With most of Toronto’s rep theaters dedicated to hosting Hot Docs, there’s not much in the way of classic film screenings this week. However, there is one 12-year-old blockbuster screening at the Scotiabank Theatre that is worthy of a little love. That film is the Oscar-winning toga epic from visual genius/questionable storyteller Ridley Scott, and everyone’s favourite hard-drinking cell phone-tosser, Russell Crowe. Of course, I’m talking about the sand-caked Gladiator. It’s a fantastic slice of bloody entertainment that might not be viewed as classic by most folks, but judged on the level of summer blockbusters (a cinematic season that we unavoidably dive into headfirst this week), it’s an undeniably impressive achievement.
The film might be entertainment for the sake of entertainment, but it is executed with such finesse by such talented collaborators that it can feel like slightly more. Gladiator is a movie that offers the immense scale and onslaught of action that popcorn-munchers demand, while still telling a emotionally-involving (if simplistic) story filled with talented actors and just a touch of subtext for those unable, or unwilling, to shut down their brains for a viewing. It’s the type of summer movie entertainment that we hope for every year, but rarely get. A classic of sorts, too sophisticated to be considered a guilty pleasure, yet too dumb to be dubbed a masterpiece. Let’s call it a ‘guilty great,’ a film worthy of adoration even if you don’t want to proclaim your love on the record. I do, just obviously without reservations.
In many ways, the movie is an homage to the sword n’ sandal epics like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, and Cleopatra that Hollywood cranked out for massive budgets in the 60s. Those movies don’t hold up quite so well these days, in part because of their reverent Christianity, but mostly because they are mind-numbingly dull. Though absurd sums of money were clearly spent on the sets and costumes, the scripts were usually melodramatic drivel, often merely an excuse for movie stars and British theater veterans to chew scenery. Gladiator‘s story is a healthy mix of classical melodrama and violent pulp. Our hero Maximus (Crowe, obviously) follows Spartacus’ arc of a betrayed general-turned-slave-turned-gladiator, while in the royal realm is young emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who kills his father for the crown and covets his sister for dirty bedroom activities. In Maximus, we get a traditional revenge story, in Commodus’ tale, an incestuous, almost oedipal tragedy. That’s two sword n’ sandal tales for the price of one and since it was also Commodus who stripped Maximus of his title and murdered his family, a built in good vs. evil final battle. All of it comes together in two-and-a-half hours, about thirty minutes shorter than the old Hollywood Roman epics. There’s a reason why this thing is so much more entertaining than its influencers.
For director Ridley Scott, Gladiator was a comeback movie, of sorts. After kicking off his Hollywood career with two sci-fi classics in Alien and Blade Runner, he spent years on increasingly disappointing fare like Legend and Black Rain. It became clear that the long-time commercial director was a visual and technical genius, but not much of a storyteller. His work succeeds on the strength of the script and unlike his brother, Tony Scott (Top Gun), he is too high-minded to create willfully moronic trash, often sucking the life out of his goofy blockbusters with a somber tone.
Gladiator was a perfect Ridley Scott project. It was popcorn fun, yet rooted in classical narrative forms. It had to be taken seriously to work, yet only required Scott to spin a yarn that had been told for centuries. Scott’s impeccable eye for cinematography and masterful ability to marshal a massive crew and work with complex special effects created a wholly believable and delightfully filthy Rome (with CGI enhanced Coliseum crowd scenes that still hold up because there’s always a physical set extended by the CGI). He created epic battles and viciously violent gladiatorial combat that used all his skills and had strong narrative to hold it all together that didn’t require much attention to pull off.
Scott’s technique with actors is essentially to just allow them to work without directorial interference, but luckily he at least knows who to cast. Crowe has never been better with a role that allows him to embrace the macho posturing which distracts from his other work, while having just enough dramatic depth to show of his skills. His unexpected Oscar win was justified given that it’s unlikely he’ll ever find another role that capitalizes on both his action hero stature and his acting chops. The supporting British character actor roles that would have been played by the likes of Laurence Olivier in the 60s were handed off to former wildmen actors Richard Curtis and Oliver Reed (who died mid-shoot). They too were perfect, classically trained and weathered with age, yet still possessing that unpredictable spark that made them such unruly young talents. Then there’s Joaquin Phoenix as the snarling evil emperor, playing a man with small stature, but overgrown ambitions and disgusting fantasies. After his career-stalling bearded prank-comedy escapades, it’s easy to forget what a strong screen presence Phoenix can be. Hopefully he’ll be allowed out of Hollywood jail soon. He’s too talented to disappear for a single crappy mock doc.
As silly and disposable as Gladiator is on a certain level, it is one of the great works of popcorn fluff. The mixture of 60s blockbuster scale and misplaced pretension, with contemporary blockbuster pacing and relentless violence meshes surprisingly well. With Scott behind the camera, every cent of the budget made it to the screen in a big glossy Roman fever dream. A combination of everything even the least demanding genre fan could want with a handsome veneer and familiar themes to keep the smarty-pants viewers intrigued as well. This is the type of movie Ridley Scott seemed primed to fill his career after his first two features. These days, it’s clear that he’ll likely make one movie that strong per decade. Disappointing, certainly, but it does put us on track to expect big things out of his mysterious upcoming Alien prequel Prometheus. As long as he can make something as strong as Gladiator every few years, it’s worth having Scott in the blockbuster arena. As simplistic as it might seem compared to an art film, getting the balance right with this sort of entertainment is no easy task. You need to only look at Scott and Crowe’s failed Robin Hood reboot to see that. Compared to that bomb, it’s clear just how many things went right in Gladiator and the film is certainly a worthy watch as we settle into summer movie season. Few blockbusters work as well and it deserves to be considered one of the high watermarks of the frivolous form.
Gladiator will screen at the Scotiabank Theater at 7pm on April 30, 2012
_____
Phil Brown writes about classic films for Toronto Standard‘s Essential Cinema column.
For more, follow us on Twitter at @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
