Paramount+ original film Gladiator was released May 5, 2000.
#Gladiator cleared $465.3M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 79%
metacritic: 67
imdb: 8.5
oscars: 5 wins
golden globes: 3 wins
SAG awards: 3 nominations
Maximus Decimus Meridius
Rome’s greatest general just wants to return home to his farm in Trujillo, Spain.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
1 win: 2001
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1 nomination: 2001
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1 nomination: 2001
“Lean and hungry. Still nothing? How long as he been gone? We shall know soon enough. Range is good. Is acceptable. Agreed? They say no.” — Maximus
“Would you, Quintus? Would I? Strength and honor. At my signal, unleash hell.” — Maximus
“Fratres. Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you’re already dead.” — Maximus
“Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity. Hold the line! Hold the line. Stay with me. Stay with me.” — Maximus
“Roma victor. There’s no one left to fight, sire.” — Maximus
“They honor you, Caesar. Highness. Highness.” — Maximus
“Still alive. The gods must have a sense of humor. Home. My wife. Son. The harvest. You know, dirt cleans off a lot easier than blood, Quintus.” — Maximus
“Highness. The soldier has the advantage of being able to look his enemy in the eye, senator.” — Maximus
“How may I be of service, Highness? Highness, when your father releases me, I intend to return home.” — Maximus
“You sent for me, Caesar? Caesar? For the glory of the empire, sire.” — Maximus
“Caesar, your life… 5,000 of my men are out there in the freezing mud. 3,000 of them are bloodied and cleaved. 2,000 will never leave this place. I will not believe that they fought and died for nothing. They fought for you. And for Rome.” — Maximus
“I’ve seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal, and cruel, and dark. Rome is the light.” — Maximus
“My house is in the hills above Trujillo. A very simple place. Pink stones that warm in the sun. A kitchen garden that smells of herbs in the day, jasmine in the evening. Through the gate is a giant poplar. Figs, apples, pears. The soil, Marcus, black. Black like my wife’s hair. Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north. Wild ponies play near my house. They tease my son. He wants to be one of them.” — Maximus
“Two years, 264 days and this morning. What would you have me do, Caesar? With all my heart, no.” — Maximus
“But surely a prefect, a senator, somebody who knows the city, who understands her politics. And Commodus? Yes. I need some time, sire.” — Maximus
“My lady. Many things change. I lost many men. To wish me well before I leave for home. I never acquired your comfort with it. I think you have a talent for survival.” — Maximus
“No. I’m tired from battle. I will always serve Rome. I was sad to hear of your husband’s death. I mourned him. And I hear you have a son. My son is also nearly eight. I thank you for your prayers.” — Maximus
“Ancestors, I ask for your guidance. Blessed Mother, come to me with the gods’ desire for my future. Blessed Father, watch over my wife and son with a ready sword. Whisper to them, I live only to hold them again. Ancestors, I honor you, and will try to live with the dignity you have taught me. Cicero.” — Maximus
“Do you ever find it hard to do your duty? We may not be able to go home, after all.” — Maximus
“How did he die? Father. Quintus.” — Maximus
“I must talk to the senators. I need their counsel. Awake Gaius and Falco. Sword.” — Maximus
“Prudent? The Emperor has been slain. Why are you armed, Quintus? Quintus, look at me. Look at me! Promise me that you will look after my family.” — Maximus
“At least give me a clean death. A soldier’s death. The frost, sometimes it makes the blade stick. Praetorian!” — Maximus
“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” — Maximus
“You sent for me. I’m required to kill, so I kill. That is enough.” — Maximus
“You were a gladiator? You won your freedom? You knew Marcus Aerelius? You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the Emperor, as you did. I will win the crowd. I will give them something they’ve never seen before.” — Maximus
“Do you believe you’ll see them again when you die? But you would wait. You see, my wife and my son are already waiting for me. Not yet. Not yet.” — Maximus
“Yes. A man’s? No. A boy’s. Some of the best. This is Argento and this is Scarto. They were my horses. They were taken from me. They let you watch the games? And what does your father say? Your name is Lucius?” — Maximus
Marcus Aerelius
“You have proved your valor yet again, Maximus. Let us hope, for the last time. Ah, there is always someone left to fight. How can I reward Rome’s greatest general? Ah… home.”
“It’s for, Maximus. They honor you.”
“You have missed the war. Save the bulls. Honor Maximus. He won the battle. I think it is time for me to leave. Ah. So much for the glory of Rome.”
“If only you had been born a man, what a Caesar you would have made. You would have been strong. I wonder, would you have been just? Oh… how was your journey? I need your help. With your brother. He loves you. Always has. And… he will need you now. More than ever.”
“Enough of politics. Let us pretend that you are a loving daughter, and I am a good father.”
“Tell me again, Maximus. Why are we here? Ah, yes. Ah, yes, I remember. Do you see that map, Maximus? That is the world which I created. For 25 years, I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the empire. Since I became Caesar, I’ve known four years without war. Four years of peace in 20. And for what?”
