Film Review : GLADIATOR * * 1/2

Gladiator (2000)
CAST Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris
DIRECTOR Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" has promise but falls flat when it turns into another Hollywood money vehicle instead of a period piece with meaning and substance.

Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, a Roman general who is betrayed by the emperor's son Commodus, played by Phoenix. He is taken to a remote place to be killed while his wife and son already suffered the fate. Maximus kills the centaurian and is picked up by a vagabond group of slaves. The slave trader is Proximo, played by the late great Oliver Reed in a heart felt performance with depth and feeling. He trains Maximus and other slaves to fight as gladiators in front of huge Roman audiences in grand scale cathedrals.

Maximus gets to meet up with Commodus again after he is made emperor. He swares vengeance for the murder of his family. Maximus draws close to the emperor's sister played by Connie Nielson, and she tries to help him be freed. Meanwhile, we get fights in the arena between gladiators and Roman fighters. Look closely and you can see the special effects flaws. Especially in quick cuts and body part lob offs. This film is bloody and gory which it should be, since it is taking place in this period. But you get a since as if they were deliberately added to make it seem more authentic as apposed to being an intricate part of the time. Also, These are Romans, so why do they talk like a group of mods from Manchester? I really want to know.

There are many Spartacus like moments in the film with un-Spartacus results. This film was glossed over with half baked special effects that are visibly flawed, along with the performance of Joaquin Phoenix. How he was nominated for an oscar is anyone's guess. Russell Crowe is very good, like always, and Richard Harris is great in his small role. But those performances aren't enough to save a shallow script and an unrealistic take on a very real period. Maybe more time should have been taken in making this more authentic instead of just making it. This could have been a real good story.