Review of Gladiator (2000) by Eero V — 31 Dec 2013
Regardless of its flaws, Gladiator is a very entertaining historical spectacle and Ridley Scott's last truly great film before a decade of bad and/or mediocre films. This is a shamelessly straightforward action-adventure, with a reluctant but sympathetic hero easy to care about, a deeply loathsome villain but who also has a human side, and a love interest for the hero who is not merely eye candy in distress.
Describing the characters makes them easily sound like caricatures, but even if they are and the story familiar, the film overcomes this with vibrant storytelling, fantastic performances from Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, visual and technical brilliance (as you would expect from Scott's films), Hans Zimmer's career-best soundtrack, and its irresistible energy and efficiency.
Though Traffic should have won the Best Picture Oscar in 2001, Gladiator remains one hell of an adventure that has stood the test of time surprisingly well and which I find myself watching again time to time.
This review of Gladiator (2000) was written by Eero V on 31 Dec 2013.
Gladiator has generally received very positive reviews.
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