Strength & Honour (Gladiator (DVD))

Member Name: Slim Lee

Product:	Gladiator (DVD)
Date:	03/02/01 (365 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Film of the Year 2000

Disadvantages: Joaquin Phoenix (nuff said)

There was a time when films set in the Roman era ruled the silver screen. Epics such as Ben Hur and Spartacus have been justifiably held in high esteem for many years now, but no pretenders to their thrones have emerged. Until last year that is with the release of “Gladiator”, the first film in decades to be set in this period which can be justifiably labeled as an epic! At over two and a half hours in length it will keep you glued to the screen. The length is not a problem, I never even so much as glanced in the direction of the clock.

Gladiator was the hot release of 2000 and has subsequently sold like hot cakes on both video and DVD (great feature, but I’ll review that part elsewhere). Now that the awards season is kicking into gear you should be prepared for this film winning a hatful of them. My personal guess is it will scoop around 6 or 7 Oscars.

The Plot
========

** A few brief details only here and I’ll try to avoid any spoilers! **

The film starts slowly enough, drifting from a smoky background to a bright, dreamy sequence in a field of corn, with a man’s hand flicking over the tops of the corn to a haunting theme playing in the background. The scene then snaps back to reality and we meet Maximus (Crowe) for the first time. He is saddened from being pulled away from the dream, as he has to confront the forthcoming battle that he, as General of a Roman legion, must now commence.

We pan onto the battlefields of Germania in the year 180 A.D, smoking and in ruins, scarred from previous battles. The enemy they are to fight is the Barbarians, the last race capable and willing to stand up to the might of the Roman army. The Barbarian tribes have been holding them off for the last twelve years but are now reduced to a final battle. This is the final battle that Maximus must face.

From this point onwards his life changes dramatically, and as a consequence of his actions he even
tually ends up in the hands of the slave trade. In his lowest moments, he is bought by a gladiator trainer, Proximo (Reed) and through this sees a path for his rage and lust for vengeance. I have jumped so much of the film here but I really don’t want to say any more about the film, as it will spoil some of the surprises. You have to see it yourself!

The Cast
========

I closely followed the many rumours surrounding this film throughout pre-production and I have to admit it looked a possible turkey in the making, even with Ridley Scott at the helm. Initially it was the casting choices for the film that baffled me.

I had previously seen Russell Crowe in LA Confidential and while impressed with that performance (P.S. great film if you haven’t seen that one either!), I had a few doubts that he could pull off the character that had been scripted for Gladiator. As the film neared release, the subsequent interviews to promote the film seemed to be giving him genuine praise for his work on the film. Crowe has turned out to be an inspired choice for the lead role of Maximus, portraying the character with vigour and confidence. He IS Maximus, and it is never in doubt.
If he does win an Oscar for this performance then I will not be surprised.

Other casting doubts I had prior to seeing this were with Oliver Reed, Joaquin Phoenix, and Richard Harris. My doubts with Reed were mostly through seeing some of his “work” in previous films, and that worried me (have you seen Castaway with Amanda Donahue?). The fact that he unfortunately died during the filming of Gladiator (in a bar – so fitting) didn’t bode well. He proved me wrong though. This, his last performance in a rather checkered career, is very good and convincing in the role of the ex-gladiator turned trainer.

Connie Nielsen, as sister to Commodus is pretty solid, and in places has some great scenes. More of her and less of Commodus woul
d have been far more enjoyable! She manages to make you both admire and hate her character at the same time.

Derek Jacobi puts in a useful performance as chief rival to Commodus as senator Gracchus. He ahs very little to work with but still manages to be convincing (and believably devious!).

The major (virtually the only) weak point of the film is Joaquin Phoenix. Initially, as son to the incumbent Emperor, he comes across as a bit of a spoilt brat. Unfortunately this trait seems to become more pronounced during the film that eventually I can’t bear to see him on the screen. I’m sure the intention is to make the viewer despise his character (which you will do) but all to often I just found him to b a whiny pain in the you-know-what. Surely someone else could have portrayed this role far better and far more convincingly.

