Over the course of the action scenes, Russell Crowe lost all feeling in his right forefinger for two years afterwards. He also aggravated his achilles, broke his foot, cracked his hip, and popped some bicep tendons out of their sockets. But even so, he won an Academy Award for best actor. An absolute LEGEND

One of the most iconic villains ever. Great performances from both leads.

It's not a movie, it's an all-time masterpiece of cinematography. This is a masterpiece for another 100th generation will be watched. It is a pity that they don't shoot more of these

No joke, when I left the theater, I wiped rears from my eyes. I'm a big, gruff looking dude. Two college age girls were in the line for the next showing, and one says, "was he crying? WAS HE CRYING? I can't go in there!" I'm not ashamed to say, yes, I cried. That ending was beautiful.

God, Joaquin Phoenix is just so good in this movie. Also you may have recognized the late Richard Harris (Marc Aurel, the emperor) as Professor Dumbledore in HP 1+2 (RIP).

Too bad you didn't include the "Am I not merciful" scene. I love that part

It wasn't that Lucilla knew Maximus' family was going to killed, she found out after the decision had already been made and the soldiers had been sent to carry out the order--not that she could have done anything to stop it if she had known before hand.

Gladiator is a diamond movie. Just like the last samurai.

No matter how many times I watch this movie or watch someone else react to it. I always get emotional at the end… Maximus is the epitome of what we ALL should try to be like in life. Among the Top 10 greatest movies of all times. No question.

I love how, at the end, his image of the afterlife is the road leading downhill through the wheat fields toward his farm, with his wife and son waiting for him to come home.

man im still a 36 year old man and i still bawl my eyes out at the end even after so many viewings of this movie. Still my favorite ever since it came out.

I’ve only subscribed to a few reaction channels since it’s such an over saturated type of content but after watching your reaction to LOTR and HP, as well as this film I decided to sub. You seem to be genuinely invested in the films you watch and you show a lot of compassion. I whole heartedly appreciate that. Looking forward to future reactions.

My all-time favorite; the movie that made me want to become a filmmaker, the reason I moved to LA almost a decade ago, the reason I still write screenplays back on the East coast. Let's Go Stef 💪. Got my snacks and drink ready.

That was Joaquin Phoenix aka "The Joker" portraying Commodus! It was a thankless role but he threw himself into the role and was an excellent villain! He made you hate him! That is the sign of an exceptional actor,not taking the part of the beloved hero, but chewing up the scenery with hatred and vengeance!

Several of the characters you see in this movie were real historical figures. Marcus Aurelius was considered the last of the "Good Emperors" of Rome. Commodus was his son but while he did not murder his father he was such a bad emperor that he, himself, was murdered by members of his household and the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard, ironically, existed to protect the emperor and Commodus was also not the first to be killed by them.

Two things get me everytime. His reveal to the emporer w/ preceding battle and of course the ending. Spectacular movie.

Stef needs her patrons to vote her to see 1) The Green Mile and 2) The Shawshank Redemption

Walked out of the theater having seen this for the first time back in 2000 when it was released, and was thankful that I wasn't the only MAN who was choked up by that ending. Then I saw the movie again in the theater about a week later, and I hardly EVER see a movie more than once in the theaters.

Another great reaction Stef! So glad I found your channel, and can't wait to see what you bring us next! ☺️

Steph! Its fun to see you do these watchalongs and reactions, especially to classics like Gladiator. Just keep being yourself, glad youre posting!

Your doing great girl. . Don't be ashamed for crying. I can tell how empathic you are . By how quick you can feel how they feel. .. embrace it. Your fans don't hate you. Or enjoy making you cry.. we enjoy seeing your feelings to remind us of our own feelings..

Reaction doesn't just mean asking questions.

My favorite movie of all time. The music, the story, the acting. Everything about this movie is perfect and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes. And this movie was made 23 years ago…that shows how strong this move was and is.

Stef! I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate you on your decision to have your Patreon members suggest movies for you to watch. There were so many incredible Hollywood movies made between 1980 - 2010 that many in your generation have not yet seen, and I assure your members will do you right. Your reaction made me subscribe immediately.

Outstanding RV! Genuine emotions, insightful comments and my favorite allowing us to enjoy the movie all over again through you. Thank you.

