| Worth seeing: | for the scheming of Denzel Washington's ex-slave as he uses the loyalty of others to plot his way to the top of the empire. |
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
| Featuring: | Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn, Matt Lucas, Pedro Pascal, Tim McInnerny |
| Length: | 148 minutes |
| Certificate: | 15 |
| Country: | UK, US |
| Released: | 15th November 2024 |
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When the Roman army, under Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), conquers the North African province of Numidia, one of its military leaders Lucius (Paul Mescal) is taken captive.
While General Acacius is hailed a hero, Lucius becomes a slave. But when a power-hungry schemer, Macrinus (Denzel Washington), is shown that Lucius can fight, he buys him to add to his stable of gladiators.
As his fighters entertain the twin-emperors, Macrinus gains influence at the highest level of the empire.
But as Macrinus plans to use the talents of Lucius to bring him closer to the ultimate power, Lucius has other plans.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
This sequel has been a long-time coming and without Sir Ridley Scott himself at the helm, it might not have been taken at all seriously. But nearly a quarter of a century after Russell Crowe won the Oscar for his iconic depiction of the eponymous Maximus Decimus Meridius, the veteran director is back at the helm, following the next generation of emperors, gladiators and conspirators, vying for survival – and power.
The original film, 24 years ago, was itself ground-breaking with its visual effects, which almost detracts from a similarly impressive job in the follow-up; historically, I’m not sure whether rabid monkeys were really set loose on gladiators, whether sharks were sent into the flooded Colosseum or whether gladiators rode rhinos into battle – I don’t really care, because it all makes for blockbusting spectacle.
There is an intricately woven complexity to the narrative as loyalties ebb and flow and true motivations change from moment to moment.
A handful of characters hang over from the earlier film, but we are mostly following a new generation of heroes and villains. The twin emperors – while ruthless – have a sense of the Monty Python to them – and Tim McInnerny’s sleazy nobleman isn’t far from the characters he used to inhabit in Blackadder – but Denzel Washington’s scheming Macrinus is always fascinating as he dominates every scene in which he appears.
But all eyes are on the eponymous Gladiator to see whether Paul Mescal can fill Russell Crowe’s twenty four year old sandals; despite his best efforts, he neither has the gravitas nor the charm of his predecessor, as he follows a similar journey – from general to slave to gladiator and back.
His journey isn’t always convincing and there is never any doubt over whether he will succeed – but with Sir Ridley’s firm hand on the wheel, it was always going to be an entertaining ride.