Share
Gladiator (2000)
Movie
Released
Joaquin Phoenix makes Commodus's hunger for approval visible beneath his imperial entitlement. A look towards a crowd can expose the insecure person whom Russell Crowe's Maximus refuses to flatter. Crowe gives Gladiator its sturdy emotional line; Phoenix keeps disturbing it with the possibility that immense power is being exercised by someone who feels slighted. The villain's pettiness, rather than another display of physical dominance, makes their encounters memorable.
Source
About Gladiator
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.