This was one of the first movies 🍿 I was able to watch in a cinema, as I was just coming of age. What an experience

This is very powerful movie. One of the greatest EVER made. It's not even close to 100% historically accurate. However... It does give a pretty accurate portrayal into tactics of Roman Legions in battle at the time and how brutal the warfare was. Also the plotting to kill the Emporer. The games in the Colloseum... the corruption of Rome and Senate... All pretty realistic if not historically accurate portrayels. One of the main things that isn't accurate in the films is Gladiators rarely killed or died in the arena. It was known to happen but they often survived their battle and were treated more like Sports Celebrities at the time. Still with the violence of the games in the arena sometimes Gladiators did die in gruesome ways. Wonderful and inspiring movie.

Great reaction to a great movie. BTW, Richard Harris played Emperor Marcus Aurelius who also played Dumbledore in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. What a great actor. Aloha

Glad you’re watching Gladiator, it’s one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, I think I would at some point love for you to watch TV shows such as (like): Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones (even with the divisive ending), and Stranger Things

love seeing people's reaction to this movie. they are all the same with despising J.Phoenix's character in this movie which just shows how amazing he was

Stef you should have studied harder in History class

Watching these movies you see just how good movies used to be. They are such gems from a time gone by. I’m Super happy to see you enjoy this. Seeing you tear up I smiled and cried along. When a story touches you it’s a great one.

Amazing reaction. You are incredible. Your level of empathy is huge. I was crying each time you were crying... and also, your face is beautiful :)

The Princess loved Maximus more than any in life, save her son. Which is inferred might belong to Maximus. For her to release him to go to his family was a grand gesture, that had to be killing her. She realized she must release him to honor him.

I've seen this movie so many, many times, but that doesn't stop the tears at the end!

As someone with a bit of an obsession with Ancient Rome, it is amazing to me how little she seems to know about it. Most of the things she's confused about were definitely taught in schools so it's not like you have to do extra research to learn it.

19:35 Gladiator matches were a business. Like boxing and UFC fighting, except with weapons and death. Proximo is merely being a businessman.

Some actual historical facts: In the year 177 CE, at the age of 16, (ruling jointly with his father until Marcus Aurelius' death in 180 CE) Commodus became the youngest Emperor and consul of Rome to rule at that time in history. During his time as Emperor the Roman Empire enjoyed reduced military conflict and peace compared with the reign of his father, and he was initially well liked by the people of Rome. However, later intrigues and conspiracies led him to adopt an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership, culminating in his creating a deific personality cult, which included his actually performing as a gladiator in the Colosseum (that element of the movie is based on fact). However, the movie was fiction, there was no General named Maximus at that time, and Commodus didn't die in gladiatorial combat, but rather by assassination.

"And thank you for picking this as the first film from Patreon. You guys are not going easy on me -- I'll keep that in mind." Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture< Actor, Costume Design, Visual Effects, and Sound (and nominated for 7 more). They offered you the best of the best. What more could you ask for?! 😁

First reaction I've seen of yours. Loved it! Love Gladiator so much. Thank you for sharing!

If you want to cry, the #1 guaranteed movie to make you cry is "The Green Mile".

Rubbing dirt on your hands before a fight might be for luck, but I'd like to think it's like using chalk to improve your grip. 😊 I still love this movie after all these years. This was also the moment I became a fan of Hans Zimmer as a composer, his score is epic!

Stumbled across your channel due to this epic film & I say you did it justice. Russell Crowe was outstanding as was Joaquin Phoenix (who was so good that I think I despise Commodus more than any other character ever). Excellent cinematography, set design & score make this in my top 20 movies. If I may suggest an equally fine film by Crowe, watch “Master and Commander”. It’s a period piece that historians note that it is one of the most accurate depictions of naval warfare ever. Think I’ll stick around & see what you’re watching; maybe some classic films will come up…?

18:07 "I have seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light !"

All of our hearts break that so much good was gone from the world. Always hardest on those left behind when those we love and respect go to their reward. Good react!

This movie is one of those classics. When I was living in my apartment years and years ago I didn’t have cable I just watched this DVD every single day for like a year. This movie has my heart

The grandfather of this movie is the 1959 film "BEN HUR". You should give it a look.

Rubbing soil in hands is his "pre-game" ritual. Now days most athletes and performers have some kind of ritual to calm down and focus.

