(Russell. Crowe. Owns. That is a fact.)
CAST: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, David Schofield, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings.
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one crazy armchair movie critic swooning uncontrollably - straight ahead. Watch out.
Why do we go to the movies? Why do we put up with crowds, lines, overpriced food, and rowdy assholes sitting in the row behind us?
I can tell you why we don’t do it. We don’t do it to see fiery explosions, or watch beautiful people court each other, or witness dazzling stunts, or laugh our asses off over some hot goofball’s antics, or cower in terror as some gigantic monster levels Manhattan. Oh, we may think those are the reasons we plunk down our hard-earned cash for cineplex tickets or DVD rentals, but we are wrong. So very wrong. Those things are just incidental.
Why, then, do we go to movies?
To experience emotion. To feel something.
Sure, we feel things in everyday life. All the time, in fact. However, films have a singular way of magnifying emotion to such a degree that it becomes cathartic, transforming, healing, empowering, unforgettable. When we’re sitting in that theatre, surrounded by friends and strangers, we are in the direct line of fire of the movie we’re watching. Whatever’s happening onscreen is going to provoke an emotional reaction from us, the collective humanity that is the audience.
Think of your favorite films of all time. If I were to ask you what it is you love about them, you’ll probably respond that they were hilarious, or heartbreaking, or scary, or touching, or exciting, or unforgettable, or clever, or suspenseful, or romantic, or exhilarating. You might even cite examples - scenes - that made you feel this way. One thing you will not say is that they didn’t make you feel something. You love your favorite films because they made you experience emotion. They made you feel. Period.
That’s why we go to the movies. And there are some movies that remind us why we do it.
One of those movies is GLADIATOR.
I can bet that most people who love GLADIATOR remember exactly how they felt the first time they saw it. I know I did. Suffice it to say, by the end of the movie, I was tearing up so much that I basically gave Lucilla (GLADIATOR’s heroine) a run for her money as far as weeping was concerned. We were both mourning, and anyone who’s seen the movie knows who we were crying over.
Ridley Scott directed GLADIATOR, and Russell Crowe starred in it - and it was a match made in heaven. Scott’s films have always been atmospheric and sensual, and that quality never works better than it does here, because the atmosphere enhances the emotion. And Scott couldn’t have picked a better ally than Crowe in bringing his hero to life, the noble Roman general Maximus Decidius Meridius. It’s just fitting that a director gifted in expressing emotion with visuals and images would be partnered with an actor who can reveal limitless depths with a simple flicker of the eye or a sad smile.
As with most of Scott’s films (BLACK RAIN, ALIEN, HANNIBAL, BLACK HAWK DOWN, BLADE RUNNER), the plot is almost just a way to put the characters in situations where we get to see them express an array of emotional reactions - all of which Scott’s camera captures beautifully.
The proverbial glue holding GLADIATOR together is the over-arching story about Maximus’ fall from grace - and then his subsequent Phoenix-like rise from the ashes. He defies the morally-bankrupt (and possibly downright evil) emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in the wake of the latter‘s murder of his father, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), to secure the throne. Maximus' wife and child are then slain, and he himself is left for dead and sold as a slave to small-time wheeler-dealer Proximo (Oliver Reed).
Maximus is eventually introduced to the world of “gladiators” and begins his long fight back to Rome in order to get close enough to Commodus to kill him as revenge for murdering his family. Further complicating matters is Commodus’ sister, Lucilla, who once loved (and possibly still loves) Maximus. Can Maximus trust her to help him with his plan - or does she have her own agenda? That remains to be seen.
But a Ridley Scott film is more than just the plot. It’s about images - and impressions. It’s about the look on Maximus’ face when he realizes that Marcus Aurelius plans to pass the throne to him. It’s about the uncertainty and convinction mingling on Maximus’ brow when he realizes he must do the right thing and accept - even if it means for time away from his beloved family. It’s about the way his eyes harden when he realizes Commodus killed his own father to keep the throne for himself.
It's how Maximus' defeated face comes to life when he's rallying his fellow slaves in a military strategy to survive their first gladiator battle. It's how his fellow slaves gaze upon him as a leader from then on. It's about how Maximus stands above a wounded opponent with an axe, preparing to deliver a death blow, only to drop it in a act of mercy. It's about how the Colosseum audience roars in approval. It's about the way Maximus walks across the arena surrounded by his new comrades - a proud and defiant leader.
It’s about the look on Lucilla’s face when she first encounters Maximus after years of separation. It’s about her playful and light banter which barely conceals the love she still feels for him. It’s about how Maximus avoids her eyes, hinting he might feel the same way. It’s about how Lucilla ultimately risks everything to help Maximus later on. It’s about the sadness in her voice when she tells him, “All my life I have felt alone - except when I was with you…” It’s about the way Maximus kisses her, as if it just might be the last time. It’s about the way the tears pool in her eyes when she bends over Maximus at the very end… It’s about the way her voice catches when she says, “Go to them, Maximus…”
It’s about the childish sneer that Commodus gets when someone thwarts him. It’s about the petulant way he cries when he loses control of a situation. It’s about the icy look he gets when he knows he holds someone’s life in his hands - and intends to crush it like a bug. It’s about the terror in his eyes when he realizes that Maximus is about to get his revenge - finally. It's about the way he weeps when he realizes that his father loves Maximus more than him...
All these images, these impressions, these flashes of emotion - they all coalesce together to form a beautiful, hypnotic, and vivid kaleidoscope. Ridley Scott’s films have all been, to one extent or another, striking collages. With GLADIATOR, he gives us his most heartfelt one. And it’s due in large part to his directorial talent, as well as the sensational Russell Crowe and the stellar cast that he leads.
I’d like to close the review by sharing a lovely video that someone created and posted on YOUTUBE. It’s a collage of images from GLADIATOR, with Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer’s “Now We Are Free” playing in the background. This music is the final track of the GLADIATOR soundtrack - and it’s the closest thing to symphonic emotion as you will ever hear.
This, folks, is why we go to the movies:
