Hello! This is the theatrical cut of the film, but we wanted to ask you all if you prefer the theatrical cut or the extended cut? Strength & Honor!

Maximus' men didn't turn on him. Those were Praetorians, Imperial personal guards. They might have hated Commodus too, but without him, their power and positions were erased.

To this day I am still amazed by Joaquin Phoenix acting in this movie. It's a masterpiece performance.

FUN FACT: After the (surviving) gladiators returned to their cells, they were bathed in olive oil. The oil was scraped off their skin, along with the accumulated sweat and blood of the combats. This oil served as a base for expensive perfumes. Yeah... Rome was pretty hardcore.

@14:45 the soldiers in black armor who were going to execute Maximus and who murdered his family were actually the Praetorian Guard (the Emperor's personal guard) and not part of the soldiers that Maximus led in battle.

The scene where Maximus reveals his identity to Commodus still sends chills. The swelling music and the look of absolutely fear in Joaquin's face is epic. He didn't win that year but Joaquin definitely deserved the nomination he did get for this movie

The soldiers that took Maximus to be executed him were not his own men. They were the Praetorian Guard loyal only to the Emperor. Same with the ones that went to his home to murder his family. You can tell by their purple cloaks.

Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture. Before Russell Crowe was cast as Maximus, Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Tom Cruise, Tom Sizemore and Mel Gibson were considered. Interestingly enough, Crowe was considered to play Wolverine in the live action X-Men movie, but turned it down. Jackman took the role. Oliver Reed, who played Proximo died of a heart attack on May 2, 1999. The film was dedicated in his memory. The opening battle scene was filmed in Surrey England, the gladiator training school was filmed in Morocco, and the scenes involving Ancient Rome were filmed in Malta for 19 weeks. Crowe sustained several injuries during filming and almost died as a direct result of them. The scene where Maximus fights Tigris Of Gaul, the tiger almost killed him during filming.

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity!" ♥ what a MASTERPIECE of a movie! Looking forward for the sequel that was recently announced

I like to think that Maximus rubbed dirt in his hands before battle as a personal ritual, a way for him to ground himself in the moment and his role within it. As Maximus is a farmer, it's a beautifully poetic gesture that the audience is treated to. I also love that the first thing Maximus does upon defeating the emperor is ask Quintus to "Free my men," referring to his fellow slaves. They were not his responsibility. Contractually, he owed them nothing and they owed him nothing. Yet, he learned to care and respect them to the point where he felt responsible for them, as he had cared and been responsible for his legions. I like to think that it is that penchant for leadership and sense of responsibility that made him such as respected and effective general in the first place.

43:47 that single tear coming down your cheek. 😢❤ chef's kiss

Oliver Reed AKA proximo passed away during production they used some computer Wizardry to finish the movie with him in it. Check out Tommy 1975 with Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed and the chorus the rock band The Who and other Rock Legends. Joaquin Phoenix so hated in this movie but one of the greatest actors to come out of the 90s. He has so so so many really good movies that he got involved with it's unbelievable he is a true genius actor top drawer. Russell Crowe you got to see him in the true life story American Gangster 2007 with Denzel Washington and also Stars Ossie Davis's wife Ruby Dee and very star-studded movie well done.

Many great lines in this film: "Are you not entertained?!" "You have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you." "We mortals are just shadows and dust!" "AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!" "I think you've been afraid all your life."

„Are you not entertained?!“

MY NAME IS MAXIMUS DECIMUS MERIDIUS

Both have tears in the eyes at the end .That's so cute! I see this final part hundred times and every time I must crying!

