“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
What Ridley Scott does often echoes quite nicely at the box office. In 2000 Ridley Scott released Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as the Roman Legion turned gladiator that ended in a fight to return Rome to the Senate and its citizens. Maximus fought gallantly and fell just short of his goal. But the story that the film wove was truly a masterpiece and stands as one of my top 10 films of all time, up there with Unforgiven and the first two Godfather films. I’ve often said in these pages that expectations kill, and I was well prepared for that to be the result when I sat down to the press screening for Gladiator II. Scott himself calls this the best film he’s ever made. That’s a big boast coming from the guy who brought us Alien, Blade Runner, and, of course, the original Gladiator. I disagree. While I found Gladiator II to be an impressive film from every perspective, it didn’t quite make me feel the way I did when I left the theater for the first time after seeing Gladiator. But take heart. It’s a damn good movie, and it’s a can’t-miss for any true film fans out there in the arena. The question is pretty simple. Are we not entertained? The answer is, “oh yeah”.
The story is very much the same when you boil it down to its basic plot. Paul Mescal plays the now grown Lucius. If you haven’t seen the first film, you really need to catch up there before you even continue here. The knowledge base of that first film will multiply your enjoyment of this one. So if you are one of the seven or eight people in America to have missed Gladiator, do not pass Go; do not collect $200; go rent, stream, buy, or steal a copy of the first film. OK, maybe you shouldn’t actually steal one. Perhaps “borrow” would be better advice.
Lucius has found himself a home in Africa with a wife Arishat, played by Yuval Gonen. They are a close couple, but also fellow warriors. They both stand to defend their home from a naval attack by the Romans. Of course, the Roman legion are too much for them, and Arishat is killed in battle. Lucius is taken prisoner, and like his father before him, he is sold to the arena as a gladiator. He has taken a different name, so no one really knows who he is at first. No spoiler here, because the actor is listed by that character name in the credits. It’s a secret, but I guess we’re allowed to be in on it from the start. He bears more than a small resemblance to his father both in appearance and leadership qualities. Like Maximus before him, he leads his fellow gladiators into the arena and manages to beat the odds, keeping his brothers alive. Like Maximus, he is offered eventual freedom from his new master Macrinus, played wonderfully by Denzel Washington. But he wants one thing more. He wants the head of General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal. That’s the guy who killed his wife. But there is much going on here that Lucius doesn’t know or understand. Fortunately, we get invited to all of the plotting and scheming.
Macrinus has his sights on the throne of Rome, currently being held by the brutal twin emperors Geta (Quinn) and Caracalla (Hechinger). He manipulates his way into their trust by exposing a plot to overthrow them and deliver the dream not achieved in the first film. That gives us the return of two of the cast members and characters from the first film. Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla, Lucius’s mother and daughter to Marcus Aurelius, who first had this dream for Rome. She is still plotting with old Senator Gracchus, still played by Derek Jacobi. They have a new ace in the hole. The latest hero of Rome is none other than General Acasius himself, now the husband to Lucilla. He has 5000 troops waiting for the signal to enter Rome, arrest the tyrants, and return power to the people, making Rome a true Republic once again. Unfortunately, Macrinus has his network of snitches and those in debt to him because of their gambling losses, in no small credit to Lucius himself who is tearing it up at the games. You can see where this is headed. Lucius doesn’t know that the man he wants dead is Rome’s best chance to become what he wants it to become.
The plotting is quite intricate, and Scott weaves an intriguing story throughout. The spectacle is on par with what once took place inside the great Coliseum of Rome 2000 years ago. When asked if he had any regrets filming the first movie, Scott told us he wished he could have depicted the great naval battles that were also reenacted in the coliseum. They were capable of flooding it and sailing ships into the arena. This time he got his wish, and it provides one of the best moments in the film. It’s complete with sharks and ramming Roman ships. Scott finally delivered, and I suspected we’d get that as soon as I heard there would finally be another film.
Enough can’t be said of Denzel Washington. We already knew he was good, but this is his best performance hands down. Washington delivers so many layers to this character, and he delivers it in an over-the-top flamboyance that due to his skill never really feels over-the-top. Right now he tops my list for acting awards this year. Relative newcomer Paul Mescal is good in the part, but one area the film is inferior to its original is that we don’t really get to watch that leadership and brotherhood develop. It’s kind of just there. The plot’s more intricate, and I guess there just wasn’t time to build that character and his charisma. He doesn’t have what Crowe had. He’s not the lead of this film like Maximus was in the first. That mantle falls to Washington this time. He does share rather nice chemistry with the gladiator-turned-doctor Ravi, played quite nicely by Alexander Karim. It’s the best character moments for Mescal, and Karim has a lot to do with that. The relationship is both compelling and character building. It’s just not enough to match what we had before.
And there lies the greatest distinction between the films. Both carry the title Gladiator, but in this film the gladiator is a secondary character. They do some nice homage to Maximus, and his memory serves as motivation and inspiration for many of the characters in the film. Scott did a fine job of making sure that legacy remained a part of the film’s emotional center.
It’s a very good film, and I think it will do well. The f/x are truly amazing, and Scott has once again brought ancient Rome to life and immersed us in this world. The long-awaited confrontation between Mescal and Washington is a bit disappointing when you consider the buildup. I also thought the film could have been trimmed. It reminds me of The Return Of The King in that it appears to be heading for that resolution, but wait … there’s more. I think Scott did a great job, and I do expect it do end here. You could say it’s “double or quits”.
