"Are you not entertained? Are. You. Not. Entertained?"
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"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North. General of the Felix Legions. Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
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"What would you have me do, Ceasar?"
"I want you to become the Protector of Rome after I die. I will empower you to one end alone. To give power BACK to the people of Rome and end the corruption that has crippled it. Will you accept this great honor that I have offered?"
"With all my heart, no."
"Maximus! That is why it MUST be YOU!"
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"You won your freedom?"
"A long time ago, the Emperor presented me with a rudius. It's just a wooden sword. The symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder, and I was free."
"Ha, ha, ha. You knew Marcus Aurelius?"
"I did not say I knew him! I said he touched me on the shoulder once!"
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"I knew a man once who said, 'Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.'"
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"Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome."
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"The General who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking Story! But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena?
"You would fight me?"
"Why not? Do you think I am afraid?"
"I think you've been afraid all your life."
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"Now we are free. I will see you again...but not yet...not yet!"
This was only the third time I've seen this movie and it had been quite a long time since I last saw it, but I could still quote many lines from the movie. This is because I owned Gladiator: More Music from the Motion Picture (as well as the original soundtrack!) and there are lines of dialogue over some of the score. I have listened to the soundtrack so many times that I could hum every note of pretty much each scored scene.
The film opens with a quick history lesson, telling the audience that the Roman Empire "was vast, stretching from the deserts of Africa to the borders of Northern England" and that "over one quarter of the world's population lived and died under the rule of the Caesars." It is 180 AD (so a looooong time ago) and Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) is the Emperor.
Well, guess who isn't too happy when he is told he will not be the emperor? I'll give you zero guesses because you should know this. Maximus is "to hold in trust until the Senate is ready to rule" and that "Rome is to be a Republic again." Because Commodus doesn't take too kindly to this news, he ends up killing his father by suffocating him. Surprise! Guess who's now the new Emperor? Again, I'll give you zero guesses. When Commodus informs Maximus that his father is dead, Maximus asks how he died and Commodus tells him he died in his sleep. Uh-huh. I guess back then, they didn't really have the means to conduct autopsies. Plus, nobody was listening to true crime podcasts so nobody was quick to question this "sudden death" or be suspicious about it. Though, to be fair to Commodus, his father was a frail, old man, so him dying in his sleep probably wouldn't be that far-fetched. However, to also be fair to Maximus, he was way ahead of his time because he wants to talk to the council because he believes Marcus Aurelius was slain! Maximus knows what's up! Quintus, a Roman military officer and commander of the Praetorian guard, tells him, "The Emperor died of natural causes." It's clear who's side he's on (and, yes, I had to look up his info on the Gladiator movie Wikipedia page)!
Because Maximus won't allege his loyalty to the new Emperor, the guards have been ordered to take him and "ride until dawn, then execute him." Why they need to ride until dawn, I'm not sure, but I suppose if they had just killed him on the spot, the movie would have been only forty minutes instead of two hours and thirty-five minutes.
When he asks for his family to be taken care of, he is told that they will meet him in the afterlife. Maximus is able to thwart his executioners and kill most of the guards before grabbing a horse and galloping off to make the long journey to his home. Maximus is referred as "the Spaniard" throughout the movie, so I'm guessing his home is in Spain? (Did Spain exist way back then? I mean, was it called that? I dunno.) Unfortunately, he is too late and his wife and son have already been brutally killed. He is so overcome by exhaustion and grief that he collapses and the next thing he knows, he is being carried on a stretcher-like thing (I'm sure that's not what they called it in 180 AD!) through the desert along with many men and animals. He has been found by slave traders and he is taken and sold in Zuccabar to a a gladiator trainer named Proximo (Oliver Reed). He needs "good stock" for his next fight and likes the looks of Maximus and a slave named Juba (Dijmon Hounsou) who will become Maximus's closest confidant. Proximo tells his gladiators in training, "I did not pay good money for you for your company. I paid it so that I could profit from your death." I would have thought they make money if their gladiator wins?
Before their first fight, Coach Proximo gives them a "pep" talk: "Some of you are thinking, you won't fight. Some that you can't fight. They'll say that, until they're out there." He tells them to listen to the crowd chanting, "Kill, kill, kill." We'll soon learn this is the crowd's favorite word to chant during these fights.
The whole concept of pitting men (and sometimes women as we'll see later) to fight against each other to the death is all kinds of messed up. I know we sometimes use the phrase, "That was a different time", but in this case, it really was a different time. It was a totally different era!
The music right before they go into the arena is EPIC! Too bad they didn't have speakers in the Colosseum, or they could pump it through the arena and get the audience all pumped. Right before they run out, we see a big beefy guy clad in armor and waving around a chain with a spiked ball attached to it. Two seconds later a guy is bludgeoned with it. I was like, oh, okay, that's how we're gonna start things. Let's just say, this movie earned it's R rating!
Between the first battle and the next one, we see the Emperor arriving in a very CGI Ancient Rome (complete with a fully built Colosseum!). Commodus tells his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), "I'll give the people a vision of Rome and they'll love me for it."
Here are a few things you should know about, Lucilla: She has an eight-year-old son named Lucius Veras ("after his father"), she has been recently widowed, and Maximus if a former lover of hers. Oh, and Commodus has some icky incestuous feelings towards her which she definitely does not reciprocate. At one point, he wants her to "stay the night" with him, but she tells him she won't. He asks her to kiss him and she kisses him on the forehead, probably not what he had in mind!
Now it's time for the second battle in the arena! Maximus is already a big hit with the crowd. As they're waiting for the fight, the crowd is yelling, "Spaniard! Spaniard!", which is what they call Maximus (before they learn his name). Maximus enters the arena and starts slicing and dicing some big beefy boys' metal shields and metal hats. He slices one guy at the waist and another guy in the chest, then sticks two swords in one guy's chest, then takes both of them out and decapitates him (keep in mind he's at least two feet taller than Maximus). If I were in that crowd, I definitely would be covering my eyes! Eugghghg!
Proximo sends for Maximum and tells him while he's good, he could "be magnificent." Maximus replies," I am required to kill, so I kill. That is good enough." Proximo tells him that is not enough for Rome (where they will be taking the show next) and that "the young emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius." He finds that amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius who closed them down. With a glint in his eye, he says they are "going back to the place where we belong", of course referring to the Colosseum. "Fifty thousand Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow." From the way he is talking, Maximus surmises that he was a gladiator and Proximo confirms it. Maximus asks if he won his freedom and Proximo tells him, "A long time ago, the Emperor presented me with a radius. It's just a wooden sword. The symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder and I was free." He gets haughty when Maximus starts laughing and asks him, "You knew Marcus Aurelius", to which he responds, "I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once."
Maximus says he also wants to stand in front of the Emperor as Proximo did and his mentor advises him, "Then listen to me. Learn from me." He says he wasn't the best because he "killed quickly", but because "the crowd loved me...win the crowd and you'll win your freedom." Maximus says, "I will win the crowd. I will give them something they've never seen before."
Now it's time to take a roadtrip to Rome! Roam if you want to, indeed! Actually a journey from what I assume is probably modern day Morocco to Rome would SUCK. I can't ride a horse for more than two horses without my butt and legs getting sore. I can't imagine the horrendous trek that would be! I looked up the distance and it takes 32 hours to DRIVE that distance! With a modern car! Can you imagine if you had to walk it or go on horseback? I would be dead after the third hour! Luckily, we just get a ten second clip of them on their journey.
When they reach the Colosseum, Maximus, Juba, and the others are looking at it in awe. Even though I know this particular Colosseum is CGI, it is pretty spectacular. The actual, real Colosseum in Rome today is quite impressive. How about some Colosseum fun facts?
*It was built during 69-79 AD and completed in 80 AD. I have no idea how this is known, but there must be some record.
*It could hold 50,000 - 80,000 spectators, thus making it the largest standing amphitheater in the world.
*It was used for public events including executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on Roman mythology, and, of course, gladiatorial contests.
*It was ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers. The latter made me chuckle.
*There were 80 entrances on ground level.
Okay, I think that's enough fun facts for now. There's a whole Wikipedia article you can read about it. Actually, I'm also sure there are more reputable sources about it!
Before his first battle in the Colosseum, Lucilla's young son, Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark), is outside the gate where Maximus and the others are waiting and beckons him to come closer and asks if he's the one they call the Spaniard and Maximus confirms this. Lucius tells him he will be cheering for him and Maximus is surprised that this young boy is allowed to watch the games (so am I, Max, so am I!). Lucius tells him he's allowed to watched because "my uncle says it makes me strong." When asked about what his father thinks, Lucius tells him his father is dead. Are we sure about that? (Wink, wink.)
A man named Cassius is the one who announces who will be fighting that day. He wears a wig with red curls and has these crazy eyebrows that slope up. He introduces Proximo's gladiator slaves as "the barbarian horde". In the arena, they are all facing forward as they were instructed, and Maximus, in the front, asks the group if anybody has ever served in the army and someone next to him says he served with him and Maximus tells him he can help: "Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together...if we stay together we survive." Earlier when they were still in the...whatever the equivalent of locker rooms were called back then....., you could hear growling noises and was sure some wild cat would be coming through the gates. But no, that will be for another show!
Several gates open around the Colosseum and a bunch of chariots being pulled by horses come rushing out. In each chariot are two people: one in front holding the reins and the other in back, wielding a weapon. In this case, there were many bows and arrows. I was quite shocked to see a woman (who gets a pretty nasty death when she's cut in half at the waist) in the arena, but I guess it happened. One particular guy in the crowd is getting a little into it and chanting, "Kill, kill, kill!" Like, settle down, dude! If he were living in this day and age he'd be the obnoxious guy at sporting events, standing up and yelling every three seconds. The woman is shooting arrows at her opponents and Maximus instructs everyone to stay close and they use their shield to protect themselves.
At one point, I'm not sure exactly how it happened (because everything is moving so fast), they're able to tip one of the chariots over. This causes the other chariots to start crashing into each other and soon there's lots of carnage and many of the chariot riders are getting killed. Maximus gets on a horse that has escaped from one of the crashed chariots and uses a spear (which I believe he retrieved from one of the dead opposition) to throw at one of his enemies. There's a cool shot where he's coming around the arena and Juba shouts his name and throws a sword at Maximus which he catches and uses to cut any b*tch who gets in his way.
Throughout this battle, we get some shots of Commodus who has some choice reactions. At one point he's sticking his tongue out and another time he's going "ooooh" in a sarcastic manner.
There's lots of cheering from the crowd when everyone from the other side has died. I get the impression the crowd doesn't really care who wins/looses. They just want people to die and they'll cheer for the people who live (or, really, the people who killed off the other side). Commodus asks Cassius shouldn't have the barbarians lost this battle since that was the plan for them to die. He asks about the Spaniard and says he wants to meet him. Because Maximus is wearing an armored helmet that covers most of his face, Commodus has no idea who he is.
The gladiators are told to drop their weapons, then Commodus comes out, flanked by a bunch of bodyguards. Maximus sees an arrow laying on the ground and discreetly picks it up, but then he sees that Lucius has ran up alongside Commodus and knows he can't do anything if a kid is there. (Though even if the kid wasn't there, would he really try anything with all those men with swords surrounding them, their duty being to protect Commodus?)
When Commodus asks him if he has a name, Maximus simply replies, "My name is Gladiator." The turns around and walks back toward the other men. This does not make Commodus happy: "How dare you show your back to me." He orders him to remove his helmet and tell him his name. With his back still turned toward him, Maximus removes his helmet, the turns to face him. This is when we get the "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius" quote. When he finishes with "I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next", Commodus is speechless and his main guard quickly orders the other men to surround him. He shouts, "Arms!" and they pull out their weapons. People in the crowd chant "Live! Live Live!" This is literally the only time when they're not shouting "Kill! Kill! Kill!" I'm honestly shocked, usually the crowd is blood thirsty. Commodus puts his arm out with his hand in a fist and everyone is waiting to see if he's going to give the thumbs up (that means you get to live) or the thumbs down (that means you die). Lucky for Maximus, he's given the thumbs up. Hmmm, that makes me think of something. Gimme a sec....haha, okay, it's a good thing Roger Ebert wasn't around during the Roman Empire or else Maximus would have died! Because he gave it thumbs down! I mean the movie, you know what I mean.
Everyone in the crowd is cheering and Maximus puts his arm up in triumph and he knows he has the crowd's adulation as he looks around the arena at all his cheering fans. Now that people know his name, it's being shouted as he leaves the arena.
Commodus asks his sister why Maximus is still alive and she tells him she doesn't know. He says one of my favorite lines in the movie (but not as iconic as many other lines) which is, "It vexes me. I am terribly vexed." This is a quote I may have used once or twice in my real life. Commodus is also not very happy as he was told that Maximus had died when he was taken to Germania to be executed and this means he was lied to!
Lucilla goes to visit Maximus in the prison where he's being held when he's not entertaining crowds and tells him that Commodus controls everything. He has enemies, most of them are in the Senate. While people follow him, "no one would dare stand up to him until [Maximus came along]." She asks him if he will meet a man who has dedicated his life to Rome if she can arrange a meeting with him. Maximus reminds her he is only a slave and may die in their prison or in the arena tomorrow and what difference can he make. He basically tells her to get the hell out and forget about him.
Now it's the second time in the Colosseum. That Cassius sure likes to blow a lot of smoke before the show starts because he's just keeps talking and talking and talking. He tells the audience that they are celebrating the 64th day of the games on this particular day. He adds, "The Emperor has deigned this day to favor the people of Rome with an historical final match." There is a special guest today! Returning to the Colosseum after fives years in retirement, "the only undefeated champion in Roman history, the legendary Tigris of Gual!" Some guy in a chariot led by four horses with red plumes comes charging out. Everyone cheers wildly so I guess they're familiar with him. This is just proof that the audience will cheer for anyone. They were going gaga over Maximus the last time they saw him and now they're cheering for this dude.
Now you may have noticed that Cassius says "historical final match." In their equivalent of a VIP box, Commodus admits to his sister that Maximus will be gone soon because "it's been arranged." Ha! Joke's on you, Commie!
This battle will be a one-on-one fight between Maximus and the undefeated guy who came out of retirement. Oh, did I mention he looks like he's built like The Mountain from Game of Thrones? He looks like he could squash Maximus like a bug.
A tiger leaps up on Maximus, but he's able to spear it in the belly with his sword. The tiger falls on top of him and while he's under the tiger's corpse, he's trying to shield himself from Tigris who's stabbing at him. From his position on the ground, Maximus is able to take Tigris's axe and stab him in the foot with it. This causes Tigris to fall on the ground and now that he does't have anyone trying to stab him anymore, Maximus is able to get up. The audience is (of course) chanting, "Kill, kill, kill!" Maximus takes his sword and removes the mask from Tigris's face with it. One guy in the crowd is particularly enthusiastic and shouts,"Yeah!" Commodus turns his thumb down, signifying for Maximus to kill his opponent.
Maximus lifts the axe up, but instead of striking the (no longer undefeated) (ex) champion with it, he throws it to the side. Someone shouts, "Maximus the Merciful!" and now the crowd is chanting and cheering, "Maximus! Maximus!" It's like, pick a lane, audience, only a few seconds ago you were cheering for him to kill the other dude.
Commodus is not too happy since he thought Maximus was supposed to die. He comes down to the arena with all his guards and says some pretty terrible and despicable things about Maximus's son's and wife's last moments before they died. He is just being a prick and egging him on him. Maximus simply tells him, 'The time for honoring yourself will soon come to an end." Later, Commodus will whine about how the crowd now loves Maximus for his mercy: "So I can't just kill him or it will make me look more unmerciful." Commodus is a whiny little bitch.
Before the battle, we saw a man with a scar on his face in the crowd. This is Cicero who is a loyal servant to Maximus. While Maximus is walking through the crowd after the battle, Cicero is able to walk near him and tell him his legion still remain loyal to him and would be ready to fight tomorrow. Maximus tells him he needs to do something for him. A few moments later, we see Cicero get close to the carriage that Lucilla is in. It's one of those modes of transports without wheels and men are carrying it. When he mentions Maximus's name, she beckons him to come closer and he tells her that Maximus will meet with the politician she wanted him to talk to.
When Maximus meets with Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), he asks him if he can buy his freedom and smuggle him out of Rome. He wants to get out of the city walls with horses ready for him to take to Ostia where his army is. He will return by nightfall the second day with five thousand men. Lucilla informs him that the legions have new commanders who are loyal to Commodus, but he says when his men see him alive, their loyalties will lie with him.
When Gracchus asks him why he will give the city of Rome back to the people, he tells him, "Because that was the last wish of a dying man." He says he will kill Commodus and leave the fate of Rome to Gracchus.
