is "Maximus, the saviour of Rome!". And as Commodus looks surprised by this, he asks Lucius who told him that, and the boy whispers in his ear that it was Lucilla (presumably anyway) and Commodus later has his men ambush Maximus and capture him, where Commodus later stabs Maximus, to weaken him during their final duel in the colosseum. And that all boils down to Lucius's flippant remark, so if only he'd kept his mouth shut then that probably wouldn't have happened. Thanks Lucius!
I also thought it was rather peculiar how the character Quintus, who betrayed Maximus's loyalty for Commodus's, at the end of the film switches sides and rather than give Commodus his sword, as Commodus commands, Quintus refuses and says "shield your swords!". And this is the emperor he is disobeying!!! Now either there are strict rules in the gladiatorial combat that once an opponent has dropped their sword they can't pick it up again (which might be so) or Quintus has committed a blatant act of mutiny! In the end of course its the right decision and it sees Quintus acquit himself for his actions in ordering the execution of Maximus's family (which was at the hands of Commodus anyway, so he was just following orders).
But despite all that Gladiator is still a highly entertaining film and it still remains one of Ridley Scott's finer moments in his career and it also really announced Russell Crowe as a real superstar in Hollywood.
And with that I shall leave yeee there!
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