In the final days of Marcus Aurelius' reign, the aging emperor angers his son Commodus by making it known that he wants Maximus, a fearsome and respected Roman general, to be his successor. Power-hungry Commodus kills his father and orders the death of Maximus. But the latter flees, only to discover that his wife and child have been murdered by Commodus. Captured, Maximus is forced into slavery, where he is sold to Proximo, a former gladiator who serves as both mentor and slavemaster. Maximus trains as a gladiator in the arena, where his fame grows. He goes to Rome, intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor Commodus. Maximus has learned that the one power stronger than that of the emperor is the will of the people, and he knows he can only attain his revenge by becoming the greatest hero in all the empire.
Also Known As:Gladiators
Production Status:Released
Logline:When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by a corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.
Genres:Action/Adventure and Drama
Running Time:2 hrs. 30 min.
Release Date:May 5, 2000 Nationwide
MPAA Rating:R for intense graphic combat.
Production Co.:Red Wagon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions
Studios:DreamWorks SKG, Universal Pictures
U.S. Box Office:$187,670,866
Filming Locations:Ouarzazate, Morocco Malta Shepperton Studios, England, United Kingdom Farnham, England, United Kingdom Italy
Produced in:United States
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Spartacus lite - Gladiator Reviews
Russell Crowe may very well be the best actor of this era. Therefore this film is certainly not unwatchable. However, it is a very predictable story that has some great visuals and some good acting.
Joaquin Phoenix as Emperor Commodus (great name, King Toilet). I thought he was overacting with the exagerated whisper that young actors seem to use when they aren't sure what to do. (See Tom Cruise in Interview With the Vampire).
Crowe's performance is solid, but his character is a standard can never be wrong hero. He is unflawed, which means the script is. Richard Harris was great was as the aging Emperor who realizes too late that he has failed as a father.
My feeling is that his film was made because Ridley Scott had the technical means to recreate Rome on the big screen and the story came as an afterthought.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment