Gladiator

Rated R

Catholic-ometer: 4 of 5

Enjoyability: 4.5 of 5

Someone I trust recommended this film to me, and someone I distrust said it was bad, so I decided to check it out, and was pleasantly surprised.

Admittedly, the thought of ancient Rome brings back images of ferocious lions and burning corpses to a Christian like myself, but I enjoy a good historical fiction as much as the next guy, and this film is certainly that.

A trustworthy, courageous roman general named Maximus is rewarded by Caesar for his latest successful campaign, with the promise that when he dies, Maximus must take his place, returning Rome back from the brink of corruption and totalitarian rule.  However, neither Maximus nor Commodus; the son of Caesar, are pleased to hear this.  Commodus assassinates Caesar before he can make his plans known, rising to become the emperor and betraying Maximus, killing his family and trying to have him executed.

Maximus is soon captured by slave traders, who sell him as a gladiator.  His military experience and great strength and skill make him a natural in his new profession, but his heart still longs for one thing; the death of Commodus, and the fulfillment of Caesar's last wishes.  The rest of the movie is about the chances that Maximus gets to confront Commodus again, and his quest for revenge and the restoration of the glory of Rome.

Though the story itself never really happened, it rang with something rarely seen in movies these days; the message that virtue matters much more than cunning or authority.  At every turn, Maximus is shown to be brave, determined, protective of his friends and faithful to the Caesar who once commanded him in battle, while his enemy Commodus is shown to have every form of vice; greed, selfishness, laziness, cowardice and sloth.

The one black spot on this movie's record in this regard is that ultimately, it is still a story about revenge.  Oh, sure, they include a lot of stuff about "fighting for the glory of Rome," and struggling for the good of the people, but in the end, you know the real reason why Maximus is fighting so hard is that he wants to avenge the deaths of his family.

I say this is the only black spot because any traditional kind of story, like this one, is going to have conflict and bloodshed.  It's inevitable.  There's a reason why this film is rated R.  However, even this is not taken to the extreme it could have been.  Most of the time, Maximus is essentially forced to fight and kill, and in one noteworthy instance, he actually shows mercy in a fight against a strong opponent; a rare thing in the roman games.

Ultimately, though, what I liked most about this film was the noble sacrifices made by the hero and his friends in the later parts of the film, and the movie's very clear message that there is an afterlife, and what you do in this life matters for that very reason.  It's a truth too often ignored; too infrequently discussed.  By no means would I consider this film perfect, but I definitely enjoyed it.  Just don't try showing it to the kids.