Gladiator Review (Updated)

Gladiator


Release Date: 4th May 2000 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)
DreamWorks SKG (presents)
Scott Free Productions (in association
with)

Red Wagon Entertainment (uncredited)

Distribution
Universal Studios Australia


Genre: Action/Drama

Rating: M

Runtime: 155 minutes
                 171 minutes
                 (extended edition)


Budget: $103,000,000

Box Office Gross: $503,162,313 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
A beloved Roman general, Maximus is named a successor by the ageing emperor Marcus Aurelius over his corrupt son Commodus. However, his

rival is not happy about this

plan. Out of pure jealousy,

he does unspeakable things

to grab his power by

framing him for his father's

death and having his family

executed. Maximus gets

captured and sent to the gladiatorial arena. There, he has to fight, either for glory or death.

Cast
Russell Crowe - Maximus
Decimus Meridius
Joaquin Phoenix - Commodus
Connie Nielsen - Lucilla
Oliver Reed - Antonius Proximo
Derek Jacobi - Senator
Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou - Juba
David Schofield - Senator Falco
John Shrapnel - Senator Gaius
Ralf Moeller - Hagen
Richard Harris - Marcus
Aurelius
Tomas Arana - General Quintus
Spencer Treat Clark - Lucius
Tommy Flanagan - Cicero
David Hemmings - Cassius
Sven-Ole Thorsen - Tigris

Omid Djalili - Slave Trader

Nicholas McGaughey - Praetorian Officer

Chris Kell - Scribe

Tony Curran - Assassin #1

Mark Lewis - Assassin #2

John Quinn - Valerius

Alun Raglan - Praetorian Guard #1

David Bailie - Engineer

Chick Allan - German Leader

David J. Nicholls - Giant Man

Al Ashton - Rome Trainer #1

Billy Dowd - Narrator

Ray Calleja - Lucius' Attendant

Giannina Facio-Scott - Maximus' Wife
Giorgio Cantarini - Maximus' Son

Allan Corduner - Trainer #1 (Extended Edition)

Michael Mellinger - Trainer #2 (Extended Edition)

Said Amel - Proximo's Man (Extended Edition)

Adam Levy - Officer #1 (Extended Edition)

Gilly Gilchrist - Officer #2 (Extended Edition)

Crew
Executive Producer (Uncredited)/Director -

Ridley Scott
Story/Screenplay/Producer - David Franzoni
Screenplay - John Logan and William Nicholson

Associate Producer/First Assistant Director -

Terry Needham
Executive Producers - Walter F. Parkes and

Laurie MacDonald

Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Branko Lustig
Producer - Douglas Wick

Casting Director - Louis Di Giaimo
Rome Technical Advisor: UK Unit - John Eagle
Production Designer - Arthur Max

Supervising Art Director: Malta Unit - John King

Supervising Art Director: UK Unit - David Allday
Supervising Art Director: Morocco Unit -

Benjamin Fernandez

Art Director: Malta Unit - Peter Russell

Art Director: UK Unit - Keith Pain

Set Decorators - Crispian Sallis and
Emilio Ardura (Uncredited)

Set Decorator: Malta Unit - Sonja Klaus

Set Decorator: UK Unit - Jille Azis

Set Decorator: Morocco Unit - Elli Griff

Costume Designer - Janty Yates

Assistant Costume Designer - Sammy Sheldon
Costume Supervisor - Rosemary Burrows
Supervising Armourer - Simon Atherton

Key Makeup Artist - Paul Engelen

Prosthetic Designer - John Schoonraad

Director of Photography - John Mathieson

"B" Camera & Steadicam Operator -

Klemens Becker

Production Supervisors: Second Unit -

Brian W. Cook and Zdravko Madzarevic

Production Managers: Morocco Unit -

Zakaria Alaoui and Peter Heslop

First Assistant Director: Morocco Unit - Ahmed Hatimi

Second Assistant Director - Adam Somner

Location Manager: Malta Unit - Mike Higgins

Location Manager: UK Unit - Terry Blyther

Location Managers: Morocco Unit - Ali Bakkioui,

Mohamed Benhmamane and Jeremy Johns

Assistant Location Managers: UK Unit -

Mark Somner and Nick Waldron

Second Unit Director/Director of Photography -

Alexander Witt

Chief Animal Trainer - Paul 'Sled' Reynolds
Stunt Coordinator - Phil Neilson

Fight Master - Nick Powell
Special Effects & Prosthetic Supervisor -

Neil Corbould

Special Effects Supervisor: Malta Unit - Trevor Wood

Special Effects Supervisor: Morocco Unit -

Terry Glass

Visual Effects Supervisor - John Nelson
Visual Effects Supervisors: Mill Film Ltd. -