Maximus Decimus Meridius - Inspired by Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus (father of Lucius Aurelius Pompeianus) and Marcus Nonius Macrinus. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus - One of the most popular emperor of the Roman Empire, a great philosopher and intellectual. His literary work is still read, studied and highly praised today. He was not murdered and enjoyed a healthy relationship with his son Commodus. Lucius Aurelius Commodus - He co-reign with his father as emperor for several years before becoming the one emperor upon his father's death. Commodus was assassinated 12 years after he became the sole emperor. At first he was poisoned but it didn't killed him, although it made him sick and dizzy. He was finished off, strangled, by his wrestling coach/sparring partner named Narcissus in his bathroom. This happened 10 years after he ordered the execution of his sister and his niece. Annia Aurelia Lucilla - She schemed to have her brother, Commodus, assassinated. It was discovered and she was exiled on an island with her daughter for less than a year. Commodus sent a centurion (equivalent of a captain) to kill them. This was 2 years after Marcus Aurelius death. Lucius Aurelius Pompeianus - Son of Lucilla and Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus. Although the name and age in the movie are based on Lucius Verus, first son of Lucilla, everything else is based on her second son also named Lucius. Her first son died young and before Commodus became emperor. Not much is known about her second son, but he was also murdered around 20 years after Commodus death. 3:47 Not really. Although wrongly depicted in this movie (as most other things), artillery then played a similar role as today which is to destroy infrastructure, intimidate/demoralize the enemy and force it to improvise under pressure (which is often fertile ground for lethal mistakes). 3:56 They certainly would, actually. Of course, not an orchestra, but "music" was often part of battle, were it from instruments being played like drums, trumpets or flutes to chanting. Music was part of the battlefield since thousand of years all across the world. It actually fairly recently that music is not played on the battlefield anymore as battles do not oppose two armies facing each other, in the literal sense, as it did since the beginning of human writing history and beyond. 4:11 Smart observation. Sadly, people in Hollywood live on their own planet and do not share the same level of intuitiveness normal people have. Battles depicted in movies have never been depicted accurately, as far as all the movies I have watched or that comes to my mind while writing this. Battles were ALWAYS fought with tight line of soldiers meeting another tight line of soldiers and they never broke ranks unless it was a full retreat or the enemy managed to create a gap in their line. When a brother in arm was killed or wounded, he was taken off the front line by soldiers in the back and replaced by another one, when they got tired, it was the same thing. For the untrained, unimaginative mind, it seems boring and less impressive, less heroic than the BS that we are served from Hollywood, but they would be wrong to think that. That kind of historical battle actually allowed the creation of real heroes known to often fight and survive the frontline because they understood better than most how to fight and how to survive. Battles depicted in Hollywood movies would have these heroes died very quickly and without any glory and they would only be known for a brief time as a fools before being forgotten. 13:33 These men were Praetorians, they do not share any relationship with nor any loyalty to Maximus. They are roughly the equivalent of the US Secret Service mixed with the Gestapo and their purpose was to protect the roman emperor and served as elite unit on the battlefield if needed. They weren't nice people. And they killed many emperors. 14:23 People don't know this, but in the ancient world (all over the globe!) it was VERY common and considered reasonable and justifiable to exterminate entire families if the head of the family or a very prominent and influential member committed what was considered a capital offense (arguably only when it was the kind of offense with the potential to jeopardize the authority of the ruler). It wasn't considered "cruel" per se, in the sense we understand the word today anyway. It was considered harsh, but not cruel. What the movie get quite wrong about that also is that the extermination of the family wasn't done so unceremoniously unless there was armed resistance. The family members would be arrested and imprisoned from less than a day to many years and then they would be executed with propriety through "humane" methods such as strangulation, beheading, poisoning (suicide) or hanging. Newborns, children, elders - usually no one was spared regardless of who or what they were. 15:15 Well, the movie take place within the Roman Empire, so yes there is a lot of different biomes. They started in Germania (East France and Germany today), then Maximus villa was in North-West Italy, then he was picked up, put on a ship and sent to North Africa. 16:03 Honest in the movie, but inaccurate to real life. It's like if George St-Pierre and Nick Diaz fought to death and GSP was killed. What do you think it would do to the sport if there was always one of the two top athletes dying? Gladiators were rarely killed in the arena and when they did died it was more often from accidental injuries that caused infection or bleeding than from someone who had the real intention of killing them. 18:37 Although still truly impressive and huge in real life, Ridley Scott exaggerated the proportion and dimension of the Colosseum in particular. 20:08 Dark indeed. A movie about the creation of an empire and the death of a republic came out a couple years after this one using a quote that, in essence, can be argued as being identical : "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." And it is very, anthropologically accurate. It can be observed throughout history and we can watch it being played out in real time as we live in a time of trouble similar to all those one that brought down most empires in history. Identity crisis, unjust military conflicts, social justice, weak people being given or having taken power, inflation and the growing ideological, cultural, financial and spiritual divide between the elite and the common people. 32:31 Actually no, he is obeying him. 😆 Historically, the thumb down meant not to kill the defeated opponent. But you are right, in the movie, Ridley Scott inverted the meaning so people do not get confused.

