Cast:-
Russell
Crowe ... Maximus
Joaquin
Phoenix ... Commodus
Connie
Nielsen ... Lucilla
Oliver
Reed ... Proximo
Richard
Harris ... Marcus Aurelius
Derek
Jacobi ... Gracchus
Djimon
Hounsou ... Juba
David
Schofield ... Falco
John
Shrapnel ... Gaius
Tomas
Arana ... Quintus
Ralf
Moeller ... Hagen
Spencer
Treat Clark ... Lucius
David
Hemmings ... Cassius
Tommy Flanagan
... Cicero
Sven-Ole Thorsen
... Tiger
Plot:-
Shouting "Roma
Invicta!" as his forces attack, General Maximus
Decimus Meridius leads the Roman Army to victory
against Germanic barbarians in the year 180 AD,
ending a prolonged war and earning the esteem
of elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although the
dying Aurelius has a son, Commodus, he decides
to appoint temporary leadership to the morally-upstanding
Maximus, with a desire to eventually return power
to the Roman Senate. Aurelius informs Maximus
and offers him time to consider before informing
Commodus, who, in a bout of jealousy, murders
his father. Declaring himself the emperor, Commodus
asks Maximus for his loyalty, which Maximus, realizing
Commodus' involvement in the Emperor's death,
refuses. Commodus orders Maximus' execution and
dispatches Praetorian Guards to murder Maximus'
wife and son. Maximus narrowly escapes his execution
and races home only to discover his family's charred
and crucified bodies in the smoldering ruins of
his villa. After burying his wife and son, a grieving
Maximus succumbs to exhaustion and collapses on
their graves.
Slave traders
find Maximus and take him to Zucchabar, a rugged
province in North Africa, where he is purchased
by Proximo, the head of a local gladiator school.
Distraught and nihilistic over the death of his
family and betrayal by his empire, Maximus initially
refuses to fight, but as he defends himself in
the arena his formidable combat skills lead to
a rise in popularity with the audience. As he
trains and fights further, Maximus befriends Hagen,
a Germanic barbarian, and Juba, a Numidian hunter,
the latter becoming a close friend and confidant
to the grieving Maximus, the two speaking frequently
of the afterlife and Maximus' eventual reunification
with his family.
In Rome, Commodus
reopens the gladiatorial games to commemorate
his father's death, and Proximo's company of gladiators
are hired to participate. In a recreation of the
Battle of Zama (incorrectly named the Battle of
Carthage) at the Colosseum, Maximus leads Proximo's
gladiators to decisive victory against a more
powerful force, much to the amazement of the crowd.
Commodus descends into the arena to meet the victors
and is stunned to discover Maximus as the leader
of Proximo's gladiators. The Emperor, unable to
kill Maximus because of the crowd's roaring approval
for him, sulks out of the arena. As the games
continue, Commodus pits Maximus against Tigris
of Gaul, Rome's only undefeated gladiator, in
an arena surrounded by chained tigers with handlers
instructed to target Maximus. Following an intense
battle, Maximus narrowly defeats Tigris and awaits
Commodus' decision to kill or spare Tigris. As
Commodus votes for death, Maximus spares Tigris,
deliberately insulting the Emperor and garnering
the audience's approval. His bitter enemy now
known as "Maximus the Merciful," Commodus
becomes more frustrated at his inability to kill
Maximus or stop his ascending popularity while
Commodus' own popularity shrinks.
Following the
fight, Maximus meets his former servant Cicero,
who reveals that Maximus's army remains loyal
to him. They are camped at the port Ostia. Maximus
forms a plot with Lucilla, Commodus' sister, and
Senator Gracchus to reunite Maximus with his army
and overthrow Commodus. Commodus however, suspecting
his sister's betrayal, threatens her young son
and forces her to reveal the plot. Praetorian
guards immediately storm Proximo's gladiator barracks,
battling the gladiators while Maximus escapes.
Hagen and Proximo are killed in the siege while
Juba and the survivors are imprisoned. Maximus
escapes to the city walls only to witness Cicero's
death and be ambushed by a legion of Praetorian
guards.
Maximus (Russell
Crowe-right) battles Tigris of Gaul (Sven-Ole
Thorsen-left)Concluding that legends born in the
Colosseum must die there, Commodus challenges
Maximus to a duel in front of a roaring audience.
Acknowledging that Maximus' skill exceeds his
own, Commodus deliberately stabs Maximus with
a stiletto, puncturing his lung, and has the wound
concealed beneath the gladiator's armor. In the
arena, the two exchange blows before Maximus rips
the sword from Commodus's hands. Commodus requests
a sword from his guards, but they betray him and
refuse to lend him their weapons. Maximus drops
his own sword, but Commodus pulls a hidden stiletto
and renews his attack. Maximus then beats Commodus
into submission and kills him with his own stilletto.
As Commodus collapses in the now-silent Colosseum,
a dying Maximus begins seeing his wife and son
in the afterlife. He reaches for them, but is
pulled back to reality by the Praetorian prefect
Quintus, who asks for instructions. Maximus orders
the release of Proximo's gladiators and Senator
Gracchus, whom he reinstates and instructs to
return Rome to a Senate-based government. Maximus
collapses, and Lucilla rushes to his aid. After
being reassured that her son is safe and Commodus
is dead, Maximus dies and wanders into the afterlife
to his family in the distance. Senator Gracchus
and Proximo's gladiators carry his body out of
the Colosseum. That night, a newly freed Juba
buries Maximus' two small statues of his wife
and son in the Colosseum, and says that he too
will eventually join them, but not yet.
What the
critics say:-
Once again, Director
Ridley Scott proves to be as professional as one
can be. The recreation of ancient Rome is splendid,
with all its magnificent buildings and atmosphere
and he is able to show with all brightness the
greatness of the Roman Empire, with its political
problems and military discipline, and love and
treason, of hate and jealousy, that still have
a place in our world today. But the story has
a glow of its own, to which all the beautiful
scenery (believe me, it's awesome!!!) and great
cinematography are just balancing factors. The
plot is a rich one, that is as dynamic as it is
present. He once again, after Blade Runner, 1492,
and others helps us visit the depths of the human
soul, which remains the same over all our historical
and social experience. Even the fights, are displayed
in such a way that all the blood is quite discrete,
but still, making us feel like screaming and jumping
out of our seats. I would also like to point out
the performances of the cast, that is surprisingly
good. We have some actors and actresses, who are
not Hollywood icons, but are are greatly able
to move the audience among screams and tears.
All in all, we have guys like Russel Crowe, who
are coming out to be part of a new and extremely
promising harvest of people who are making each
time more fans around the world. Well, you should
see for yourself!
