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.