The story was pretty good, the final battle and selfless death being the most dramatic moment. Seemed like Messenger in many ways. A historical underdog takes on the world, lots of eerie, surreal nature shots (walking through the wheat field, in particular). You can tell that it drew from Ben-Hur quite a bit, too.
Crowe, a reluctant gladiator, is not nearly as intense or violent as he should have been in this role. Would have liked to see him go all-out. Joaquin delivers the best performance. Nielsen is damn sexy for an older woman.
The action could have been pretty good but, also like Messenger, was cheapened by fast, jagged jump-cuts, close-ups, and camera tricks. Lots of fuzzy CGI. And who piled up the sand for his dead head on the Colosseum floor?
Nice figurines in the Colosseum. A nod to Clash of the Titans?
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