Gladiator (2000): An Epic Historical Drama Essay (Movie Review)

Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama. It was directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. Russel Crowe stars as a Hispano-Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. Maximus is betrayed and enslaved to be a gladiator for the amusement of the Roman people and noblemen. Maximus then makes his way up the ranks of the arena; his only goal is revenge for his murdered family and his overthrown emperor. The central themes of this film are freedom, servitude, slavery, loyalty, and betrayal. This review focuses on two questions. How is the idea of freedom expressed in Gladiator? And is the desire to be loved is the driving force behind Commodus’ actions?

Freedom and Servitude in Gladiator

As Maximus Decimus Meridius first enters the life of the gladiator, he refuses to be a slave and a servant to the masses and the ruling Commodus. He refuses even to lift a training sword to defend himself when beaten by another gladiator (Andrews, 2014). The thing that is most important to Maximus is his desire to have revenge and to be free of the gladiatorial slavery. Nevertheless, to Maximus, freedom is only a tool which he wanted to use to avenge his loved ones.

Later in the film, Maximus receives a word of advice from Proximo – the gladiator trainer that Maximus was sold to. Proximo pointed out that the only chance to win the freedom that Maximus has is to win the people’s favor, to “win the crowd” (Andrews, 2014). This indicates that however high the royalty can be, ordinary Romans will still have a large influence over the ruler’s decisions. This is explained by the fact that no governor would want a revolution during his time of rule. For Commodus that is even more so because he killed his father to get the crown, and people of Rome did not accept this sort of action so easily.

Thus, Maximus tried his best to gain the respect and admiration of the crowd that he fought before. Maximus was a skilled commander that participated in a significant number of conflicts during his period of military service. Therefore, he was a capable warrior that could stand against any opponent that he faced in the arena. The skill that he shows in his fights had quickly brought him respect amongst the common people and the royalty alike. In the scene when Commodus requests Maximus to remove his helmet and tell him his name, one can see how people’s respect and admiration brought Maximus closer towards his goal of winning freedom (dumforbannade, 2014). This illustrates that, despite Maximus’ reluctance to fight in the arena, the driving force behind his actions is freedom, and therefore, he will do anything to break free from the slavery and the life in the arena.

Driving Force behind Commodus’ Actions

Lucius Aurelius Commodus is the main antagonist in the Gladiator. Despite the fact that he is presented as a person who is ready to go as far as to kill his father to pursue his ambitions, the driving force behind his actions is his desire to be loved. He wants to be loved by his relatives and to be loved by his father most of all (Justice, 2013). He desires that his father would acknowledge his deeds and accept them as significant achievements. Furthermore, the thing that he craves for the most is that his father would recognize his virtues, the things that his father does not consider to be important but Commodus himself sees as his strongest assets.

What indicates Commodus’ desire to be loved even more is how he reacts to treason. When Commodus learns that Lucilla has agreed to participate in the plot to free Maximus and help him rejoin his soldiers to topple Commodus by force, he threatens her son Lucius (Crisis Intervention Services, 2016). Although one can argue that such behavior is a sign of cowardice and fear of losing the power, it is equally as possible that Commodus fears not to be loved and to be betrayed by his “own blood.”

Still, Commodus’ rule is not welcomed amongst the ordinary Romans as people shout angrily at Commodus to go away and to leave his usurped throne (Wilson, 2013). The look on Commodus’ face is that of fear and shock. He refuses to believe that people do not welcome him, although he thinks that he is superior ruler compared to his father. Commodus’ shock amazement indicates that he thought that he would be loved and respected as an emperor, and that people would recognize his deeds as wise. He also believed that he would find the love that he never received from his father amongst the people of the Empire that he will rule.

Conclusion

The themes presented in Gladiator are conveyed through the main characters of the film. Maximus and Commodus represent two entirely different personalities driven by various forces, ideals, and goals. Maximus represents the desire for freedom and reluctance to serve people and ideals he disrespects. On the other hand, Commodus is driven by his desire to be loved and his ambitions. Commodus as a character is further complicated by the Father and Son conflict that is present in his character line across the film. While being utterly different, both of the characters are well-written and serve their purpose to a great extent.

Works Cited

“Busy Little Bees Scene from Gladiator Movie 200.” YouTube, uploaded by Crisis Intervention Services – CIS, 2016, Web.

“Clip from Gladiator – Emperor Commodus enters Rome.” YouTube, uploaded by Ed Wilson, 2013, Web.

“Gladiator – Clip – Maximus Refuses to Fight.” YouTube, uploaded by David Andrews, 2014, Web.

“Gladiator – Clip – Win the Crowd.” YouTube, uploaded by David Andrews, 2014, Web.

“Gladiator – Maximus Decimus Meridius.” YouTube, uploaded by dumforbannade, 2013, Web.

“Gladiator 2000 Conversation Between Father and Son.” YouTube, uploaded by Justice, 2013, Web.