GLADIATOR | Movie Recap | Russell Crowe | Joaquin Phoenix | Connie Nielsen

In 180 A.D., General Maximus leads the Roman  Army to a decisive victory over the Germanic   barbarians near Vindobona, bringing an end to  an extended war and earning the admiration of   the ageing Emperor Aurelius. Maximus intends  to return home after the victory. However,   Emperor Aurelius tells Maximus that his son,  Commodus, is unfit to rule and states his   wish for Maximus to replace him as regent and  eventually return power to the Roman Senate.   Aurelius allows Maximus time to think before  informing Commodus. Angered by this decision,   in a frenzy of jealousy, Commodus  secretly murders his father. Proclaiming himself the new emperor,  Commodus demands Maximus' loyalty,   but Maximus, realizing Commodus' role in the  Emperor's death, refuses. Commodus orders   Maximus' execution and sends Praetorian Guards,  led by Quintus, to assassinate Maximus' wife and   son. Maximus narrowly avoids execution by killing  his captors and rides to his home near Turgalium,   only to find the burnt and crucified bodies  of his family in the ruins of his villa. After   burying his wife and son, Maximus collapses on  their graves due to injuries and exhaustion. Slave traders discover Maximus and take  him to Zuccabar, in the Roman province of   Mauretania Caesariensis, where he is bought  by Proximo, the head of a local gladiator   school. Distraught after the death of  his family and betrayal by his empire,   Maximus initially refuses to fight. However,  as he defends himself in the arena, his   impressive combat skills win over the audience.  Maximus befriends Hagen, a Germanic barbarian,   and Juba, a Numidian hunter. Juba becomes  a close friend and confidant to Maximus,   and the two often speak about the afterlife  and Maximus' hope to reunite with his family. In Rome, Commodus organises 150 days of  gladiatorial games to honour his father   and gain the favour of the Roman public.  Proximo's group of gladiators is hired to   participate. Hearing this, Proximo confides  to Maximus that he was once a gladiator freed   by Aurelius and encourages him to win  the crowd to secure his own freedom. Wearing a masked helmet, Maximus makes his debut  in the arena as a Carthaginian in a re-enactment   of the Battle of Zama. Maximus leads his  side to victory against a stronger force,   winning the crowd's support. Commodus and his  young nephew, Lucius, enter the Colosseum to   congratulate the victors. Seeing Lucius,  Maximus refrains from attacking Commodus,   who demands he reveal his identity. Maximus  removes his helmet and declares his intent   for vengeance. Commodus, unable to kill  Maximus due to the crowd's overwhelming   approval, leaves the arena sulking. That  evening, Maximus is visited by Lucilla,   his former lover and Commodus's sister.  Distrusting her, Maximus refuses her help. As the games advance, Commodus sets up a  duel between Maximus and Tigris of Gaul,   Rome's only undefeated gladiator, in an arena  surrounded by chained tigers whose handlers   are instructed to target Maximus. After an intense  fight, Maximus narrowly conquers Tigris and awaits   Commodus' decision on Tigris' destiny. Commodus  signs for death, but Maximus spares Tigris,   defying the Emperor and gaining the crowd's  approval. Commodus becomes more irritated with   his failure to kill Maximus or suppress his  growing popularity, as his own support declines. After the fight, Maximus meets his old  servant Cicero, who assures him that   his army is still loyal and stationed near  the port of Ostia. Maximus devises a plan   with Lucilla and Senator Gracchus to reunite  his army and depose Commodus. Lucilla meets   Maximus at night to coordinate his escape,  and the two share a kiss. However, Commodus   suspects his sister's deceit and threatens  her son, forcing her to reveal the scheme. The Praetorian soldiers quickly storm Proximo's  gladiator barracks. Proximo and his men sacrifice   themselves to enable Maximus' escape. During  the siege, Hagen and Proximo are killed,   while Juba and the other survivors are  imprisoned. Maximus gets to the city walls,   only to witness Cicero's execution and be  ambushed by a group of Praetorian soldiers. Commodus demands that Lucilla provide him with  an heir. To win back public favor, he personally   challenges Maximus to a duel in the Colosseum.  Knowing that Maximus is the superior fighter,   Commodus stabs him with a stiletto and  has the wound concealed under Maximus'   armor. During the fight, they exchange  blows until Maximus eventually disarms   Commodus. Quintus and the Praetorians refuse  to help Commodus. When Maximus drops his sword,   Commodus draws a concealed stiletto  and continues the attack. Maximus   then overpowers Commodus and  kills him with his own stiletto. As Commodus collapses in the quiet Colosseum,  a dying Maximus begins to imagine his wife and   children in the afterlife. Maximus then orders  the release of Proximo's gladiators and the   reinstatement of Senator Gracchus, tasked  with returning Rome to Senate-led rule. Maximus falls unconscious, and Lucilla  rushes to his side. Maximus dies peacefully,   and joins his family in the afterlife. Senator  Gracchus and Proximo's gladiators solemnly carry   his body out of the Colosseum. Later that night, a  newly freed Juba buries Maximus' two small statues   of his wife and children in the Colosseum,  saying that one day he will join them as well.