Reel Critics

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Reel Critics column features movie critiques written

by community members serving on our panel.

‘Gladiator’ is moviemaking at its finest

It has taken a long time for a film to take you back to time of

Spartacus, Sampson and Delilah and Ben Hur. But “Gladiator” does it. It

is moviemaking for the moviegoer. This is entertainment at its best.

Maximus (Russell Crowe) is a good man. He has done his duty as the

general of Rome’s northern armies and wishes to return to his wife and

son. Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome (Richard Harris), however, has one

more chore for Maximus before he retires and it is that Maximus should

assume the role of emperor and return Rome to the status of a republic.

This request delays his retirement but in the right conscience he

cannot refuse. He must now supplant Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who is

Marcus’ natural son and heir.

Commodus is an adult spoiled child who will go to any lengths to

thwart the wishes of his father and suppress the emperor’s wishes. He

feels the succession is his, even if it means killing his own father and

ordering the deaths of Maximus and his family, which he does.

Maximus is subsequently captured and as a slave he is trained to be a

gladiator for the entertainment of the masses.

This is the basis for some of the finest performances and most

exciting “lions vs. Christians” scenes I have ever seen.

Maximus, whose attributes and virtues are so excellently portrayed he

must be contrasted with equal facility by the despicable and amoral

Commodus.

And, they are.

I was alternately caught up in Maximus’ grief and Commodus’s evil. It

is amazing that for a picture of this scope the personalities are so

engrossing. There is also the challenge to the rest of the cast to match

and support the main performances and they are certainly up to the task.

This is one of the few times I have seen the audience get so

thoroughly involved that they cheer during the picture and also at the

end.JOAN ANDRE, “over 65,” is Newport Beach resident who does a lot of

volunteer work.

‘Gladiator’ is a breathtaking ‘must see’

We celebrate the return of the “historical” epic with “Gladiator” --

Ridley Scott’s dramatic tale of courage and revenge. The plot has been

described as “The general who became a slave, the slave who became a

gladiator, the gladiator who defied an emperor.”

Once a great Roman general, and as close as adopted son of Marcus

Aurelius (Richard Harris), Maximus (Russell Crowe) is forced into exile

by the evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), heir to the throne, after the

death of Marcus.

Saved from death by slave traders, he is purchased for use as a

gladiator by Proximo (Oliver Reed) and ends up in the Colosseum, where he

proves unbeatable under his guise as “The Spaniard.”

The cast is generally very strong. Crowe once again proves to be of

the best actors in the business, showing emotional range and depth of

character.

Phoenix is also excellent as the disturbed Commodus, as is Connie

Nielsen as Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus who “should have been a son,”

and who finds herself torn between loyalty to her brother and doing what

is right.

The supporting characters are uniformly strong as well.

Scott delivers a great film, with a budget of more than $100 million.

“Gladiator” transcends the notion of the computer-generated,

special-effects blockbuster that we have become accustomed to and instead

offers a good old-fashioned film along with lines of Spartacus and Ben

Hur.

The difference here is that this film reminds us of the decadence of

Rome, and teaches about honor and personal sacrifice instead of freedom.

Not only are we drawn into an archetypical story that contains all the

classic elements (love, loss, courage, despair, etc.), we are also

offered a visual feast of images that are breathtaking and ultimately

visually satisfying.

Cecil B. DeMille, eat your heart out.

The cinematographer, John Mathieson, paints film pictures of the plans

of Germania, the desert stronghold of Zuchobar, and Rome herself.

The opening battle scene is breathtaking as a cast of thousands

thunders across the screen and provides an indication that we are about

to see a film that pays great attention to detail throughout its

entirety.

Scott has created a world for us that scuttles films of similar epic

undertakings (and budgets) and sends them to their dooms at the bottom of

the murky depths of film history where they belong.

This film, despite its length (154 minutes), was highly palatable and

had me in there from beginning to end. A must see.

MICHELLE HANCOCK, 29, lives in Costa Mesa with her husband and is an

attorney for a Costa Mesa law firm.

It’s a split vote on ‘Up at the Villa’

“Up at the Villa” is movie based on a novella by Somerset Maugham, one

of our favorite British authors. Both of us had read many of his popular

novels in college and respect his passion for romance.

Gay: “Up at the Villa” is set in 1938 Florence, Italy, just as

Mussolini begins to set up camp. Destiny seems to be set as you meet Mary

Panton (Kristin Scott Thomas), a charming yet flighty and penniless

British widow who is vacationing in Florence.

There are whispers of marriage of Mary to an older friend, Sir Edgar

Swift (James Fox), who’s about to become governor general of India.

Mary hobnobs with the best, catching the eye of flamboyant -- and a

bit wicked -- Princess San Ferdinando (Anne Bancroft).

Enter married American Rowley Flint (Sean Penn), who has a

disreputable reputation. With great taste, director Phillip Haas carries

you through nerve-racking moments of a crude suicide, the cover-up and

blackmail.

You’ll love it!

Bill: We were at the same show? This was a ridiculous story and so

predictable. But the story was definitely a “ladies” parable, reminding

me of those soaps you watch.

As much as I respect Maugham, I’m sure the book was more fascinating

than the film. Other than Kristin Scott Thomas, the bevy of Academy

Award-winning stars was unable to pull it off.

Sean Penn needed hundreds of additional hours studying his

“dishonorable fellow” role to give his character any believability. And

Anne Bancroft -- good grief! She overplayed and definitely overdressed

for her role. It must have worked well on paper.

You won’t love it!

Gay says: I’ll go up to the “Villa.”

Bill bellows: I’ll hide out downstairs.

GAY WASSALL-KELLY, 60, is the editor of a Balboa newspaper and is active

in the community. BILL KELLY, 58, is an industrial engineer.