24 GLADIATOR 2000

MAD MAX(IMUS DECIMUS MERIDIUS)

EXPECTATION Swords and sandals snore. Ridley’s Heaven’s Gate?

OMG Despite an unfinished script on day 1, a death mid-shoot (RIP Oliver Reed) and a thenfoolhardy 164-minute runtime, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe delivered a crowdpleasing epic – not unlike the titular Roman stadium fighter seeking vengeance. Classic/modern, thrilling/realistic… the blockbuster we never knew we needed.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT Russell Crowe: Sex Symbol. Plus piggybacking toga movies for the next decade.

“Are you not entertained?!” Thumbs up in Roman times meant death, but filmmakers kept the modern connotation.