After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
Acting
Phoenix's sweaty, petulant Commodus is iconic villainy.
Score
Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard invented epic sound.
Production
Practical Colosseum still holds up against CGI.
Director
Ridley Scott
Russell Crowe
Maximus
Joaquin Phoenix
Commodus
Connie Nielsen
Lucilla
Oliver Reed
Proximo
Richard Harris
Marcus Aurelius
Derek Jacobi
Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou
Juba
David Schofield
Falco
John Shrapnel
Gaius
Tomas Arana
Quintus
Ralf Moeller
Hagen
Spencer Treat Clark
Lucius
David Hemmings
Cassius
Tommy Flanagan
Cicero
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Tiger
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Oliver Reed died mid-shoot; his remaining scenes were completed using a body double and CGI face mapping—2000's best digital resurrection.
Revived the dead 'sword-and-sandal' genre and accidentally launched a decade of washed-out color grading every blockbuster copied.
US