So after discovering your channel from your Good Will Hunting reaction tonight, I decided to see if you did a Gladiator reaction as this is my favorite movie of all time. Very glad I did. Love how genuine you are in both reactions. I look forward to digging deeper into your catalogue.

Over the years I've watched this movie tenfold times. I always cried. In recent years I've watched probably a dozen or more reactions. I always cry.

Stef thank you so much for reacting to this movie. Last comment I promise! Haha. It really is a graphic and gruesome movie but in the end it is one of the most inspirational and touching movies ever made. Thank you so much for your emotional reaction to it.

This is my all time #1 Film, i love this movie and Russel did such a job displaying emotion in his role. Happy you watched this :D The music in this is legendary and makes the emotion come through like nothing else, only thing comparable would be LOTR

You don't seem to grasp, Gladiatorial events were spectator sports. They wanted entertainment, not fairness, which is why sometimes they were chained in pairs, or against people on chariots. Famous battles were re-enacted, as well as mythical ones with the gladiators dressing up as various characters. There was basically a circuit of town with their own arenas. The Colosseum in Rome could be flooded and battles fought using boats. Picture NBL or NFL with knives.

The best part is Setf realizing how deranged Commodus is such a great villain.

Gets on my nerves the way everyone harps on about JP because he’s the in thing now, but Crowe carries the film; well deserved oscar.

I've never seen someone so confused not watching a mystery movie lol

I've allways imagined what the numidians journey back to his home was like.

Others have said it, but since I only discovered Stef in the last couple of weeks and only saw this reaction today, let me add my voice to it: This is the movie that men cry at. It portrays the masculine ideal, Maximus, the man men wish they could be. Not just strong, powerful, able to win in a fight, but also to be stoic, loving, inclusive, compassionate and gentle. Some commenters have already forgotten the second part. He is the man we aspire to be. Commodus, on the other hand, is the man we recognise in ourselves. Not necessarily stupid, not unskilled, but not a man that is admired by the populace at large nor his contemporaries, and thus has retreated into weakness. And a weak man with power is a supremely dangerous thing (as history relates). The incest angle is an annoying shortcut (even if historically true Ridley Scott has shown that facts dont get in the way of the story he wants to tell), and even if the scenes with his sister and her son are some of the best. As ever with this type of film the villain has more fun than the hero, and in many ways Phoenix is what makes this stand out, gives it a modicum of complexity. Otherwise it's a meat and two veg story of vengeance. But Scott and his DP film it brilliantly, the score is amazing, and Crowe as rugged as required. And then he finds his way to the wheat fields and we cry. And we are not ashamed.

Great reaction as always! This is in my top 10 or top 2 movies of all time depending on my mood lol

26:45 - The crowd chanting "live! live! live!", forcing the Emperor to give the thumbs-up and let Maximus live, is a perfect microcosm of the predicament that Commodus faces: he wants to dissolve the senate (who represents the voice of the people, albeit corruptly) and claim all power for himself. But in the arena, it is *precisely* the voice of the people that reigns supreme, and if Commodus were to demand Maximus' death while the crowd calls for him to live, Commodus would quickly become an unloved and unwelcome emperor.

The arena they fought in is the famous ROMAN COLISEUM which still stands today and this is were the early Christians were fed to the Lions as entertainment

On a historical note, commidus was a co-emperor with his father for a few years before Marcus Arelius died. But Commidus was a butthole. He would fight in the arena and rig his own gladiator battles. He was assassinated some time into his rule

Commodus is so terrifying in this movie because he feels so real, I think. He feels like a real person, who is paranoid, sometimes for good reason, is immensely emotionally and psychologically damaged and completely unable to control his emotions, but is a real person. You can feel and understand his pain and would even maybe sympathize with him, until, of course, you see the way in which he handles that pain and the vile monster that he is. A character with so much depth and complexity, again, like a real person. Regarding Lucilla, Commodus’ sister, I agree that she could have made some different decisions at times, but, of course, we have to always remember what she was facing on a daily basis. The reality was that the only thing ensuring that her son was alive was that Commodus knew that she would just commit suicide if he ever had Lucius killed. So, even after Commodus basically catches her conspiring against him, he still wouldn’t have her or her son killed due to his love for his sister, his loneliness and his infatuation with her. But, she also knows that he could just snap at any moment and have Lucius put to death. Think of it like this. If you are her and you have an eight year old son whom you love with all of your heart and are caught in this situation, how do you try to handle it? This is going to sound incredibly blunt, but she knows that at any moment Commodus could literally have her son burned alive at the stake. He has done to it to others, including children, before. She was trying to find a way to get her brother out of power while living in terror every single day that if Commodus snaps, that could happen at any time. Terrifying situation to be in.