"I'm terribly vexed." 🤣Commodus was a LOT.

Poor Sarah. Nothing but sad movies and TV for like a month straight. 😢

The story was changed during filming due to the death Oliver Reed. In the original story Reed's character was a villian, but but as a tribute they gave him a heroic send off.

im pretty sure that people who executed family and tried to execute Maximus arents the same soldiers that were under his comand, even tho Quintus took part in it. most likely it was emperors personal guard or smth

1:10 "are you prepared to die?" 😳 eric takes this film very seriously.

Excellent movie

For those who think Próximo is harsh, or cruel he actually a product of his environment and it doesn’t show properly but gladiators were celebrities despite being slaves. They had fame and glory; lived and died for it because it’s all they had. Him owning a ludus is like an athlete becoming a coach making other slaves into local legends.

As far as I'm concerned, one of the most beautiful death scenes in movie history

You guys noticed the kiss. Russell Crowe has been trying to get Gladiator 2 made for the past few years and the angle that he’s trying to take to continue Maximus’ story is that Lucius was actually his son. That they talked about Lucius being 8 and the son that died being nearly 8. That’s why she became more protective over the boy after she finds out Maximus is still alive.

After the battle of Germania Maximus mentions that he would like to return home,which is a farm, because as he says "dirt washes off a lot of easier than blood". Rubbing dirt on his hand before battle maybe suggests that he prefers a farmer's life and disdain for what he was about to do. A more obvious explanation: he used the dirt to get a better grip on his sword

"Do not be afraid. For you are in Elysium & are already dead!" Great speech!

This might be one of - if not my favorite - film of all time. The story, characters, costumes, everything was epic and beautiful.

When the We Are Now Free song hits during Maximus' death, tears begin to tickle my cheeks...it happens all the time. This is a fantastic movie and worth of the Oscars® it won.

"Do you think I am afraid?" "I think you've been afraid all your life." Maybe my single favourite exchange between two characters in all cinema.

This death of Commodus is better than the real one because the real death was honestly pitiful he was strangled to death while in a bath house 43:15

The reason he put his hands through the sand before every battle is pretty simple. He's a farmer at home so he probably knows a thing or two about soil, and he has his hands in the dirt a lot. So putting his hands in the sand before a fight is a little physical reminder for home.

Sarah, WERE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED ? Fun Fact: Gladiator 2 is currently in production & will be the story of adult Lucious. This IS one of the iconic films of all time & I loved both of your responses throughout this reaction film. Keep it going you two !!! STRENGTH & HONOR !!!

Just came across your channel due to this film, & you y'all did a great job. A modern epic which has great cinematography, score, production, script & the cast was stellar. Like your commentary, especially after the ending. Both Marcus Aurelius & Proximo were played by some classic actors; Oliver Reed (The Three Musketeers) & Richard Harris (The Wild Geese, A Man Called Horse, The Count of Monte Cristo & Harry Potter). The directors cut brings a lot more to the story. Great question as to whether Maximus would have accepted Caesars offer...I think he mulled it over but chose to serve, especially when he told Cicero they couldn't go home just yet. As for Joaquin Phoenix, he was in "Signs" with Mel Gibson & "Walk the Line" with Reese Witherspoon (earned my respect in this one...just a terrific performance). Think I'll hang around with you guys, check out your content.

