Gladiator, unlike many films that pit men against men in individual combat, is entertaining to watch because it has, what Aristotle was one of the first to call, spectacle. Spectacle is grandeur, a large story set on a worldly stage, with dazzling scenery, and breathtaking moments. Gladiator has all of these things, and through special effects, it shows us what Imperial Rome may have looked like. The Coliseum is, well, spectacular. When the script says it seated 50,000 blood-lusting locals, the moving pictures in front of you prove it. You believe that Russell Crowe and company are doing battle in the best arena in the world. So, from an architectural standpoint, this movie is a great travelogue. Moreover, the scenes depicting gladiators fighting each other to the death are well done. But where it leaves me feeling vacant is in the arena of individual motivation. A martial artist must ask himself: When is it right to fight? When you have right, and might, youre invincible. Might alone, without the proper motivation, can let you down and you can fall to someone less physically impressive, who is fueled by virtue. Why does Russell Crowes Gladiator fight? Largely, it boils down to a single word: Revenge. He lost his family and his promotion to the throne because of one mans avarice and cruelty, and he wants payback. Revenge is a great theme in the movies, but is it something around which you should construct a life? Who is the stronger martial artist: One who can overcome loss, or one who must avenge it, at the price of his own life? I leave it to you to consider this and other questions raised by this film. In the meantime, its definitely worth your attention, and its entertaining, especially if you forget that pesky fact that youre a martial artist, and it is your job to align right with might. |
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