‘I’ ON CULTURE
Let’s make it simple. Ridley Scott’s long delayed sequel, Gladiator II, is the best film I have seen all year. Of course, I should note that it has not been a very good year for movies. But this new film, taking place 16 years after the end of the first one, is filled with some great battle scenes, spectacles and plot to keep the audience interested. Good acting also helped.
The young boy from the first film, the son of the heroes, Lucius Aurelius (Paul Mescal), lives in the African city of Numidia, hiding from Rome and using the name “Hanno.” The Roman army under Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) conquers the city, enslaving Lucius and killing his wife. Outside of Rome, the slaves are used to fight feral baboons (a really great scene), and Lucius impresses gladiator stable owner Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who makes him a gladiator. After all, as Macrinus puts it, “You can either fight or die.” But he promises Lucius a chance to kill Acacius if he does well.
Acacius is a Roman war hero and twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) honor him and force him to stay in Rome along with his wife Lucilla (Connie Nielson), who is the widow of Maximus. At a party, Lucius has to fight for his life and wins, and then recites Virgil’s poetry, revealing a Roman education. He is sent to the Coliseum, where he fights like his father and Lucilla recognizes him.
However, he rebuffs her attempts to forge a relationship because he feels she abandoned him, but she knows she did it to protect him when his father was falsely accused. And from there, the maneuvering really begins.
One of the best things about the film is that it moves back and forth from family drama to battles to political maneuvering so easily. Director Scott never lets up. Somehow events seem to accelerate as the film keeps going, so you’re involved the whole way. Between a battle against a charging rhino and a naval battle inside the Coliseum, the film keeps going. I should mention that the sets are spectacular. I know they didn’t use the real Coliseum, but it certainly feels that way.
The acting is what really held me. Mescal is a very good hero. His anger and confusion gradually ebb away as the script depicts, making him a very real hero. Pascal is particularly good. Although leader of the enemy armies, he is clearly a man who wants to do good, who wants to get away from the corruption, weary of all the games. Nielson, who was in the first movie as the young mother, is still beautiful, now as older and torn between duty and her love for both her son and her husband. Quinn and Hechinger are more like the clowns from Dumb and Dumber than our normal leaders, wildly over the top disturbed, but do provide a measure of fun. Alexander Karim in the relatively small role of Ravi, a former slave who has become doctor to the gladiators, makes a very strong impression; in some ways, the most decent person in the film.
But Denzel Washington steals every scene he is in. As a former slave, maneuvering for more power and willing to do anything to get to the top, he seems to be having the time of his life. He plays almost everyone for fools as he attempts to find his rightful place… at the top of the heap.
As a history person, I do have a couple of quibbles. Yes, there were naval battles in the Coliseum as water was pumped in, but unlike the film, there were almost certainly no sharks. Rome is about 15 miles from salt water, and I greatly doubt they could really have brought a large number of sharks in. But it looks great in the movie. And I know this is petty, but thumbs down did not mean death, it meant put your weapons down. Thumbs up meant continue and kill. But that is a minor point.
The film is good fun and not actually awful history. Most people know almost nothing about Rome at the end of the second century, so this little bit is useful. At any rate, it is a sprawling, fun, spectacular film that is worth the price of admission. There are very few of these any more.
I had a great time. If you like this type of film, you will probably enjoy yourself as well.