Movie #11: Gladiator

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Gladiator


Date Watched: 07/08/24

Format: Streaming on TV via Prime Video

The first tough decision.  Gladiator or Gone with the Wind?  How to break this tie?

Directing (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

After a pretty week 1990s, Scott finally delivered again in 2000.  Just short of perfect, he brought the Colosseum to life.  Things missed in a few places and I am not sure it was the writing or the directing but I chose to remove the star from the directing.

Writing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

With the star removed from directing, the writing was pretty damn perfect.  No character felt out of place with their dialogue.  Scene by scene, the film kept on moving the story along.  Maximus' reveal is still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.  You can see the exact moment Commodus shits his pants.

Acting (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Crowe and Phoenix at the top of their games.  Hit and miss by the supporting cast.  Mostly hits but the Senate was pretty weak.  Reed's Proximo was grandstanding a few times.  Harris and Hounsou did well.

Wildcard (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Action! Action! Action!  There are plenty of movies with endless action but it just gets senseless over time.  Gladiator was able to mix it up in a way that kept it fresh.  Well choreographed and shot, I was always at the edge of my seat.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda:

First off, thank you that it was not Cast Away.  I enjoyed the film, but it was product placement, Oscar bait from the beginning.  Traffic is one of my favorite films of all time, so I would have been happy with that too.  Erin Brockovich and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon both could have one.  I think the Academy did a good job splitting up all the accolades that year.

Ranking:

1) Forrest Gump (Movie #5) 20⭐

2) Gladiator (Movie #11) 17⭐

3) Gone with the Wind (Movie #1) 17⭐

4) On the Waterfront (Movie #3) 16⭐

5) Moonlight (Movie #9) 14⭐

6) Amadeus (Movie #4) 13⭐

7) Shakespeare in Love (Movie #2) 13⭐

8) Rain Man (Movie #7) 12⭐

9) The Apartment (Movie #10) 11⭐

10) Wings (Movie #6) 10⭐

11) Midnight Cowboy (Movie #8) 9⭐

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