I love history, and to me, Gladiator is a masterpiece. It is the most accurate picture of the Roman Empire Hollywood has ever put out. People declare Spartacus a masterpiece, but Gladiator far outdoes Spartacus in quality. The costuming, the acting, the screenplay, the scenery, and the fighting styles made me think that I had traveled back to 180 A.D. Russell Crowe is a true Hollywood tough guy, and he is superb in this movie. Joaquin Phoenix is outstanding as a villain, one of the best in movie history. He played his character as if it were a psychologist's dream case. Connie Nielsen plays one of the strongest female characters that I have ever seen. The choreographer of the action sequences was brilliant. Ridley Scott did an outstanding job in recreating the Empire, including the multitude of ethnic groups within the Empire and accurately depicting everyday life. If you're looking for insight into what the Roman Empire was like, this is a perfect depiction.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Kindergarten Cop
(1990)
Outstanding Dry Humor
7 September 2002
I'm a fan of dry humor, the type director Ivan Reitman uses in the classic movie Ghostbusters. The humor of Kindergarten Cop is not much different. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a great cop, and his interactions with the children are classic. In the first day of class, he interrogates them as he would any criminal, telling the kids, " I'm going to ask you questions, and I want them answered immediately." If you don't like intelligent humor, don't see this movie. But if you want dry, realistic humor, this is an excellent movie.
Clue
(1985)
Very Original Comedy
7 September 2002
Clue is a brilliant movie. It takes brilliance to adopt a movie from a board game. I saw this movie as a child, and loved it. But when I saw this movie as an adult, I laughed almost nonstop. It was even funnier as an adult because most of the humor is dry, intelligent humor. In fact, to understand some of the jokes, you need a basic knowledge of American politics in the 1950s (nothing special, just know about J. Edgar Hoover and McCarthy). For example, in one part, J. Edgar Hoover calls the mansion, and Colonel Mustard asks Wadsworth why Hoover is on his phone, to which Wadsworth replies, "I don't know, he's on everybody else's, why should he be on mine?" To get the joke, you have to know about Hoover's FBI. This is the kind of verbal humor in the movie. There is lot's of slapstick, but you'll have a much better time if you enjoy dry humor.
Tombstone
(1993)
One of the best cop movies of all time
26 August 2002
As a law enforcement officer, I am a big fan of police movies and television shows. I am a strict judge of the acting in these movies and shows, to see if the acting is realistic. Without question, Kurt Russell plays one of the greatest police characters in movie history. Sam Eliott and Bill Paxton play cops just as well. The acting of all three was superb, and I was able to identify myself with all three characters on a professional level. I especially liked the arguments between Eliot and Russell before the gunfight. It was a clash of differing views on law enforcement, a clash that is widespread among police. Even better acting was provided by Val Kilmer, who played Doc Holliday. His portrayal of the arrogant, suave Southerner was, for some reason, overlooked by the Academy Awards that year. Powers Boothe and Michael Biehn, who played the villains, probably rank as two of the most ruthless villains ever in movies. This is a great with action, adventure, drama, romance, and some comedy. It is an all-time classic, and a good insight into understanding cops.
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