Frequently described as one of the “greatest movies ever made”, it’s safe to say Ridley Scott’s Gladiator changed the landscape of grand-scale, big-budget cinema.
The 2000 epic historical drama starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix in the lead has cemented its place in cinema glory, having bagged five Academy Awards and a staggering box-office collection globally.
Directed by Scott, with a story by David Franzoni and a screenplay penned by Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson — Gladiator is currently streaming for free on BBC iPlayer, with the last day to watch the period drama being September 1.
Crowe and Phoenix are supported by a stellar ensemble cast in the historic drama, namely: Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, and Richard Harris.
The film centers around Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe), a Roman general who’s been betrayed by Commodus (Phoenix), the ambitious and cutthroat son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Commodus murders his father and seizes the throne, reducing Maximus to slavery and a life in the gladiator arena. Through sheer conviction and strength, Maximus rises through the ranks of the deadly arenas, hellbent on avenging the murders of his family and his beloved emperor.
The film’s screenplay was inspired by Daniel P. Mannix’s 1958 novel Those About to Die. Behind the scenes, production went through multiple rough patches and was complicated by the script being rewritten multiple times and by the tragic death of actor Oliver Reed at 61 before production was finished.
Gladiator was a whopping commercial success, grossing $465.5 million at the worldwide box-office against a production budget of $110 million. This made the Russel Crowe-led film the second-highest-grossing film of 2000.
Having bagged five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe, the film was high on critical acclaim. Often considered one of the best and most influential films of the 21st Century, a sequel, Gladiator II, was released in November 2024. The film’s musical score was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, and conducted by Gavin Greenaway.
Over the years, Gladiator has been highly lauded by critics and audiences alike, with one reviewer saying: “Gladiator is a sword and saddle epic for the ages and one of Ridley Scott’s most terrific cinematic achievements.”
While praise ran abound for Oscar-winner Crowe: “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.”
A third critic said: “Plain and simple, Gladiator is a killer film, filled with everything that makes moviegoing worth the effort. It’s an experience that can’t be duplicated in any other format.”
While a fourth reviewer said: “Filled with several superbly choreographed action sequences as well as some very modern musings about the workings of democracy, Gladiator is a real crowd-pleaser — colorful, beautifully paced, exciting, and effortlessly Big.”
An audience review of the film added: “Quite simply one of the best movies ever made. Acting: flawless. Story: superbe. Action scenes: edge-of-seat. Plot: instantly hooking. Characters: each and every single one has a clear function; each has their own clearly defined and complex personality. Music: hypnotising. Nothing left to chance. No loose ends. Just perfect story-telling.”
While another fan simply called it: “One of the greatest movies ever made.”
A third audience review said: “This is my favorite movie of all time. I love everything about this classic from start to finish. Saw it in the theatre twice when it was first released and watch it multiple times every year. Maybe another movie will beat it out as my favorite one day but not yet, not yet.”
And yet another impressed fan wrote: “A spectacular historic piece with a magnificent storyline. Gladiator has to be ranked as one of the greatest films ever made.”
Gladiator is streaming for free on BBC iPlayer till September 1.
