The competitive arc of Gladiator is Rocky III leading into Rocky IV.
Yet this is essentially about an undersized warrior gutting his way to a title bout – all else seems like window-dressing by comparison. The palace intrigue that follows the death of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius may give the film a certain amount of sophistication, as do the performances by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen, who all make excellent and multi-layered contributions. Twenty years later, perhaps it’s time to take Gladiator back to its original framing, not as the spoiler to Steven Soderbergh’s unlikely coronation as a Hollywood director – his Erin Brockovich and Traffic were best picture nominees, and he won best director for the latter – but as a classed-up underdog sports movie, like a middle-period Rocky sequel in sandals and tunics.
