Gladiator (2000)

Gladiator (2000) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Djimon Hounsou.

Screenplay by David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson. Story

by Franzoni. Directed by Ridley Scott

Grip your theater seats and prepare to be entertained.

From its opening battle to its visually poetic finale, "Gladiator" is a

non-stop action piece, a thinking man's epic in the vein of "Spartacus" and "Ben Hur."

Starring Russell Crowe, Gladiator combines excitement and thrills with a solid script and a larger-than-life hero.

Crowe plays Maximus, a legendary Roman general, loyal to his emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), and his ideals.

Through the machinations of the jealous Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the

emperor's ambitious, immoral son, Maximus is marked for assassination after Marcus Aurelius' sudden demise.

Escaping an ambush, he rushes to his far-away home to find his wife and

young son murdered.

Captured and sold into slavery in North Africa, Maximus is trained as a

gladiator. He soon begins winning fame in the bloody arena and is taken to Rome to do battle in the Colosseum.

Once in Rome, Maximus sets out to win over the populace as well as avenge himself on the new emperor - Commodus. I n print, this all may sound a bit silly or even childish. Or worse, like one of those cheesy Italian `epics' from the late '50s or early '60s starring people such as Steve Reeves or Gordon Scott.

Take my word for it, "Gladiator" towers over those movies like Mount Everest over the Himalayas.

If it's blood and swordplay you crave, than "Gladiator " is your fix.

But be warned: This is a brutal movie. Limbs are hacked, heads fly and bodies are split. Yet director Ridley Scott's camera is too busy to take

a breath and linger on the corpses. We are thrown into the midst of combat; the clanging of swords, the whoosh of arrows, the thump of spears hitting flesh, the cries of dying and wounded men surround you.

Yet behind all this spectacle and special effects is a story of honor and of one man's quest for justice.

Maximus may be a heroic general, but underneath he is a simple soldier longing for his home and family. He craves no honors except to be allowed to rejoin his wife and son.

Fate treats him cruelly, thrusting him into a world where he must survive not only on the strength of his sword arm, but with the cunning of his brain.

Crowe is magnificent as Maximus. Though he goes through "Gladiator" killing dozens of men, you continue to cheer for him. You hold him in awe and respect him, despite the brutality he must adopt to endure.

Crowe is an actor whose silence speaks volumes. He uses his expressions, especially his eyes, to convey a wide range of emotions. The Australian actor is a chameleon. You will not see any of "The Insider's" Jeffrey Wigand, nor "L.A. Confidential's" Bud White in this Crowe.

Here he is solid, square-jawed, standing like a Roman god. With a quiet

dignity, he commands the screen and your attention.

Phoenix is an effete psychopath, reminiscent of John Hurt's Caligula in

the BBC series "I, Claudius," but not as hammy or mad as Jay Robinson in

"The Robe" or "Demetrius and the Gladiators." No, Phoenix's Commodus is an immoral, ambitious, spoiled little boy.

One aspect of Commodus that is almost a cliché is his incestuous lust for his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). Why is it that every film that

features a villainous Roman emperor must insist that the character - besides his other flaws - have the hots for his sister. Is not throwing people to the lions or assassinating rivals proof enough?

One sentimental note about "Gladiator." The movie marks the final performance of Oliver Reed, and it is a memorable supporting role.

Reed is Proximo, who runs the gladiator school. Unlike the bombastic, over-the-top characters Reed played in his later films, his Proximo is an honorable scoundrel, and Reed plays him accordingly. It is good to see that this fine actor went out as a winner.

"Gladiator" will keep you riveted to your seats. The time flies, even though the film clocks in at about 2 hours and 40 minutes. "Gladiator" is a continuous visual treat from beginning to end. It opens the summer movie season with a bang.

Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafaytte, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net Reviews by Bloom, an associate member of the Online Film Critics Society, can be found at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom