A review of the importance of Ridley Scott’s film Gladiator to modern movie making is overdue and that’s what A Matter of Film has done in the above video.
Screened in 2000, the film revived epic historical dramas but not many matched it, including follow-up attempts by Scott himself — ie 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven and 2014’s Exodus: Gods and Kings.
The film went on to win five Academy Awards including a best actor gong for Aussie-Kiwi Russell Crowe who became a household name for playing Maximus — a Roman general, then slave-gladiator.
So, press the top left play button on the above feature image so the video can pop up for you to watch.
Crowe’s loyal character has some awesome lines with ‘What we do in life, echoes in eternity,’ being an example.
The character of Maximus was a leader of men unafraid of neither death or killing. While he was buoyed by his faith in the afterlife, he was also driven by a need to revenge the death of his family and his emperor. He was also a guy struggling against the decadence in his own society. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do.
For a flashback see one of the memorable scenes from Gladiator below.