Time: 155 Minutes
Age Rating: M
Cast:
Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius
Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus
Connie Nielsen as Lucilla
Oliver Reed as Antonius Proximo
Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou as Juba
Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius
Director: Ridley Scott

I saw Gladiator for the first time many years ago. While I liked it, I thought that I should revisit it, with the sequel coming up. A couple of decades onwards, it has held up really well and was better than I remembered it being.

I should mention that on this recent viewing of Gladiator, I watched the extended cut, and its runtime is just under 3 hours in length. It’s a great and epic revenge story, and I was invested from beginning to end. There have been accusations of it being historically inaccurate and as someone who isn’t an expert on this time period, I can see that being the case. However, that never dampened the experience at all.

This movie also has a lot of strong performances. Russell Crowe is great in the lead role of Maximus, it’s very easy to get on board with him and his journey. Joaquin Phoenix was the scene stealer for me, playing the hateable yet also compelling villain Commodus. Definitely up there in terms of Phoenix’s best performances, which is saying a lot in his case. Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Djimon Hounsou shine in their parts too.

Ridley Scott’s direction is outstanding. Gladiator is on such a large scale and with it being a historical epic directed by Scott, there’s a lot of attention to detail, especially with the costumes and beautiful production design. The film shines the most when it gets to the intense action and battle sequences, which are thrilling, and well choreographed and filmed. The score from Hans Zimmer is fittingly epic and solid, even if there were numerous moments in which it sounded like the Pirates of the Caribbean themes.

Gladiator is a fantastic historical epic, excellently directed, and with amazing performances. I’d say that it remains among Ridley Scott’s best movies, and I’m looking forward to what he has planned for the sequel.