Gladiator
The Ridley Scott epic that started the 21st century off in style, Gladiator , is now 25 years old and, before I get round to watching the sequel, I wanted to revisit this having not watched it in many years. This was the film that brought back the sword-and-sandals epics from the golden age of Hollywood, and through this we would go on to have The Last Samurai , Troy , Kingdom of Heaven and many imitators that failed to come close to the likes of this. Gladiator sees a highly decorated Roman general betrayed by his emperor's son, left for dead and his family murdered. By chance, he is saved but sold into slavery as a gladiator where he no longer fights for honour but to merely entertain the crowds. However, an opportunity for revenge begins to appear as his talents attract the elite of Rome. Having struck gold in 1979 with Alien and then with Blade Runner in 1982, the only film of any real note between then and 2000 for Sir Ridley Scott would be Thelma & Louise while everyt...