Their plan doesn't quite work out because Commodus gets a whiff of what's going on (thanks to Lucius unknowingly spilling the beans) and has Gracchus arrested. Lucilla tells Maximus that they "must leave tonight" and that Cicero will be at the gate waiting with horses.
Senator Falco (or someone...there's so many ancillary characters) tells Commodus that it's been done and Commodus asks him what should happen to his sister and nephew and should he "be merciful"? He says that Lucius will stay with him now and "if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die."
After he says this, the camera pans to show that Lucilla is sitting nearby. He adds that if she takes her own life, her son will also die. He tells Lucilla that she will love him, as he loved her. Eww. But wait, it gets worse! He says to her, "You will provide me with an heir of pure blood, so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for 1000 years." That fact that he refers to himself in the third person is almsot as bad that he wants his sister to have babies. I know this was back in three digit years so maybe this wasn't seen as taboo (and gross!), but ughghghg! But then it gets even worse when he starts caressing her cheek and runs her fingers over her lips. It would be pretty icky even if she wasn't related to him. She's crying and she can't recoil from his touch for the sake of her son's safety.
There is one final battle in the Colosseum and this time it's between Commodus and Maximus. Everyone is shouting Maximus's name which I'm sure Commodus loves. Maximus is chained to the wall and Commodus tells him that since Maximus loved his father like he did (are we sure about that, Commie, you know, since you killed your father), he declares they are brothers. He hugs him, but it's only a pretense so he can stab him in the chest with a little dagger. He tells one of the guards to strap on Maximus's armor so it will conceal the wound. They are lifted up by chains from under group up to the arena. Someone in the crowd yells, "Off with his head, Maximus!" This battle is a little bit different as all the guards are in a circle around the two men battling.
They begin fighting with their swords and everyone cheers when Maximus gives Commodus a huge slash across the back. This causes him to drop his sword and he asks Quintus to give him his sword. I was kind of confused by this because was he able to retrieve his own sword? Did Maximus take it? Also, it seems like cheating asking for a sword from one of your guards (which seems like it's cheating having them there!). However, Quintus, who had earlier betrayed Maximus to ally with Commodus is now betraying Commodus as he not only obliges to give him his swords, but he orders the other guards to "sheathe your swords" after Commodus starts to panic and yells at anyone to give him a sword.
Maximus turns into Russell Crowe and uses his elbow to knock Commodus in the face, then he just uses his fists to punch him in the face. The funny thing is, I'd probably still use the Russell Crowe joke even if another actor played Maximus. Hey, at least he's being fair not using his sword since Commodus didn't have one. (I still don't understand why he couldn't retrieve it!) But I probably spoke too soon because now Maximus has Commodus in a headlock and has pulled out a dagger that he's pointing towards Commodus's face and the young tyrant is straining to get away from it. Maximus jabs him in the throat and Commodus falls to the ground. Maximus stays on his feet fora few seconds, but also ends up falling on the ground. He starts to have visions of his idyllic home but before it is time to be ruined with his family in the afterlife, he has a few more tasks to take care of. He tells Quintus to free his men and that Senator Gracchus is to be reinstated. He says these are the wishes of Marcus Aurelius. Right away, Quintus orders for the prisoners to be freed. Maximus falls (quite dramatically) backwards onto the dirt and Lucilla runs toward him. He tells her that Lucius is safe and she nods. She tells him, "Go to them", giving him permission to die and return to his family.
In a fierce voice, she tells Senator Gracchus and the others surrounding her to honor Maximus because he was a soldier of Rome. Gracchus asks who will help him carry him and Maximus's fellow gladiators flock to help the Senator lift the deceased soldier above their heads and carry him out of the arena. In the last scene, Juba tells his friend, "Now were are free. I will see you again. But not yet, not yet."
If you haven't seen Gladiator 2 and don't want to be spoiled, stop reading this now! You have been warned!
Okay, I saw Gladiator 2 a couple months ago and while I'm not going to review it (at least not right now), I will say the first movie is still better. We find out that Lucius is actually Maximus's son, which makes sense. If they were hinting at it in the first movie, they don't flat out say he's the father, but I'm sure the audience is to think it could be a possibility. If you thought the first movie was a bit gory, wait until you see the sequel. The battles in the arena are just ridiculous, especially one when they put water in the arena and everyone is on ships and there's sharks in the water. Like, how are they even transporting sharks to the arena?