Tim Burke and Rob Harvey

Visual Effects Producer: Mill Film Ltd. -

Nikki Penny

Visual Effects Coordinators: Mill Film Ltd. -

Emma Norton and Lorea Hoye

CG Supervisor: Mill Film Ltd. - Laurent Hugueniot

Lead CG Artists: Mill Film Ltd. - Rob Allman,

Andy Kind, Ivor Middleton, Ben Morris

and Tim Zaccheo

Digital Matte Painters: Mill Film Ltd. -

Dave Early, Michele Moen and Simon Wicker

Compositors: Mill Film Ltd. - Hani Alyousif,

Ian Plumb, Simon Stanley-Clamp,

Klaudija Cermak, Mike Connolly, John Hardwick,

Michael Illingworth, Richard Roberts,

Louise Lattimore and Steve Murgatroyd

Software Development Lead: Mill Film Ltd. -

David Lomax

Additional Software Development: Mill Film Ltd. -

Kevin Campbell and John Strauss

Editor - Pietro Scalia

Assistant Editors: UK Unit - Paul Elman and

Christopher Womack

Supervising Sound Editor - Per Hallberg

Additional Audio - Mark Ormandy,

Mark Stoeckinger and Scott Gershin

Re-Recording Mixers - Bob Beemer

and Scott Millan

Additional Re-Recording Mixer - Frank A. Montano

Foley Artists - James Moriana,

Dan O'Connell, John T. Cucci and Jeffrey Wilhoit
Music - Hans Zimmer

Music/Score Vocals - Lisa Gerrard

Score Co-Producer and Additional Music -

Klaus Badelt

Music Mixer/Recordist - Alan Meyerson

Awards

2001 Academy Awards
Best Picture - Douglas Wick, David Franzoni
and Branko Lustig (Won)
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Russell Crowe (Won)
Best Costume Design - Janty Yates (Won)
Best Sound - Scott Millan, Bob Beemer and
Ken Weston (Won)
Best Visual Effects - John Nelson, Neil Corbould,
Tim Burke and Rob Harvey (Won)
-------------------------
Best Actor in a Supporting Role -

Joaquin Phoenix (Nominated)

Best Director - Ridley Scott (Nominated)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the

Screen - David Franzoni, John Logan and

William Nicholson (Nominated)
Best Cinematography - John Mathieson (Nominated)
Best Film Editing - Pietro Scalia (Nominated)
Best Music, Original Score - Hans Zimmer
(Nominated)
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration - Arthur Max

and Crispian Sallis (Nominated)

Review
I had forgotten how many gladiator films there have been in the past century, as there are only a few I can think of. Ridley Scott's masterpiece GLADIATOR reflects a new age of cinema in this genre with CGI visuals. The film has unique fight coordination with battle sequences that get viciously excessive on the jabs. Humongous is for a big movie like this, given the computer effects and the action. You can see that they have spared no expense in making this film, particularly the direction by Ridley Scott, the terrific set design and the splendid cinematography. However, the movie doesn't let up with the acting of the two extraordinarily talented main stars, Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. For example, Russell gives dignity to his character and takes the stage for an unforgettable star-making performance worthy of his Oscar. Phoenix is equally as good as the menacingly cruel Commodus. How about the music by Hans Zimmer? It is a genius that he's doing the cues of an epic score, which would have won him a second Oscar. What talent he has is AMAZING!

It isn't the movie I expected to have me excited from the first scene, leaving me wanting to give it a round of applause, but it is still good. GLADIATOR is mildly overrated, which is nowhere near as great as it should have been. That's because its ending was tragic. I would not call it my favourite, but it's a watchable picture of an epic historical drama. GLADIATOR might intrigue some people who have yet to learn about old Roman history.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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