i might name my future son maximus after watching this movie lol the soundtrack of this movie "now we are free" really is beautiful, hans zimmer is an absolute legend

5 Academy Award winner. Is one of the greatest films of all time. The famous phrase at the beginning "at my signal, unleash hell" was invented by our dubbing director here in Italy, who later Ridley Scott liked so much that he inserted it by changing the original phrase of the film.

I’m new to your channel and I subbed because of your reaction to this incredible movie. I really look forward to more of your content!

Life was hard back then. You were lucky if you lived to 30. This was their form of entertainment. Probably similar to how we would go to the movie theater. He was captured by slavers and sold to the fighting pits.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time, loved it from beginning to the end. Loved the Reaction. Look forward to the next one

One of the best films ever made and there is a scene at the end that I felt was huge that maybe you noticed but didn't mention. One of the major themes of the film is that you can have all of the power in the world, but how you wield it is important. Commodus took the power of Caesar, but was immoral and selfish and wanted to attain adoration in all the wrong ways. Maximus rose in the military in large part because of who he was and the respect shown to him because he was such an honorable man. That respect gave him power over even Caesar. Maximus is laying dead in the colosseum and Lucilla says "he was a soldier of Rome, honor him" he ends up carried out while the Caesar's dead body is left neglected on the ground. It was a huge finish to maybe the most important theme in the film. I just wanted to share my thoughts in case that was a detail you missed

Our film hero is a simple farmer by heart represented by several smaller scenes throughout the movie - testing the soil, touching the wheat..

Just found you and really enjoyed watching this with you. It's also cool to see you have a tender heart , very rare these days. Look forward to watching more .

The lack of knowledge of some history (no disrespect) is kind of rewarding, to know that you're learning some snippets of it. Hopefully it doesnt get forgotten quickly

Oh, girl.... this is History. If I were you: If I didn't know...do not ask so many questions. Just watch. Look and learn. Then comment on something you do know. Would be way more enjoyable for the viewer. Promise. On the bright side, the selection for this reaction was an excellent one. Good luck going forward with this channel. Mean it.

This movie will always have a special place in my memory. It was the second R-rated film I ever saw (Braveheart was the first) and the first I didn't watch with my parents. My high school senior class watched it at a classmate's house at a new year's party just after it was released to home video.

The Breakfast Club + The Lost Boys are highly recommended for a react. You will love both movies :P

Hey Stef, I don't know for sure, but when you asked why Commodus looked sleep deprived in the scene when he saw Maximus for the first time in after he was ordered to be executed, I think his sister Lucilla was, over time, drugging him. You see it in one of the scenes when she gave him a 'tonic' and he drank it.

42:24 There are many similar things said by war veterans up to this day through all history. The only real "fearless" soldier would be one that completely lost his mind. The courageous soldiers carried the underlying fear of death through all the battles they fought. What made them brave was being able to not succumb to it.

Well you can't be pretty and intelligent at the same time. Can't have everything in life. Bless your little heart tho.

Great film. Phoenix is a fantastic villain - really makes you hate him from the start. Commodus was a real Roman emperor and a terrible one by all accounts. Mad, cruel and sadistic. In reality actually much worse than he was depicted in this film. And he really did fight as a gladiator, though like in the film he cheated a lot. Also like the film, his sister really did try to have him assassinated. The attempt failed though and he exiled her before having her killed. Eventually another assassination attempt was successful, by his own personal guard no less. The praetorians (Quintus and his men in the film) were the elite guard of the Emperor. Crazy then that no less than 13 emperors were assassinated by their own praetorian guard!

