IMDb top 250: #61
Rating 10/10
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: David Franzoni, John Logan & William Nicholson
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed & Richard Harris
"Are you not entertained?"
Yes I'm entertained, very entertained. A great story, great writing, great acting, great direction and a great score. What more could you want from a movie! This movie is a joy to watch and is one that I could watch again and again. Ridley Scott has created a modern day epic and even though 13 years old it hasn't aged a day. Scott's direction along with John Mathieson's cinematography is simply stunning. The opening battle scene in Germania, every scene in the Colosseum, the landscape; it is beautiful and all played over by Hans Zimmers gorgeous score!
The writing is amazing and there are times when it sounds like poetry. This may be down to some exquisite acting from all involved. Russell Crowe is terrific as Maximus and his performance deservedly won him the Best Actor Oscar in 2000. He plays the part perfectly going from strong and commanding in one scene to full of emotion and touching in the next. The supporting cast are equally as excellent, Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant as the evil Commudus never hamming it up and Connie Nielsen is splendid as Lucilla.
However the real stars for me are the late Richard Harris and Oliver Reed. Oliver Reed in particular who steals every scene he is in, subtly and beautifully. How he did not receive a posthumous Oscar nomination for this performance I'll never know.
This an exciting, moving, inspiring, gorgeous movie and one I would highly recommend. It throughly deserves it's place in the 500 greatest movies of all time, however I would've placed it a lot higher than Empire magazine did!
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