The power went to the senate as Marcus Aurelius wanted. That was a huge part of the film and partly why Joaquin killed his father. To retain power

Awesome, entertaining movie, just don't mistake it for being anything close to historically accurate!

That armor was mostly the Lorica Segmentata, and it probably weighed 30 pounds at most, depending on size and the thickness of the metal. The large shield probably weighed another 15 to 20 pounds. The Romans tried to fight in formation such that their shield wall stayed intact. They show that at the beginning of the battle, though the formations typically would have been deeper, meaning 4 or more rows rather than just two. If the formation broke up, the Roman army lost a lot of its advantage. However, the chaos shows plays better on screen than a solid shield wall slowly whittling down the enemy. At this time and for long afterward, most of the deaths happened when one side either broke, most common, or was surrounded, rarely pulled off. Once that side lost cohesion and ran, they were easy pickings for the victor and especially to cavalry. However, it was possible for the "victor" to get suckered in by false retreats or movements mistaken as the enemy fleeing. The victor, being out of position and formation could more easily be hammered themselves.

The actor who played Joffrey Baratheon in Games of Throne say he was inspired by Joaking Phoenix playing Commodus on this movie to make his "Joffrey".

I think for Maximus it became a symbolic gesture to pick a handful of dirt before the battle, but it maybe originated from a habit to eliminate sweat, so sword handle is not slippery.

Coincidentally, Richard Harris who played the old emperor at the beginning is the father of Jared Harris who you saw as Legasov in Chernobyl.

You should check out Stand By Me, a movie featuring Joaquin Phoenix's brother River Phoenix. Richard Harris, who played Marcus Aurelius, is also the father of Jared Harris who was Legasov in Chernobyl. Another great movie featuring Richard Harris is The Count of Monte Cristo.

Loved your reaction!!! 😊❤

“Maybe some backstabbing betrayal…” Well, most of it is frontstabbing. 😂

The fact that Joaquin Phoenix didn't win best supporting actor for this movie is still to this day insane to me.

“It’s all falling apart” That one nearly had me spit out my coffee another great reaction to one of my favourites

Great reaction. To answer your question about the longer director’s cut, imo, this version is definitely better. The longer version doesn’t add enough to justify the extra 20 minutes or so. This version is perfect.

Between this, Joker, and Walk the Line -- I think he is the best Male actor of the last 25 years.

It was such a shame that Oliver Reed was unable to complete this movie. He was a very talented actor. To me It felt like a chance for redemption for him.

Marcus Aurelius was one of the “5 good emperors” and you can even read his book called ‘Meditations’. There were many gladiatorial events in the Colosseum over the course of about 300 years where it is estimated that 1 million men died in the arena. The Colosseum was even occasionally flooded to have mock naval battles.

The Praetorian Guard despising their emperor and turning on him in a moment of weakness is historically accurate.

I have the extended DVD from about 20 years ago. Ridley Scott (director) said in the intro that this is NOT the director's cut, but includes scenes that some might find interesting. Or something like that.

Good job you two! Well done!

Great movie. I have always belived that when my time comes to die, it will be like that.

I loved to see both your reactions to the ending scene....it's so powerful it still gets me going even after watching it innumerable times!

RIP ❤. Richard Harris & Oliver Reed

"i will have my vengeance, in this life or the next" needed to become much louder

I love this - My favorite movie along with Braveheart - Russel Crowe at his finest!

I love this movie and I love your reactions guys you are real you are the best channel for me hands down ❤

You two are lovely! Great reaction. Subscribed!

Good Movie and Great Reaction !!! Thank You Sarah & Eric

You should definitely watch Signs and Walk the Line to see 2 wonderful performances by Joaquin Phoenix. They're great films as well.

The soldiers that go into battle are loyal to Maximus and wasnt the ones that murdered his family or arrested him/tried to execute him. Quintus, his second in command however betrayed Maximus. Since he is the commander of the praetorians (elite military police) he was able to get Maximus arrested and sent more to kill his family. The praetorians do not go into battle with Maximus thus does not bond with him and simply followed their commander's orders.

