GLADIATOR
Released: May 5, 2000
Upon the sudden death of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his trusted and successful general Narcissus Meridas is unlawfully imprisoned and condemned to the gladiator games by Marcus's twisted son Commodus. As the new emperor, Commodus fears Narcissus could use his heroic stature to depose him and become leader himself. But Narcissus gains fame as a gladiator and uses his celebrity to cause further damage to Commodus' tenuous hold on the susceptible Roman people, hoping to inspire them to rediscover their lost values and overcome the corruption that is eating away at them. These actions prompt Commodus to square off mano a mano with Narcissus in the Colisseum with the fate of Rome at stake. Russell Crowe is Gladiator in this film and is matched formibably with Joaquin Phoenix as the pure evil of Commodus. Bloody, gorey and epic - this is classic Ridley Scott. Worth every penny of the alledged $150 million budget. As a bonus, 4AD artist Lisa Gerrard (formerly of Dead Can Dance) teams with soundtrack guru Hans Zimmer to provide a score that fits the images beautifully, especially the superb closing theme.
154 Minutes
DreamWorks/Universal