Gladiator (2000)

Rewatched 11/17/24

Despite some frustratingly unclear action photography and editing, it’s easy to see why 2000’s Best Picture won that award. Gladiator is as old-fashioned as they come in terms of period epics, boasting an uncomplicated hero, a despicable villain, and chewy dialogue for all. How Ridley Scott muscles this project past similar films (Spartacus, Ben-Hur, etc.), however, is through its revolutionary, spectacular special effects and set dressing, with a deft hand on the pulse of giving the audience what they want, of course, as well. People like what they like, it isn’t that hard to figure out. The main coliseum location, brimming with practical magic and digital spectacle, gives it all such a sense of place that even when its shortcomings make themselves apparent, it is an easy movie to forgive.

Director Scott, at this point in his career still discovering his obsession with and talent for large-scale battles, opts to start this tale with one of the more ambitious set pieces he has ever managed. The amount of extras and variety of weaponry at play, along with a true setting on fire of a forest, makes the Romans v Barbarians battle a strong candidate for Ridley’s most exciting 15 minutes put to film. Luckily, Gladiator does not peak there. And even luckier, Ridley has continued attempting to one-up himself for the last 24 years since this film.

After the opening rush of adrenaline, some fine exposition is delivered in the sure hands of Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, and, of course, Russell Crowe. As these four mingle between one another for the next 25 minutes, the efficiency of the screenwriters declares itself. We so quickly understand each of their relationships to each other, somehow without feeling boring even for a second. The opening forest fight set piece is such an exhausting display that 25 minutes worth of character and dialogue are a welcome comedown, and we are quickly left with a sense of exactly who all four of the characters are.

Before you know it, Russell Crowe’s General Maximus becomes the titular gladiator, fueled by a sense of vengeance so brutally asked for onscreen that one cannot help but hate the villain as much as Crowe’s character clearly does. It’s a setup that doesn’t work nearly as well without patient direction, and Ridley Scott allows both Joaquin Phoenix’s villainous turn and the actual physical murder of Maximus’ family to sink in heavily. The ultimate “hell yeah” scene comes at this junction, with Maximus escaping execution via headbutts, sword tosses, and frozen blades being stuck in sheathes. Indicative of the energy and tension that the rest of the film’s set pieces will build up to, this escape sets the stage for Maximus to run the gauntlet of decreasing odds on his life to last.

As Maximus joins the colosseum’s league of fighters, the script also takes time to investigate the larger political ramifications of Maximus’ journey from general to gladiator. Rome has fallen into the sinister clutches of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, who only thinks of Rome as a means for entertainment via bloodsport. That and a battleground for trying to seduce his sister, played by the aforementioned Connie Nielsen. Is there anything worse than the rich and incestuous? When their father, Marcus Aurelius, played by Richard Harris, ruled Rome, he asked Maximus to give it back to the people before he was killed. And without this component, Gladiator does not win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

If Gladiator had been a B-movie alone in the vein of Alien or Black Rain, to name a few other Scott pictures, the academy would never have recognized it as an epic awards contender. Despite it being quite a basic dive into Roman politics, and despite it being a very ham-fisted, po-faces message about the dangers of systems without checks and balances, these “big ideas” and larger sense of scope are what allow Gladiator to achieve a status of prestige opposed to action.

On the topic of action, this is my largest personal contention with the film. While the characters are all vividly performed, the dialogue well-oiled, the music derivative but exciting, and the sets, staging, and choreography of the violence quite striking, the camerawork and editing of these sequences leaves something to be desired.

Cutaways as blades are about to enter bodies wrestle impact away from what could have been much more immersive kills. Slow-motion at various interludes in fights robs those fights of their realism, even if momentarily. Shaky cam and inappropriately low amounts of blood attempt to ruin otherwise excellent combat maneuvers. Most cast and crew members are doing their jobs wonderfully during these scenes, there is just an inconsistency to it that grates when one thinks of how much more effectively these scenes could have been rendered. I had seen parts of this movie on cable years back, and remembered thinking that the violence had been edited for TV when, in reality, the unsatisfying feeling I experienced was from the tried and true original version that I again bit my lip to today while streaming.

The taut focus that Scott employs on the dialogue scenes more than makes up for any issues with the set pieces, which for the record are exciting even if poorly detailed, at times. There is not a single slow dialogue scene in this film—the pacing is fantastic shot-to-shot, and everyone’s deliveries are in sync. It’s both a testament to the acting talent and Scott’s proficiency in hiring the right set dressers/costuming department that each scene is so watchable. Even if you tune out after long stretches of dialogue, there is enough beauty in lighting, costuming, and/or decor on display to keep your eyes enraptured.

Enough cannot be said about how distractingly incredible the CGI is in Gladiator. Ridley Scott’s award-winner looks far more realistic than most films today and the digital effects are used just the right amount in tandem with practical products. The tactile authenticity of the film’s combat gear and vehicles set in this beautifully recreated city creates an immersion that can’t be undone even by the aforementioned, frustrating action issues. It’s a sight to behold.

Without spoiling too much, the story ends in a predictable but emotionally stimulating fashion that no doubt added to the academy’s comfortability with picking this film for its top prize. A good ending makes all of the difference and Gladiator succeeds on that front. With its sequel coming and rumors of it having much in common with its predecessor’s script, I can only hope that the performances in Gladiator II (Roman Numerals for the title—hah!) are even half as watchable and that the set pieces clean up their defects while maintaining their ambition.

8.5/10