Your quote is as obvious as true: courage is to be able to do despite fear, not to be crushed by it, a person who doesn't feel fear (assuming it exists), has some (serious) mental disorder. Saying that, I'm here casually, nice reaction. 🍺

Ridley Scott makes all great movies! His first two sci-fi movies set the standard for all sci-fi afterwards, except for John Carpenter's, The Thing! But Ridley did alien in 79 and Bladerunner in 81 or 82, and still nothing compares! And his movies are all special and practical effects, no CGI! So much better than CGI! Oliver Reed is his teacher. He's old school Hollywood. He died before the film was finished, so some of his duologue and time in film, is actually CGI!😮😮😮 The giant German guy is Rolf Mueller. And 80s era pro bodybuilder, after Arnold's time. He was very good, ! The undefeated gladiator is Sven Ol Thorsen. He's been in Hollywood for over forty years! His first movie was with Arnold, in Conan the Barbarian. And to this day, he's never learned a sentence of English...he just repeats lines that are given to him!😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 The original king is Richard Harris. Also Old School Hollywood royalty! His greatest movie is sixty years old, A Man Called Horse!!!

All Roman emperors were called Caesar, in case you were wondering. Originally by adoption but quickly by convention.

Stef Solari - Great reaction video! Thank you. You have a new subscriber 🙂

If you have not seen it, you MUST see "Shadowlands" (Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger. I showed it to a college class I was teaching, and the ending was so powerful that one of my students immediately cried out, "Dr. Jones, don't ever do this to us again."

Her "why is he so strange " is hilarious he loves his sister just not in a way sibling's love each other. He's a disturbed character.

Hi. You are phenomenal as always. Thank you for taking the time for us 🩷💯

A hero is only as good as his antithesis. Russel Crowe personifies everything you aspire to be as a man. Brave, honest, loyal, moral, strong, a loving husband and father, honorable, resilient, true, etc, etc. No matter the hardships. The leadership part is not something I aspire to, but I sure admire, it because it tells me the strength of his character, which is another quality you hope to have. BUT, all this works so well because Joaquin Phoenix lived in the shell of a coward, conniving, disloyal, lying, weak, hated, momma's boy. He, as always, delivered magnificently in his role. It's always harder to play the bad guy. Not everyone can do it. One of my all-time favorite movies, because of the period as well.

I was going to say that watching this was like watching a baby deer try to learn how to walk... but it is more like watching a baby deer try to comprehend this movie

Great reaction Stef! A really good movie. By the way, did you know that the old Emperor Marcus Aurelius (who got killed by his son) was played by the actor that was Dumbledore for the first couple HP movies??? I didn't think you noticed. ;-)

Fun fact.. Ridley Scott is currently making the sequel. It will take place decades later and revolve around Lucius (Commodus' nephew)

Maximus rubs dirt on his hands, and then smells it, because he is first and foremost a farmer. He comes from the earth, and breathes deeply of it to ground himself.

This is my favorite movie. If you don’t cry there’s something wrong with you. It’s beautifully written. Glad you enjoyed it. I cry every time

25:31 it’s the colosseum, i’ve been there (the ruins of it) it’s absolutely amazing.

First of all amazing reaction to one of my favourite films of all time!! Also, the old man emperor at the start of the film depicts Marcus Aurelius, who was a real life emperor. His writings were turned into a literature called "Meditations" which is considered one of the key teachings in the philosophy of Stoicism. The film Gladiator, and many characters including Maximus seem to revolve around the ideas of stoic living. There is a video called "Stoicism in Gladiator" which explains this well!

19:33 yes he wants people coming back to watch the fighting and 💀, people pay him to see his gladiators/slave fight and 💀 each other . that's how it went , very brutal . 27:05 He murdered his own father, i think deep down it's getting to him despite being a psycho . ps: great reaction thank you so much ❤🙏

Another fantastic reaction!!! One of the best movies ever made!!! Braveheart is another suggestion. Keep up the great work!

Before the final fight, Maximus says, "I knew a man who once said, Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."

I remember watching this on the 1st Saturday of this movies release. I saw it twice that Saturday. Such a fantastic movie

@stefsolari Ive seen this movie 6+ times. Dont remember If I ever cried watching it. If I have I dont think I cried as much watching this movie while you wathced it. And! You held back on some scenes I could tell you were holding back showing emotion in some of the parts. Top movies of all time.

you mention the purple clothes of the emperor at the beginning of the movie. In ancient times purple was often the color of royalty. this is because back then purple was by far the hardest colored dye to get so things like purple clothes were very expensive. of course the royalty in ancient civilizations were interested in flaunting their wealth and one way to do that was wearing purple.