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The story
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.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer80%Fresh#86 of 98 winnersIMDb8.51.9M votes#8 of 98 winners
Metacritic67/ 100#89 of 93 winners
TMDB8.2/ 10
Famous lines
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North. General of the Felix Legions. Loyal servant to the true Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife – and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.
Are you not entertained? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! Is this not why you are here?!
Brothers, what we do in life, echoes in eternity.
At my signal, unleash hell.
Am I not merciful? … AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?!
I will win the crowd. I will give them something they have never seen before.
If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled; for you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!
Maximus: I knew a man once who said, 'Death smiles at us all. All that man can do is smile back.'
Commodus: I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?
Maximus: You must know. He was your father.
Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar.
I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you will win your freedom.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- Ridley Scott agreed to direct after producers showed him Jean-Léon Gérôme's 1872 painting Pollice Verso. When producer Walter Parkes pointed out that Scott knew nothing about the story, Scott replied, "I don't care, I'll do it."Wikipedia · Development
- Oliver Reed, who played Proximo, died of a heart attack before all his scenes were filmed. His character was meant to survive, so the script was rewritten, and Reed's face was digitally attached to a body double; the film is dedicated to him.Wikipedia · Filming
- Commodus's chilling line "Am I not merciful?" was ad-libbed by Joaquin Phoenix, and Russell Crowe invented "Strength and Honor" as a twist on his high school's Latin motto, "Veritate et Virtute."Wikipedia · Script complaints and revisions
- Mel Gibson turned down the role of Maximus because he was committed to The Patriot, and Antonio Banderas and Tom Cruise were also considered. Jude Law auditioned for Commodus before Joaquin Phoenix won it with a "knockout" audition tape.Wikipedia · Casting
- For the opening battle in Germania, shot at Bourne Wood in Surrey, Ridley Scott learned the Forestry Commission planned to remove a section of the forest and got permission to burn it down for the scene.Wikipedia · Filming
- According to a DreamWorks executive, Russell Crowe tried to rewrite "the entire script" during shooting and initially refused to say the line "In this life or the next, I will have my vengeance."Wikipedia · Script complaints and revisions
- The Roman scenes were shot in Malta, where the crew built a replica of about one-third of the Colosseum, 52 feet high; the other two-thirds and the remaining height were added digitally.Wikipedia · Filming
- David Franzoni's first draft centered on Narcissus, the wrestler who, according to ancient historians, actually strangled the real Commodus to death; Commodus was in fact killed in his bath, not in the arena.Wikipedia · Development
- Screenwriter David Franzoni got the idea during a 1972 motorcycle trip across Eastern Europe and the Middle East, when he began reading Daniel P. Mannix's novel Those About to Die during a stop in Baghdad.Wikipedia · Development
- In 2006 the Holst Foundation sued composer Hans Zimmer, accusing him of copying the work of Gustav Holst in the Gladiator score; the case was settled out of court.Wikipedia · Music