Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #790 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-12
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 164 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Synopsis
Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien) transports Hollywood to second-century Rome in this rousing historical epic that proudly harkens back to such films as Ben-Hur and Spartacus. Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a Roman general who leads the troops in conquering Germania for the empire. When an ageing Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) tells Maximus that he'd like him to rule Rome once he's gone, a classic confrontation ensues between the brave and charming soldier--who wants to return home to his wife, son, and farm--and the jealous and conniving Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the emperor's only son, who is thirsty for power. Bought as a slave by the profiteering Proximo (Oliver Reed, in his last role), Maximus must kill or be killed in the ring, battling to save not only himself but the future of the very empire that he loves and honours. The film features a terrific battle sequence (that recalls the beginning of Saving Private Ryan), huge crowd scenes of thousands of people, and even a little romance, albeit mostly taboo. The impeccably choreographed gladiator scenes are violent yet thrilling, flashing by like lightning. Gladiator is a glorious spectacle filled with heart and soul.

Customer Reviews

And they call that civilization
This extended version is a lot denser that what I remembered of the 2000 commercial version. The politics of Rome are explored in a lot more detail, particularly that strange power the Roman Emperor had because of his own praetorian guard that was doing absolutely everything he ordered, and took orders only from the Emperor. At the end, when the Emperor is dead or nearly dead because he is defeated and disarmed, they refuse to obey their own officer. They will obey him only when the sister comes down and legitimizes Maximus. You only meet servile people and even the Senate and the Senators are just as servile out of fear for their welfare. That could be extended to today, even if today in our democratic countries this manipulation of people is less obvious, less direct, less based on the fear of the leaders but on the fear of an external danger propped up and exploited by the leaders. Fear is still the main nerve of the crowd, and then provide them with some bread and good circus entertainment and they will follow your fears to the end of the world. The film is also extremely clear about two barbaric practices of this supposedly civilized Roman Empire. The conquest war that is not, far from it, always justified by any offensive aggressivity from the "barbarians" from beyond the frontiers of the empire. It is brutal and unequal. The advanced technology of the time is on the Roman side. Easy to win when you add to this advanced technology the military professionalism of the Roman Legion. And even so it is shown as what it is: an unclean inhumane and inhuman practice. Worse even the film shows the slave trade and the total reduction of these slaves not even to animals but to objects, properties, commodities you deal with and dispose of the way you want. What the film does not say is that the vast majority of this Roman society is composed of slaves, house slaves, garden slaves, hard work slaves, sex slaves and of course the famous gladiators, the fighting slaves. They all end in death, these slaves, a vast majority premature death imposed onto them by their masters or circumstances, but always to satisfy the desire of a free Roman citizen. The particularity of gladiators is that their end is to die in public from the hand of another gladiator or just mangled by a wild beast or some technical trap. At the top of the ladder of that death is the death decided by the Emperor himself. The film is of course extremely precise about these circus entertainments though concentrating only on the gladiators. There were many other ways to entertain the populace in the Coliseum, true entertainment always bringing death to some people down there in the arena for the real pleasure of the public. This has not changed at all, I mean the pleasure of being the witness of some gross, violent, repulsive dying process imposed onto the dying person by one or many other human beings. The only change is that it does not happen in circuses any more, and with real live, if I can say so, performances of the death of each victim. We have invented in the meantime a machine that enables us to give the illusion of seeing that and yet that does not happen for real. That is called the cinema. In the old days, the Greeks had dramatic productions for that cathartic function, but the Romans did not want anything illusionary, they wanted the real thing and they got it for several centuries with these gladiators and later the Christians, and all the time the executing in public places of all discontents, and even, when you could afford a slave, the real torturing and killing in all possible variations of your slave. We seem to forget, and this film reminds us of it, that the Roman Empire, and before it the Greek or Hellenistic empire was just based on the inflicting of death to any kind of people as the very justification of the social order, the political order or plainly your own prestige or authority. And some speak of this empire as a great period of civilization. Due to these slaves some inventions like watermills devised in the first century BCE were only exploited in the 10th century CE by the Benedictines, hence in the middle of what some call the dark ages (sorry no capital letters). A great film in this extended version.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

Go buy
This was of course the last chance to see the great Oliver Reed (sober to boot - he died during filming in the middle of a drinking session, which also apparantly involved arm-wrestling). Its simply a superb film - no expense spared on set, and no imagination spared on making every second rivetting.

ONE REVIEW ONE SENTENCE
The Gladiator surpasses all expectations for a nights entertainment with Crowe, as Roman General Maximus, who delivers a perfect performance as a man driven by revenge, and also for bringing Oliver Reed back to life!