Gladiator

Gladiator (2000)

Runtime: I saw the 171 minute Extended Edition

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: A quality cast

From: Dreamworks/Universal

Truth be told, I saw this movie Thursday night, but much of Friday was taken up by an activity with a family member. It may not be for another week or perhaps even longer, but eventually I’ll tackle Gladiator II. Expectations aren’t high for it-at the same time, hopefully it will be at least lightweight entertainment as a sword & sandal spectacle. As more than one character is returning for the sequel, viewing then discussing the original was simply logical.

To clarify, I have the movie on 4K UHD & the “Extended Edition” was viewed; it had a short intro from Ridley Scott which explained that it wasn’t the Director’s Cut but rather just a longer version of the movie done to sell more discs in 2005.

For most people, a detailed synopsis of the plot is not needed. The presumption is that everyone knows it’s not the most original story (a person in power back in olden times who is turned against and is forced to become a slave. Ben-Hur is the obvious example) but that is irrelevant when it’s all done so well. It was easy to root for Russell Crowe as the hero while Joaquin Phoenix made Commodus a detestable villain, a buffoon who made it clear why his Emperor father did not want him to fill that role after his death. Meanwhile, Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi attempted to scheme behind the scenes to save Rome. It was all simple yet effective.

Aiding the production was Ridley Scott’s solid direction, the editing, the costuming, the action beats, the drama, etc. A huge asset was the score from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. The Extended Edition was almost 3 hours long yet my attention never wavered as I was locked in from the beginning, with that big action setpiece opening. I was in fact enter… oh wait, everyone’s made that remark, so I’d better abstain. If you look at Wikipedia you’ll realize it’s not historically accurate, a charge leveled against the sequel—whether the examples provided for II are legit or just an unfunny joke will be discovered by me soon. After all, the “joke” concerning “men always think of The Roman Empire” is beyond my comprehension.

It's a movie that succeeds despite the shoot having some rough stretches—and Oliver Reed passing away after an unfortunate Oliver Reed sort of death where he attempted to outdrink sailors on shore leave in Malta. A tragedy that an actor of such prodigious talents had a literal fatal flaw. In any event, the expectations for Gladiator II are in check-I know many on Letterboxd are fans but opinions elsewhere are mixed.