Gladiator (2000)
85%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
59 wins & 106 nominations total
Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladitorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath
Gladiator is the ultimate movie for anyone who loves action, drama, and Russell Crowe’s rugged good looks. I mean, have you seen those muscles? He’s like a walking tank. And Joaquin Phoenix is so convincing as the evil emperor, you’ll want to boo him every time he appears on screen. But let’s not forget about the epic battle scenes – they’re like a symphony of swords and shields. Ridley Scott really outdid himself with this one. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and prepare to be transported to ancient Rome.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Malta
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for intense, graphic combat
Year of Release
2000
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 34m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 2000 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2000
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, Douglas Wick, directed by Ridley Scott, written by David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson, Adventure, Action, R, Intense Graphic Combat, $187.7M, reviewed by Kirk Honeycutt, Marc Lee, David Stratton, Peter Bradshaw, Alexander Walker, Ann Hornaday, James Wegg, Jan Stuart, Bill Chambers, Julie Washington, Toussaint Egan, Fico Cangiano, Gladiator, Roman Empire, Maximus, Commodus, gladiator arenas, political intrigue, box office success, MPAA rating, epic-scale, intense combat, historical epic, betrayal, slavery, revenge, costumes, sets, Hans Zimmer, score, ancient Rome, dynamic fights, different combat styles, vivid depiction, grandiose speeches, gorgeous spectacle
Worldwide gross: $465,380,802
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $807,163,804
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 143
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 88,022,225
US/Canada gross: $187,705,427
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $325,559,253
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 166
US/Canada opening weekend: $34,819,017
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $60,390,652
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 172
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $103,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $178,644,825
Production budget ranking: 158
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $96,200,238
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $532,318,741
ROI to date (est.): 194%
ROI ranking: 643
Joaquin Phoenix – Commodus
Connie Nielsen – Lucilla
Oliver Reed – Proximo
Derek Jacobi – Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou – Juba
Director(s)
Ridley Scott
Writer(s)
David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson, David Franzoni
Producer(s)
David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, Douglas Wick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
59 wins & 106 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Visual Effects Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (205) | Top Critics (58) | Fresh (159) | Rotten (46)
Russell Crowe solidly anchors this epic-scale gladiator movie – the first in nearly four decades – by using his burly frame and expressive face to give dimension to what might otherwise have been comic book heroics.
May 8, 2018
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
It is monumental movie-making: visually thrilling, technically astonishing, and emotionally engaging.
February 28, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Marc Lee
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The journey of Maximus, from triumph on the battlefield through despair and degradation in slavery and then to a final epiphany in the Colosseum is an exciting one – and Russell Crowe plays the character with considerable toughness and authority.
February 25, 2015 | Rating: 4.5/5
David Stratton
sbs.com.au
TOP CRITIC
Throughout it all, Crowe maintains a tough, slot-mouthed reticence; he is very persuasive as the superman of the Colosseum.
February 22, 2015
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
In Russell Crowe, Scott has found an actor who can carry this movie the way Atlas was supposed to carry the globe of the world on his back — in Crowe’s case without stooping.
February 22, 2015
Alexander Walker
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Rather than getting lost in the world Scott has created on screen, Scott asks filmgoers to marvel at how he created that world, and how smoothly he succeeds in manipulating us.
January 8, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
Ann Hornaday
Baltimore Sun
TOP CRITIC
No, this is not Trump in 2021, but Roman Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix is completely believable as the murderous despot) in 130 AD. Seeing this Best Picture of 2000 now brought mixed emotions.
May 6, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
James Wegg
JWR
We came to praise Crowe, but we marched away with newfound allegiance to Phoenix.
May 4, 2022
Jan Stuart
The Advocate
Oh, to have “original” blockbusters back–no franchise aspirations and nothing to sell except the star’s charisma and 150 ounces of popcorn.
March 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central
With this role, Crowe establishes himself as an action star. His steely gaze rarely changes, yet he conveys the gamut of emotions. His physicality makes the battle scenes a muscular delight.
February 5, 2022
Julie Washington
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Gladiator is a sword and saddle epic for the ages and one of Ridley Scott’s most terrific cinematic achievements.
October 22, 2021
Toussaint Egan
Polygon
Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix are phenomenal in Ridley Scott’s thrilling gran epic of war, family and history. [Full review in Spanish]
May 25, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast…
Plot
Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
One audience reviewer asks the famous question from the film, “Are you not entertained?!”
Ridley-Scott.jpg