“I brought the sword. Nothing more. Please. Please don’t call me that. Come. Please. Come sit. Let us talk together now, very simply, as men. Well, Maximus. Talk. And what would you believe? And what is Rome, Maximus?”
“Yet you have never been there. You have not seen what it has become. I am dying, Maximus. When a man sees his end, he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak my name in years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant? Or will I be the emperor that gave Rome back its true self?”
“There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish. It was so fragile. And I fear that it will not survive the winter. Maximus, let us whisper now, together, you and I. You have a son. Tell me about your home.”
“Remember the last time you were home? I envy you, Maximus. It’s a good home. Worth fighting for. There is one more duty that I ask of you before you go home. I want you to become the protector of Rome after I die. I will empower you to one end alone, to give power back to the people of Rome, and end the corruption that has crippled it. Will you accept this great honor that I have offered you?”
“Maximus, that is why it must be you. But you have not been corrupted by her politics. Commodus is not a moral man. You have known that since you were young. Commodus cannot rule. He must not rule. You are the son that I should have had. Commodus will accept my decision. He knows that you command the loyalty of the army.”
“By sunset, I hope you will have agreed. Now embrace me as my son. And bring an old man another blanket.”
“Are you ready to do your duty for Rome? You will not be emperor. My powers will pass to Maximus, to hold in trust, until the Senate is ready to rule once more. Rome is to be a republic again. Yes.”
“My decision disappoints you? Oh, Commodus, you go too far. Commodus. Commodus. Your faults as a son is my failure as a father. Come.”
Commodus
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1 nomination: 2001
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1 nomination: 2001
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
1 nomination: 2001
“Do you think he’s really dying? If he weren’t really dying, he wouldn’t have sent for us. And the senators? He wouldn’t have summoned them if… he’s made his decision. He’s going to announce. He will name me. The first thing I shall do when… is honor him with games worthy of His Majesty.”
“Where’s the emperor? My horse. Kiss?”
“Have I missed it? Have I missed the battle? Father, congratulations. I shall sacrifice 100 bulls to honor your triumph. General.”
“Rome salutes you, and I embrace you as a brother. It has been too long, my old friend. Here, Father. Take my arm.”
“Here he is. Senator Gaius. Senator Falco. Beware of Gaius. He’ll pour honey potion in your ear and you’ll wake up one day and all you’ll say is ‘republic, republic, republic.’ Yes, and in a republic, the senate has the power. But Senator Gaius isn’t influenced by that, of course.”
“I warned you. Now I shall save you. Senators. I’m going to need good men like you. You’re a man who knows what it is to command. You give your orders, the orders are obeyed, and the battle is won. But these senators, scheme and squabble, and flatter and deceive. Maximus, we must save Rome from the politicians. Can I count on you when the time comes?”
“Home? Well, no one’s earned it more. Don’t get too comfortable. I may call on you before long. Lucilla’s here. Did you know? She’s not forgotten you. And now, you’re the great man.”
“Yes, Father. Which wiser, older man is to take my place? Maximus.”
“You wrote me once, listing the four chief virtues. Wisdom, justice, fortitude, and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, Father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness. Courage. Perhaps not on the battlefield, but there are many forms of courage. Devotion. To my family. To you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn’t want me for your son.”
“I searched the faces of the gods for ways to please you, to make you proud. One kind word, one full hug, where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight, would have been like the sun on my heart for a thousand years. What is it in me you hate so much? All I’ve ever wanted was to live up to you, Caesar. Father. Father.”
“I would butcher the whole world, if you would have only loved me!”
“Lament with me, brother. Our great father is dead. The surgeons say there was no pain. His breath gave out as he slept.”
“Your Emperor asks for your loyalty, Maximus. Take my hand. I only offer it once.”
“Senators. Thank you, Falco. And for the loyal subjects. I trust they weren’t too expensive. Gracchus.”
“Shh… don’t you see, Gracchus? That’s the very problem, isn’t it? My father spent all his time at study. At books of learning and philosophy. He spent his twilight hours reading scrolls from the Senate. And all the while, the people were forgotten.”
“I doubt so many of the people eat as well as you do, Gracchus. Or have such splendid mistresses, Gaius. I think I understand my own people. I call it love. I am their father. The people are my children. And I shall hold them to by bosom and embrace them tightly.”
“No, but if you interrupt me again, I assure you that you shall.”
“Who would beg to lecture me? What uses? All they do is talk. It should be just you and me, and Rome. Rome has changed. It takes an emperor to rule an empire. Illusions? My father’s war against the barbarians… he said it himself, it achieved nothing. But the people loved him. Why? They didn’t see the battles. What do they care about Germania?”
“The greatness of Rome. Well, what is that? Exactly. A vision. Do you not see, Lucilla? I will give the people a vision of Rome, and they’ll love me for it. And they’ll soon forget the tedious sermonizing of a few dry, old men. I will give the people the greatest vision of their lives.”