Overall, it is a truly great job on casting by Louis Digiamo. To achieve such an impressively commercial film without a recognized ‘A’ list actor/actress is commendable.

Maximus – Russell Crowe
Lucilla - Connie Nielsen
Commodus - Joaquin Phoenix
Proximo - Oliver Reed
Gracchus - Derek Jacobi
Emperor Marcus Aurelius - Richard Harris


Why is it so good then?
======================

This is a great, not good, film for so many reasons.

The opening 15 minutes of the film, starting slowly and building up to the battle against the Barbarians is very well done. It also gives you a very good idea of the level of violence present in this film (from the moment the messenger returns to the camp). It can be extreme in places but each and every time it is used I believe it is justified here. I’m still surprised (well gob-smacked to be honest!) that it got away with a 15 certificate.

The special effects in this opening section and the camera angles used within the battle sequences are superb. The CGI marvel that is Rome is quite simp
ly breathtaking. So vivid and realistic a picture is created here that it is hard to believe that this city doesn’t exist. The Coliseum itself is re-created in such great detail that you will not find yourself trying to look for faults. It all looks so real! Apparently they built a quarter of it to scale then used CGI to duplicate it and create a seamless building. You can definitely see where most of the millions went with this film!

The scenes played out inside the gladiator arena and eventually in the Coliseum boast some of the best hand-to-hand combat sequences in a film to date. They will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout watching them I promise you!

The soundtrack inter-weaves with the visual images well, particularly in the dream sequences and the combat scenes. I’m not too sure if it will work if listened too separate from the film though, but definitely another possible Oscar award could be coming in this area.

The script is equally as strong as the action sequences. Crowe’s acting is superb and he carries off some great phrases that simply would not have worked with a different, less convincing actor. No cheesy lines here, no points in the film where you find the events implausible or strange, with the sole exception of the last one featuring Phoenix. I still have a hard time buying that one.

This is one film I could rabbit on about for hours and hours. I’ve tried to keep this review short but I probably haven’t managed that! I’ve also tried not to give away too much about the film. I avoided a lot of the “spoilers” before seeing this and really appreciated it afterwards.

If you have a DVD player then I strongly recommend you buy this, as it is one of the best feature packed DVDs on the market. It’s a two disc DVD, with superb DTS sound and over 2 hours of extra features (I’ll handle these in detail on a forthcoming Opinion).

All tha
t remains for me to say is …… GO SEE IT!!!

Update (14th February 2001)
======

Still not convinced?

How does TWELVE Academy Award nominations strike you then? Best film? Best Actor? Best Director? Best Soundtrack?

Check out the film's website for a selection of trailers: www.gladiator-thefilm.com

Believe the hype, this film is well worth it!

OSCARS
======

The Oscar nomination have just been announced and Gladiator conquered them by scooping up TWELVE of them!

The full list:-

Best Film
Actor in a Leading role (Russell Crowe)
Director (Ridley Scott)
Music, Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Cinematography
Art Direction
Costume Design
Film Editing (Pietro Scalia)
Actor in a Supporting role (Joaquin Phoenix) - WHAT!!! have they lost their senses???
Sound
Visual Effects
Original Screenplay

My guess? It will romp home with a total of EIGHT golden statuettes!


Post "Oscars 2001" update
=========================

Well, it won Best Picture as expected but actually came home with 5 Oscars in the end, fewer statuettes than it was tipped to do. The Oscars it has won are as follows:

• Best Picture
• Actor in a Leading role (Russell Crowe)
• Sound
• Visual Effects
• Costume Design (Janty Yates)

Must say that i'm glad that Joaquin Phoenix didn't get the Supporting Actor one, but as you will see from the comments there is a mixed view on his performance! But the flipside to this is the shock of the soundtrack not getting another statuette for Hans Zimmer.

And the moral of the story is?
Don't trust any of my predictions! Ever.

Summary: