Gladiator (2000)

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: R

reviewed by: Charity Bishop
 

"What we do in life echoes in eternity." This is a line of dialogue from Gladiator, the epic tale of a Spanish military leader forced to a life of slavery when his honor is threatened. Though the film is well worth the R-rating for scenes of dismemberment in the heat of battle, it also provides an extremely rich, well planned plotline, exceptionally memorable characters, and a thought-provoking premise. If you're able to overlook some graphic battle scenes in the coliseum, I would encourage you to rent this film merely for the grand experience. It was much less gory than I anticipated. Opening in the age when Rome ruled the territories from Israel to the coast of Ireland, the film introduces us to the greatest military leader they have ever known, Maximus (Russell Crowe), a man favored by the dying emperor to succeed him in power.

Caesar (Richard Harris) believes Rome has been corrupted and knows the people are unhappy with the current government. His desire is to instill a democracy where the senate and elected officials will have more power than the emperor. Maximus is a natural leader. The people follow him without question... if he were able to persuade those in power in Rome of the worth of this ideal, Caesar's dreams of a powerful self-governed nation would come to pass. But his son and heir Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) stands in his way. A power-hungry, mentally deranged young man who has long sought his father's good opinion, the future emperor of Rome is not about to let solitary rule to slip through his fingertips. Commodus murders his father and asks the allegiance of Maximus to the throne. The general scorns him, and is in turn punished. Maximus is taken into the wood to be executed, his family to share the same fate.

Managing to escape from his keepers, Maximus flees home... but is too late. His wife and son have been murdered, his fields and harvest burned, his home laid to ruin. Driven by revenge, he vows to avenge their deaths one day. Weak from battle and injury, he's captured by a caravan of slave traders. His new owner intends to use him as a gladiator, to earn favor in the violent sport of Rome. Unwilling to fight in the training duels, Maximus proves himself unbeatable in actual combat. His distaste for this cruel, barbaric practice is evident. In the meantime, Commodus knows the senate plans his removal and entertains the Roman people with the promise of great sport. There will be 63 days of gladiator games in the great coliseum, to honor the memory of his father. Maximus' greatest desire is to fight in those games, and stand before the emperor... so he might deliver the fatal blow.

Only one thing stands in his way... the beautiful Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), a former lover and older sister of Commodus. She knows her brother's evil nature, suspects he had a hand in their father's death, and must constantly reject his overly friendly affections. These elements combine into a story that, while theologically is way off, represents the age of Rome excessively well. The magnificent buildings, the violence of the gladiator games, the cheering of the crowd. We have the wronged hero who must fight to survive. The beautiful woman in distress, and the cruel villain, who in key scenes reveals a childlike helplessness. Gladiator won Best Picture, among numerous other awards, and is well worth it. The screenplay is rich with authentic, memorable dialogue. The grand scale and costuming are impressive. The acting is first-rate. Though put into spattering blood a bit, the CGI is incredible. The movie has a slightly sober but moving conclusion.

Coming from a completely secularized Hollywood, it's not surprising there's no mention of the Christianity that was sweeping across the world at this historical time. I would have appreciated at least one religious gladiator, since they were the most persecuted people in the world. Women and children were fed to the lions; men were given the opportunity to fight their way to freedom. The religion portrayed here is authentic to the period but sadly secular. Maximus prays to his ancestors for protection before small wooden figurines (idols). He has a warped view of the afterlife in which he will meet his family in rolling wheat fields. Even though wrong in its premise, this element is easy enough to accept based on who Maximus is. He's a Roman centurion raised in a secular culture.

Though having been warned about graphic violence and gore, Gladiator was much less bloody than I anticipated. There's no doubt the R-rating is earned, as the opening battle scene proves... as men are stabbed, beheaded, impaled, and set on fire. The film's first shot is a headless Roman soldier on horseback while his men are taunted by an opposing leader dangling his head. During the gladiator games, Maximus and others are forced to kill their competitors in any way possible. They are dismembered (one woman is cut in half), chopped, and granted other forms of death. Tigers are released on long chains during one climactic battle in which Maximus is the victor. He is encouraged by the crowd (and the emperor) to cut off his fallen foe's head. Instead, he lets him live. Several of the gorier aspects can be easily enough avoided using the fast-forward button, but the last two coliseum battles are largely non-graphic. Even the villain's eventual death isn't overly gruesome.

To me the violence was overly brutal in some respects but also showed an amount of restraint. The director knew when to say enough so he wouldn't completely lose his male audience. The under-plot between Commodus and Lucilla strays once or twice into sexual tension. The young emperor is much an enigma; we're never quite certain of his intentions or emotions. But his affection for his sister goes beyond brotherly interest, and once or twice pursues to a near-kiss. He once lays her back on the bed and fingers her lips, but then decides against kissing her and instead lays his head against her shoulder, asking for reassurance. At the risk of giving away a major plot twist, I'll say that later he threatens her son's life if she attempts to run away or kill herself, and informs her that she will bear him a son. A slave in a loincloth shows near backside nudity. Commodus attempts to provoke his enemy's anger by mentioning his wife's reaction to being raped.

Older viewers can handle the thematic side, and also the violence, if they go in knowing this is a secular story with various unreligious aspects. The pleasure of seeing such an excellent cast (which also includes Derek Jacobi, and Djimon Hounsou), and the historical accuracy bring back the grand days of cinema when epic tales like Ben-Hur and The Robe graced the screen.