Review: The gore that was Rome told in stunning 'Gladiator'

In this story:

'Unleash hell'
An unwilling leader
When in Rome...
Grand visuals, great cast

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By Reviewer Paul Clinton

(CNN) -- "Gladiator" is spectacular, and so is Russell Crowe in the leading role of Maximus, a Roman general who is kidnapped, sold into slavery, and then tries to hack his way back to freedom as a gladiator.

Set in the year 180 AD, when the Roman Empire was at the peak of its power, this stunning film by Ridley Scott is breathtaking, both in its cinematic scope and its visual details.

It's not a perfect work. The script often defies logic. Who knows why the vaguely defined characters do anything? Scott also apparently feels that accurate geographical details are beside the point.

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These omissions create annoying gaps in the plot, but this $107 million film is not meant to engage you intellectually. No, this visceral sandal-and-toga epic was created to grab you by the throat and never let go, plot be damned. It does, too.

'Unleash hell'

As the film opens, Maximus is leading his army against the last of the Germanic tribes opposing Roman rule. He is weary of war. His every movement shows it. But there is one more battle to be fought. Crowe fills the screen with his meaty presence as he commands, "At my signal, unleash hell."

Scott, an action maven of the highest order, is happy to oblige. The battle scenes throughout the film are staggering in their realism. Scott's use of quick camera action, extreme close-ups and high-speed edits plunge you into the bloody madness.

This director loves to create whole new worlds in his films -- "Alien" in 1979, and "Blade Runner" in 1982, for example -- and he's done it again with "Gladiator." You can almost smell the sweat, blood and fear as the battle rages.

You meet some of the main players after the smoke clears. Richard Harris is perfection as the aging Caesar, Marcus Aurelius. He's at the end of his life and questioning his lust for conquest. He's also concerned about the future of his people, wanting to return Rome to its citizens, with a Senate ruling instead of a dictator.

Wisely deciding to bypass his greedy, self-serving son Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, Marcus decides to appoint Maximus as protector of Rome until power can be transferred to the Senate.

An unwilling leader

Maximus, who wants only to return to his farm, wife and son, reluctantly agrees. But before the plan can be put into action, Marcus comes to an untimely end, Commodus declares himself emperor and Maximus is sentenced to death along with his family.

Though his hands are bound and he's outnumbered, Maximus kills his would-be executioners and escapes. Our hero sets off to rescue his family, but of course, he's too late. They've been crucified.

Now, get ready to take a huge leap of faith. Without any transition, Maximus is apparently kidnapped by slave traders right off his own doorstep. It's never made clear how. What does this say about the safety of your average Roman citizen, let alone a general, if every time your wife and son are executed -- and you take just a minute to grieve -- anybody can just come along and kidnap you into slavery?

Here's the scene: extreme close-up. Maximus is weeping (in a very manly way, of course) at the spot where his family has been murdered. A foot comes into the frame. Cut to an African desert, where Maximus, now called "the Spaniard," is in a cage with fellow slaves.

When in Rome...

Cut to Rome. A smug, petulant Commodus has seized power. He's taken his sour grapes and turned them into one long whine. The only person to whom this tyrant will listen is his sister Lucilla, played beautifully by Connie Nielsen.

But Lucilla has her own agenda. Her young son is next in line for the throne, and she knows her sniveling brother could destroy them in an instant. At one time, she also had a thing going with Maximus, and she's not pleased about his supposed execution.

Commodus has no idea how to rule and the Senate is getting restless. So are the people, but Commodus has a plan. Knowing that blood and guts go a long way toward keeping the public's attention, he reinstitutes gladiator fights, which his father had outlawed. The games, filled with gladiators, lions and tigers and bears, resume.

This is good news back in the provinces where Maximus' new owner Proximo, performed by Oliver Reed, is training his boys for the big time. The biggest ring, of course, is the Colosseum in Rome.

At first Maximus cares nothing about being a gladiator. He's despondent -- a general without an army, country or family -- but rallies when he realizes that he can gain his freedom with his sword. He now has two goals: to fight his way to Rome and seek revenge against Commodus.

Grand visuals, great cast

Apparently, this was one of those films that was written as it was shot, and it shows. Logic is an unintended victim a number of times in the film.

But "Gladiator" gets its impressive punch from special effects and the film's amazing overall look. This cinematic Rome obviously was not built in a day; Arthur Max's sets and the visual effects created by John Nelson and Neil Corbould give it a authentic look. The recreation of the Colosseum is truly a work of art, too.

Acting is the film's other strength. With the exception of Phoenix, who plays his character at a single, sustained hysterical note, the cast is perfect. British character actor Derek Jacobi brings great dignity to his role as Senator Gracchus, and Harris is terrific as the aging emperor. Nielsen's role was a difficult one; she had to make the audience believe her changing allegiances, and she succeeds.

This, sadly, was the last film for Reed, who died near the end of production. But most of his scenes as Proximo had been shot and his death didn't affect the film's outcome. Happily, this veteran of more than 100 movies goes out with a winning performance. He brings a much-needed humanity and depth of character to the film.

But everyone else can step aside for Crowe. "Gladiator" should make the Oscar-nominated actor ("The Insider," 1999) an international star. When he's in a frame, he holds your attention like a vise. In a word, he's magnetic.

From the beginning, gladiator fighting was highly visual entertainment with lots of blood and action -- a spectacle designed for the masses. The same is true of this film.

"Gladiator" opens May 5 in theaters nationwide. Rated R. 154 minutes.