J Phoenix has some bangers out there. Signs, Her and The Master are some other good films he is in

Hans Zimmer’s score was epic as well as evocative!

Oliver Reed (old dude that owns Max) died during filming - drinking himself to death while beating sailors at arm wrestling (really. Like, really.) To finish his scenes thry used a double...and a robot head. (really) Apparently no one knows what happened to the posthumous Oliver Reed robot head.

"Get one in there before it all goes to sh*t." Well said. I would have too.

Oliver Reed's last film. He was the older gladiator. He actually died during filming. When they were filming on Malta he got into a drinking contest, went back to his hotel and died of a heart attack. Some of his scenes were the first where they did a CGI body double like they did with Star Wars with Gran Moth Tarkin. It was also one of Richard Harris's last films. He was the emperor. Of course this generation knows him for being the original Dumbledore. He was a last of a line of GREAT British actors that came out as a group, Richard Burton, Lawrence Olivia, etc....

Great reaction to a fantastic movie guys big thumbs up

You guys gotta check out The Last Samurai after this.

I wonder if you guys recognized the guy playing Emperor. His name was Sir. Richard Harris also known as Professor Dumbledore. I think this was his second to last movie because he died just after the second Harry Potter movie and that's when they brought in Micheal Gambon to play Dumbledore for the rest of the movies. The gladiatorial games were known as "Bread and Circuses". We have them today they are called professional sports. They were meant to keep the citizens of Rome from protesting or rioting because of the conditions in the city. In one scene you see bread being thrown to crowds in the Colosseum during the games. The guy playing Cisiirro was in the show called Sons of Anarchy his character was named Chibbs.

Sarah the mighty plot sniper, had most turns sighted, but, movie surprised her Several times. Gladiator, The Matrix, then Fight Club, at which point Eric & Sarah (our favorites) will be a big giant review channel and well deserved.

"If this were modern times, they'd have t-shirts, foam fingers." Don't forget the real seller, the Spaniard Lanyard.

Greatest movie of all time!

Fun fact : in ancient Rome they actually made clay "action figures" of famous gladiators as kid toys.

In reality, Marcus Aurelius died at age 58 of "a plague" (some say smallpox) in what is now Venice, Italy. Commodus, his only son, had been named co-emperor with Marcus 2 years prior to Marcus' death, so there was no question of Commodus' ascension to the throne - he was already on it! Commodus was assassinated, after 15 years on the throne, but he was drowned in a Roman bath, not taken out in the Coliseum (though he did occasionally fight there). RE: Maggots - they eat dead flesh, but not living flesh, so they cleanse the wound, and then drop out when there's no remaining dead flesh for them to eat. :)

If you want to see Joaquin Phoenix in a different turn watch "Walk the Line" where he plays Johnny Cash. Then watch the last music video that Johnny Cash did, "Hurt." It would be a nice combo.

What you said about war and people no knowing who was who. Movies are usually pretty historically inaccurate. Armies generally did not just run into one another like that. They moved slower and in formations. This is because of exactly what you were saying. There are some good KZfaq channels that talk about that. "History Buffs" is a good channel. Roel Konijnendijk is a historian that has done some good videos with "Insider" about a historians take on movies and TV.

If I remember right, there is historical evidence that the Emperor gave a hand/thumb signal to determine the outcome of gladiator battles although it's not clear what the exact signal actually was. "With a turn of the thumb" I think was the phrasing in historical records. It's commonly thought it was a thumbs up for life and thumbs down for death but this is based off the modern use of the thumbs up signal rather than any real evidence.

Gladitorial Games initially had a religious connotation. They were funerary games, put on to honor a dead person. I suppose you could see it as the equivalent of the Scandinavian practice of sacrificing slaves upon the death of a chief. It also happened in Egypt and the other great empires of the Near East. At least in the Etruscan/Roman case, the men could fight and perhaps survive long enough to be freed.

You know and actor is brilliant when he can made you hate him with a passion.

