Gladiator Research Paper

Rome has always been an inspiration for me. Some readers would argue that Rome wasn’t as great as people think it was; however, just thinking about Rome makes my heart fill with joy. The magnificent monuments that the Romans built and the ones that are still standing these days inspire me so much. Also, the Roman culture that helped them rise and fall as an empire and later as a republic makes me want to know everything about them. Overall, just thinking about the gladiators makes me smile and get excited. It is a feelings that I can’t explain and I bet that many people feel the same as me about gladiators. All of those feeling come together every time I watch the movie, the Gladiator. When I watched the movie for the first time, I got so excited.

I could not stop smiling and telling myself, “I wish I could be there.” Gladiator has always been my favorite movie and I haven’t seen a movie yet that changes my mind about it. The reviewer, Desson Howe, in his post “'Gladiator': Two Severed Thumbs Up” supports my claim. He claims that “if you enjoy visceral (and I mean visceral) action, crowd-whooping heroics and stirring acts of resistance against tyranny, if the aphorism "hack or be hacked" rings true, then "Gladiator" is one extended guilty pleasure.”
First, I know Gladiator isn’t the first Roman movie; however, Gladiator is one of the few movies that shows Non-fictional historical moments in Roman history.

However, many people would argue that this movie isn’t that great. For example, reviewer Stephen Hunter argues, “the movie is a kind of meltdown of plot fragments from the two greatest Roman films from Hollywood's Grandest Age, "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "Spartacus" (1960). It's about a fallen and betrayed high-born lord seeking revenge, and it's about a gladiator revolt”. Yet, I do not agree with this argument. I could prove that Stephen opinion isn’t totally right. The movie starts with the last battle against the Germanic tribes and Rome that was led by Marcus Aurelio. Then, it shows the rise of Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’ son, as an emperor of Rome. It shows how Commodus ruled Rome. Commodus was a great fighter and it is known that he fought many times as a gladiator just like he did in the movie, Gladiator. According to M R Reesse “He believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules and he enjoyed fighting in an arena as a gladiator”. Moreover, Gladiators were part of the Roman culture and that is why they created such an amazing structure like the Colosseum and many others. Gladiators were expected to die in the arena not just for the entertainment of the Roman people, but also they believed that dying while fighting in the Colosseum would bring them

honor.
In addition, the performance of every actor in the movie was wonderful. For example, Russell Crowe had the performance of his lifetime in the movie. He acted smoothly like a real general sent to die as a gladiator. Reviewer Mick LaSalle claims “It’s clear that Crowe has that thing Gable had and Sean Connery has – that assure, undiluted, 100 percent guy-ness that makes any man standing next to him look, by comparison, like Quentin Crips in lounging pajamas”. Joaquin Phoenix was acting like a selfish child in Gladiator. He acted amazing as a psychopath child that was in love with his sister. Also, there is Oliver Reed in his role as Proximo. He acted perfectly in his role of an ex-gladiator that is in charge of the new generation of gladiator. Another great star, Connie Nielson, had the best role of all of her career in Gladiator. She isn’t known by the public for any other movie. Her role includes Acting as a sister that is scared of her brother and she has to take care of her son who doesn’t has a father. She acts so confident that her role deceives the audience, and it makes them forget that she was Connie.
Moreover, the plot of Maximmus captures the heart of any viewer. It starts with the assassination of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who Maximmus considered a father, by his son Commodus. Then, Maximmus is forced to serve under the command of Commodus, but Maximmus rejects Commodus because Marcus Aurelius asks him to be the next Caesar, and Maximmus knows that Commodus is the one who assassinated the emperor, so Maximmus is betrayed by Commodus and he is condemned to die, so now Maximmus, a general that had everything, lost his army and his position. However, Maximmus escapes injured, and he goes to see his family, but he finds out that all of them were slaughtered by Commodus. Now Maximmus doesn’t have a position or family, which many viewers at that point were moved by Maximmus many loses. Moreover, he is slaved by Proximo, so the general Maximmus who had a family, a rank and a man who considered a father has nothing left. After being sold to Proximo, Maximmus is forced to become a Gladiator and fight for him. He wins every battle for Proximo, and Proximo takes Maximmus to the Colosseum to fight as a real Gladiator for the Caesar. When Maximmus gets to the Colosseum and wins his first battle, Commodus goes to the Arena and he recognizes Maximmus. Maximmus fights in the Colosseum a couple of times before facing Commodus in the arena. When Maximmus gets the chance to fight Commodus, he is injured by Commodus before the fight; however, he still gets his revenge and kill Commodus before dying in the arena. After dying, he gets the chance to be with his family again in the afterlife.
If there is a movie that I would suggest to anyone to watch, it would be Gladiator. It has great scenes of the monuments of Rome that would make viewers heart stop in a second and make them realize how great Rome was. Gladiator shows the audience the Colosseum with all its magnificent beauty. Gladiator would be a movie that the viewer could learn from and at the same time enjoy time with friends or family. Like some people say, “History doesn’t have to be boring”. Adding some drama, a plot and a good actor could change everything. The history involved in this movie made it all that more exciting.