MFTW: Gladiator (2000)
The king of all dad movies.
Gladiator (2000) dir. Ridley Scott
Finally, I got around to watching the father of all ultimate dad movies: Gladiator.
Surprisingly, this is only the second movie I’ve watched with Russell Crowe, the first being American Gangster (2007) with Denzel Washington. Great movie by the way, very underrated.
Anyway, my father loves Gladiator and anything related to Ancient Rome in general. So I had been planning to watch this film for a long time. Seems like the right time now with Gladiator II in theaters.
Gladiator details the life of Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridus (Russell Crowe), who is chosen to take over as Emperor of Rome after Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). When his son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) hears the news, he orders the execution of Maximus, along with his family and village out of jealousy. Maximus survives but is captured as a slave and ordered to fight in tournaments, ultimately finding his way back to Rome. There is when Commodus and Maximus meet face-to-face once again. Commodus, eager to defend his throne, challenges Maximus to a duel, which culminates in a long-awaited battle in its two-hour and thirty-minute runtime.
I could be a little bit biased in how much I enjoyed this film because I already like Ridley Scott’s work so far. Gladiator was everything I was expecting and more from Scott.
I know my viewing habits, I know what I like. Ancient Rome and historical epics of the like have never been my thing. For anything that has to do with Vikings or medieval history, the same thing usually applies. If a film has any of that, it’s going to take a lot for me to enjoy it.
I don’t know much about Gladiator's historical accuracy, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to know much. I know Scott has been criticized for this even going into Gladiator II, but the film has never been marketed as a true story. It’s loosely based on true events.
The beginning of Gladiator had a bit of a slow start, but I was determined to stick through it. The scene of Maximus leading the Roman army was pretty cool, but I didn’t find it as entertaining as the other battle scenes later on in the film.
I had become so invested in the story already, that I gave myself an unintentional cliffhanger. Right when Maximus was about to return home to find his family and village murdered, UPS came knocking on my door and that was the biggest jumpscare I ever felt in my life. Had to pause right before he found them.
Maximus finds his whole village killed, his family killed, he’s captured as a slave, and thrown into a gladiatorial competition as “The Spaniard.” This gives us the first of many iconic lines: “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained?” Yes, Mr. Crowe. I am entertained.
Then in the aftermath of this competition, we have another iconic line. Maximus finds his way back to Rome, and when Commodus comes to congratulate his win in another battle, he removes his helmet and delivers the line.
“Father of a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
Instant chills. Commodus knows he’s in deep shit.
Nonetheless, Commodus doesn’t stand down. He can’t show fear to the people of Rome as Emperor, but he is fearful of Maximus. He thought the man was dead, never to return. Our hatred for him grows even more because we know Commodus is a coward who will do anything to remain in power.
That’s exactly where the final hour of the movie takes us. While Commodus is preparing for battle, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) reunites with Maximus, rekindling an old connection that existed before the events of the film.
Now let’s pause here for a minute because Maximus and Lucilla’s relationship is kind of associated with Gladiator II.
In Gladiator, we know that they have shared some kind of romance, but nothing significant happens during the story. There is simply a knowledge of history and lingering tension, which ultimately leads to Lucilla siding with Maximus over her brother, Commodus.
The biggest thing is, though, that Lucilla has a son named Lucius. Lucius looks up to and has some sort of admiration for Maximus. You could argue that Maximus had a soft spot for Lucius because Maximus once had a son close to his age who he couldn’t protect.
However, In Gladiator II teasers and trailers, Lucius is confirmed to be the son of Maximus. And knowing that before my viewing, I thought Gladiator was also going to confirm that, only to get nothing.
So then I found out this was a long-debated theory, and Gladiator II confirmed it. Imagine my (slight) disappointment when I was expecting the film to use that to further the story rather than wait twenty-four years to tell it. Seems pretty cheap on the part of Gladiator II, but that’s for another time.
So Lucilla and Maximus have a bit of a mutual yearning for each other, but don’t act on it because the past is the past and Maximus has murder on his mind. She tries to help Maximus escape, but Commodus finds out because Lucius can’t keep his mouth shut.
Maximus fails his escape and is chained up in a very alluring way. I mean, for me at least. Russell Crowe in this movie in general is very attractive, but that’s not the point.
Commodus is truly stopping at nothing to make sure everyone around him pays, which brings us to the inevitable. He stabs Maximus in the back right before their battle in the Colosseum to cheat and win. It was a stab in the back for Maximus, and a stab in the chest for the audience.
It’s the little things in Phoenix’s portrayal of Commodus’s actions that make us feel pure hatred for him. Ruthless to his core, he craved power above all else. He couldn’t get approval from his father, so he demands it from all of Rome. You can pry that out from his cold, dead hands.
That brings us to the final battle, where Commodus’s power is being challenged. Maximus, who is dealing with an injury already, is ready to fight to the death. Commodus sees this as an easy win because Maximus is already down, unbeknownst to the crowd.
The battle is an intense one, one that has you cheering as if you’re in the Colosseum watching it live. The crowd doesn’t know of the crimes Commodus has done or the journey Maximus has been on, but we do.
Maximus shows the “strength and honor” he so proudly proclaims against a weak and conceited Commodus. In the end, both men die as a result of the battle, but we know who came out on top.
Joaquin Phoenix is the real star of this film. From the second Commodus mercilessly murders his father by choking him to death, I knew I was in for something different. In just a few seconds, Phoenix establishes himself as a sociopathic villain and one that has the audience praying for his day of reckoning.
Gladiator has so many memorable moments and lines, that it’s almost impossible to think that the script wasn’t even finished by the time they started filming. Russell Crowe even thought of dropping out of the film, which is crazy to think. What would Gladiator have been without Russell Crowe?
I’m sure I’m beating a dead horse when I say this, but I was truly blown away by Gladiator. As soon as it was over, I felt the urge to rewind and watch it all over again. I wasn’t even born when this film was released, so I can only imagine what it was like watching it in a movie theater.
That also makes me a bit terrified about what Gladiator II is going to end up looking like. I haven’t watched any of Paul Mescal’s work, but I would think it’s difficult to live up to Crowe’s magnitude as the leading man.
That’s not the only thing that could hold it back. We’re in a period now where sequels of films that were released decades ago are falling flat. Reboot, revival, whatever you want to call it, twenty-four years can make a huge difference.
Soon to watch is Troy and 300, two films that are similar in its exhibition. I’d say they are the big three for ancient civilization movies, but I wonder how they’d compare to Gladiator.
I gave Gladiator an overall rating of 4.5/5. Something about it doesn’t scream five stars to me, but it was a satisfying watch. I understand why every dad makes this their magnum opus of dad films.
I can’t wait to see what Ridley Scott has in store for Gladiator II. I don’t know if it will manage to hold up to the same level of greatness with Gladiator, but, we shall see with time.