Cast

 Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius: A Hispano-Roman legatus forced into becoming a slave
who seeks revenge against Commodus. He has earned the favor of Marcus Aurelius, and the love and
admiration of Lucilla prior to the events of the film. After the murder of his family he vows vengeance.
 Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus: The amoral, power-hungry, embittered son of Marcus Aurelius. He
murders his father when he learns that Maximus will hold the emperor's powers in trust until a new republic
can be formed.
 Connie Nielsen as Lucilla: Maximus's former lover and the older child of Marcus Aurelius. Lucilla has been
recently widowed. She resists her brother's incestuous advances, while protecting her son, Lucius, from her
brother's corruption and wrath.
 Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus: A member of the Roman Senate who opposes Commodus's rule and an
ally of Lucilla and Maximus. In the original film script, Gracchus was supposed to die.
 Djimon Hounsou as Juba: A Numidian tribesman who was taken from his home and family by slave traders.
He becomes Maximus's closest ally and friend and inspires Maximus to bring down Commodus for the
greater good before he joins his family in the afterlife.
 Spencer Treat Clark as Lucius Verus: The young son of Lucilla. He is named after his father Lucius Verus.
He is also the grandson of Marcus Aurelius. He idolizes Maximus for his victories in the arena.

Gladiator was based on an original pitch by David Franzoni, who wrote the first draft. Franzoni was inspired by
Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 novel Those About to Die, and he chose to base his story on Commodus after reading the
ancient Roman Historia Augusta.

In preparation for filming, Scott spent several months developing storyboards to develop the framework of the plot.
Over six weeks, production members scouted various locations within the extent of the Roman Empire before its
collapse, including Italy, France, North Africa, and England. All the film's props, sets, and costumes were
manufactured by crew members due to high costs and unavailability of the items.

The film was shot in three main locations between January and May 1999. The opening battle scenes in the forests of
Germania were shot in three weeks in the Bourne Woods in England. Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson
used multiple cameras filming at various frame rates and a 45-degree shutter, creating stop motion effects in the
action sequences. Subsequently, the scenes of slavery, desert travel, and gladiatorial training school were shot in
Ouarzazate, Morocco. To construct the arena where Maximus has his first fights, the crew used basic materials and
local building techniques to manufacture the 30,000-seat mud brick arena. Finally, the scenes of Ancient Rome were
shot over a period of nineteen weeks in Fort Ricasoli, Malta.

In Malta, a replica of about one-third of Rome's Colosseum was built from plaster and plywood. The replica took
several months to build and cost an estimated $1 million. The reverse side of the complex supplied a rich assortment
of Ancient Roman street furniture, colonnades, gates, statuary, and marketplaces for other filming requirements. The
rest of the Colosseum was created in computer-generated imagery.
Plot

At the center of the film narrative is the fate of the Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. He fights valiantly
against the barbarians in Germany, the elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his daughter sympathize with him.
Anticipating his demise, the emperor wants to cede power to the general, bypassing his own son. And so, the main
thing is to restore the senate republic in Rome, the ideal of the state.

However, this plan is not destined to come true. Aurelius' son Commodus strangles his father in his arms and
becomes the ruler of Rome.

The only one who dared to oppose was the general, for which he paid with his freedom and the life of his family.
Maximus Decimus makes a successful career as a gladiator and gets to fight in Rome. Having shown courage and
bravery in the arena of the Colosseum, he becomes an idol of the public.

Glory helps him regain his freedom and oppose the emperor. Now a part of the Senate and the imperial daughter of
Lucius pin their hopes on him, who saw the tyrant brother as a threat to her son's life. The goal of the conspirators is
to overthrow Commodus and establish a republic.

During the action, the Colosseum turns into the headquarters of the revolution. The attempted uprising fails.
However, this does not prevent the fatally wounded Maximus from killing the tyrant in the final duel in strict
accordance with the laws of the genre.

Main storylines

"Rome was once a dream for people, which could only be spoken in a whisper." - Marcus Aurelius

"I have been to many places, and everywhere I saw evil, despair and darkness. And Rome is the light." - Maximus

The fundamental theme of the film, in my opinion, is Rome. Rome is not as a city, but as an idea for which many
Romans were willing to sacrifice a lot. Let's look at the main character: on the one hand, Maximus is driven by a
banal desire to take revenge on Commodus, but on the other hand, he also wants to realize the idea of Rome as a just
state governed by a Senate elected from the people, a state that is a bulwark of order in a sea of chaos. Partly because
he believes in it himself, partly because Marcus Aurelius believed in it, whose opinion Maximus greatly appreciated.
This idea often resonates in the most unexpected places - first with Senator Gracchus, who is experienced in political
intrigues, and then with the seasoned lanista Proximo, who had previously been accustomed to taking care of his own
benefit. At the end of the film, the idea of Rome has not been realized - but people have hope for it.

"You will meet them, but not today." - Numidian

It may seem that the storyline with Maximus' family is not too necessary for the film. But if Maximus had not sought
to save his family, then nothing would have prevented him from moving his horse straight to his legions, and then
going with them to Rome - then there would not have been a movie. And these few conversations about the afterlife
make his wife and son somewhat more significant characters, which is not bad for the picture. Subconsciously,
Maximus always wanted to return home, and when the home was gone, it turned into a desire for death. At the end of
the film, we see how the Numidian completes this tragic story by burying two small figures in the sand of the
colosseum, and how the spirit of Maximus finally returns home, passing his hand over the ears of wheat.