T.V.
And Films
Film Reviews
Gladiator
Rating: 15
Running Time: 155 mins.
Director Ridley Scott
Stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard
Harris, Derek Jacobi
From the opening scene where Russell Crowe, as general Maximus on the
battlefield, hurls himself against the raggle-taggle Hun hordes, to the
ensuing saga where he slashes, chops and slices his bloody way up the
gladiatorial food chain, Russell Crowe is every inch the Roman hard man.
"I am gladiator" he intones, having just minced some of Rome's prize
fighters before a bloodlusting crowd. Anyone want to disagree?
In his interviews, Crowe has said that working on this film was physically
exhausting. You can see why - think Braveheart with twice as much
clobbering and hand-to-hand fighting. Although nothing gruesome enough to
push it over the 15 certificate threshold.
It is to his credit as an actor that even playing such a physical, bloody
part Crowe retains such sympathy. He personifies the dignified stoical
Roman and yet as that vulnerable, eyes down look he does reminds you,
there's a sensitive lad under that armour.
As the rather formulaic storyline unfolds we learn that Maximus is also a
husband and father, who would rather be farming his fields in Spain than
bloodying his hands on the battlefield. It is the kind of line that
could so easily have fallen flat, but Crowe's performance lifts it out of
mundanity.
There are also some excellent support roles, notably Oliver Reed's final
performance (he died while shooting the film in Malta) as a growling,
gladiator master is one of his best in years. Connie Nielson (who
appeared in Mission to Mars) plays the enigmatic sister to her odious
emperor brother, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Phoenix has the uneviable task of creating a bad guy to match Crowe's
gladiator. He falls well short. His character lacks the nerve to carry
through his machiavellian machinations, he suffers from headaches and his
lust for his sister puts him way out of reach of audience sympathy. At
times, he is in danger of becoming less a character and more of a plot
device: some of the Commodus scenes seem to crawl along. But then again,
after the excitement of watching Maximus dispatching more contenders, you
might be glad to get a breather in.
Rating: 4 Stars
Simon Owen
