| GladiatorReleased: May 5, 2000 Studio: DreamWorks Genre: action Box Office (numbers in millions):Domestic: 187.70 Worldwide: 460.60 Adjusted for Inflation:Domestic: 313.67 Worldwide: 761.60 |
Directing: Ridley Scott Screenwriting: David H. Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen Review:“The story line is Rocky on downers.” RE “The characters bring no cheer: They're bitter, vengeful, depressed.” RE “General Maximus [Crowe] is selected to succeed Emperor Marcus Aurelius [Harris], but the Emperor’s son Commodus [Phoenix] has other plans. With his family murdered, enslaved Maximus soon becomes a champion gladiator and gets to face his betrayer in the Colosseum of ancient Rome.” AFI07 This was “Russell Crowe’s big Hollywood breakthrough.” EM’18 He “is efficient as Maximus: bearded, taciturn, brooding.” RE “Phoenix is passable as Commodus, but a quirkier actor could have had more fun in the role.” RE This was director “Ridley Scott’s comeback (after a bad run with 1492, White Squall, and G.I. Jane.” EM’18 “Thanks to the scope of Scott’s visual ambition combined with a leap forward in CGI quality, the movie that showed the industry you could make colossal historical epics commercially viable once more.” EM’18 “A foolish choice in art direction casts a pall…that no swordplay can cut through. The film looks muddy, fuzzy and indistinct. Its colors are mud tones at the drab end of the palette, and it seems to have been filmed on grim and overcast days. This darkness and a lack of detail in the long shots helps obscure shabby special effects (the Colosseum in Rome looks like a model from a computer game).” RE Sources:
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Oscars:Wins: 5 – Best Picture, Best Actor (Crowe), Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Costume Design. Nominations: 12 – including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Phoenix), Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing Other Lists/Honors:
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