I dont trust people who doesnt shed a tear at the end of this movie :P

"If this were today there would be T-shirts, action figures, foam fingers" Figurines of popular gladiators, as well as star competitors in other popular sports like chariot racing, were indeed crafted and marketed back then out of terracotta or bronze. Other available merch included their sweat, bottled and sold as a wearable scent that was believed to increase sexual performance. There were also larger statues, paintings, and they did paid endorsements for unrelated products and services.

Nice one, you two. 🙂

This is probably my second favourite movie. Shawshank Redemption being #1

The extended scenes reveal a little more of why Quintus and the Praetorians didn't give Commodus a sword at the end fight (I won't reveal any more to not spoil them), but there is a history-inspired argument I like as well - a few times in history the Praetorians essentially took over the rulership of the Empire themselves and installed their own leader. This goes to indicate that the loyalty of the Praetorians is sometimes questionable despite there intended purpose as guards of the Emperor. For this movie it could be that their loyalty lies with their commander, Quintus in this case, and not truly with Commodus. I expect it's a similar concept to any modern day military coup.

Jumped to see this as soon as I saw it on my dash.

Tiger look real => it is because they were real ^^ This movie is from 2000 and CGI wasn't as courant as now. So in the movie of this period, they were a lot of practical effect. They have 5 tigers. During the scenes, there was a veterinarian armed with a tranquilizer, just in case. And Richard Harris, the actor who play the Emperor Marc Aurel at the start of the movie is the actor who play Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter movie. He was the father of another actor : Jared Harris... Who play Valery Legassov on the HBO's Chernobyl show!

Proxima end scene was all they could do. In the scripting was to be a long fight with Proxima using his wooden sword. Unfortunately the actor (Oliver Reed) died before the scene was shot.

Even Today the colloseum, in ruins, is still impressive and awesome huge. you get a cramp in the neck standing in front trying to see the top.

Thanks, please watch - Centurion [2010] - it's a unique film set in Roman Britian in 118 AD. It's from the Celts point of view.

Fun fact: during the empire Rome had no laws regulating the imperial succession

His men didn't betray him. A general of his betrayed him to become head of the Praetorian Guard in Rome. The reason the Praetorians took him out into the woods to execute him, was because if the soldiers knew what was happening, they would have slaughtered Commodus and the Praetorians.

Yeah. This movie gets you good at the end. :( don't blame you for crying Sarah!

So while not entirely historically accurate, there was a general who was a farmer before that if I'm not mistaken. This is probably who Maximus is based on, but he himself never existed. Commodus was a real man and ruler, and also fought in the colosseum where games were rigged for him to win. He did good and bad in his life. But like many Caesars he was assassinated eventually. Marcus Aerilius was his father in real life as well, but it's not believed Commodus killed his father. Luciella, is also based on a real person of the same name although obviously she was different in real life too as she had no connection to any Maximus in real life

First

Maximus takes a handful of soil before each battle, because apart from the general, he is also a farmer, so he likes to remember his humble origins, he likes to be interested in the land he has under his feet and to which he could return, he likes to remember his life of yesteryear, before he became general. It is not based on real history, it is fictionnal movie. But the Emperor Marc Aurel is a real emperor, and a great philosopher. And his son Commodus, became emperor, and a tyran. True story, but all the rest is fictionnal. And Lucilla was executed by his brother, Commodus, after she plot against him (he was a Tyran). So some Historical characters, but rearranged fictionnal story!

50:28 It is in no way a better version, frankly this one was molded and edited more in line with the best intentions for the film. I wouldn't watch the other one, trust me what was cut was well cut and what was reworked was correctly done so. This version is no one, no question in my mind at all. Great reaction! :) Was good times re-watching with you :))

The Senate, perhaps teamed with Commodus' sister Lucilla, will lead Rome until Lucius comes of age. But eventually, the Senate and the People are supposed to become the true leaders of the Roman Empire. Nice reaction video, S&E! Thank you!

The Tigers were real which makes it even better