“He sleeps so well because he’s loved. I will make Rome the wonder of the ages. That is what Gracchus and his friends don’t understand. All my desires are splitting my head to pieces. I think the time is almost right. I could announce the dissolution of the Senate at the celebration of our father. Do you think I should? Are the people, ready? Will you stay with me? Still. Always. Stay with me tonight. Then kiss me.”
Lucilla
“He’s been dying for ten years. Maybe he just misses us. Peace, Commodus. After two weeks on the road your incessant scheming is hurting my head.”
“For now, the first thing I shall do is have a hot bath.”
“Maximus. Father. I would have been what you taught me to be. Long. Uncomfortable. Why have I come? Of course.”
“This is a pleasant fiction, isn’t it?”
“My father favors you now. It was not always so. Many things. Not everything. Maximus, stop. Let me see your face. Mmm… you seem upset. What did my father want with you? You’re lying. I could always tell when you were lying, because you were never any good at it. True. But then you never had to. Life is more simple for a soldier. Or do you think me heartless? Maximus, stop.”
“Is it really so terrible seeing me again? It hurts you to see my father so fragile. Commodus expects that my father will announce his succession within days. Will you serve my brother as you served his father? Do you know, I still remember you in my prayers? Oh, yes. I pray. Thank you. Yes. Lucius. He’ll be nearly eight years old.”
“Hail, Caesar.”
“Lucius.”
“Senator, my brother is very tired. Leave your list with me. Caesar shall do all that Rome requires.”
“Commodus, the Senate has its uses. Don’t even think it. There’s always been a Senate. Of course, but leave the people their… traditions. The people always love victories. They care about the greatness of Rome.”
“It’s an idea. Greatness. Greatness is a vision.”
“Come, brother, it’s late. Commodus, drink this tonic. I think you need your rest now. Still afraid of the dark, brother? You know I won’t. Sleep, brother.”
Proximo
“Those giraffes you sold me. They won’t mate. They just walk around eating and not mating. You sold me queer giraffes. I want my money back. On what?”
“Do any of them fight? I got a match coming up. Get up. What’s your trade? Mark of the legion. Deserter. I’ll take six. For 1,000. These slaves are rotten. I’ll give you 2,000, and four for the beasts. That’s 5,000 for an old friend.”
“Come on! How long does it take to get into my own house?”
“I am Proximo. I shall be close to you for the next few days, which will be the last of your miserable lives than that bitch of a mother who brought you screaming into this world. I did not pay good money for your company. I paid it so that I could profit from your death. And as your mother was there at your beginning, so I shall be there at your end.”
“And when you die, and die you shall, your transition will be to the sound of… gladiators, I salute you.”
“Red. Yellow. Red. That’s enough for the moment. His time will come.”
“Some of you are thinking you won’t fight. Some that you can’t fight. They all say that, until they’re out there. Listen. Thrust this into another man’s flesh, and they will applaud you and love you for that. You… you may begin to love them for that.”
“Ultimately, we’re all dead men. Sadly, we cannot choose how, but we can decide how we meet that end, in order that we are remembered as men.”
“What do you want? Hmm? Girl? Boy? Yes, I did. You’re good, Spaniard, but you’re not that good. You could be magnificent. That’s enough for the provinces, but not for Rome. The young emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aerelius. I find that amusing, since it was Marcus Aerelius, the wise, all-knowing Marcus Aerelius, who shut us down.”
“So, finally, after five years of scratching a living in flea-infested villages we’re finally going back to where we belong. The Colosseum. Oh, you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. 50,000 romans watching every movement of your sword. Willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, the noise afterwards, it rises… rises up like… like a storm.”
“As if you were the thunder god himself. Yes, I was. A long time ago, the Emperor presented me with a rudius. It’s just a wooden sword. The symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder, and I was free. I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once.”
“Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn’t the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you’ll win your freedom. So, Spaniard, we shall go to Rome together and have bloody adventures. And the great whore will suckle us until we’re fat and happy and can suckle no more. And then, when enough men have died, perhaps you will have your freedom. Here. Use this.”
“Good to see you again, old friend. Bring me fortune. Win the crowd.”
“The Emperor wants battles, and I don’t want to sacrifice my best fighters. The massacre of Carthage. Well, why don’t you go down to the prison, and round up all the beggars and thieves? If you want to give away the best gladiators in the whole of the empire, then I want double the rates.”
Juba
“Don’t die. No. They will clean it. Wait and see.”
“Don’t die. They’ll feed you to the lions. They are worth more than we are. Better now? Clean. You see?”
“I was a hunter.”
“Spaniard, why don’t you fight? We all have to fight. Is that the sign of your gods? Will that not anger them?”
“It’s somewhere out there. My country, my home. My wife is preparing food. My daughters carry water from the river. Will I ever see them again? I think, no. I think so. But then, I will die soon. They will not die for many years. I’ll have to wait. Of course.”
“You’ll meet them again. But not yet. Not yet. Unless…”
“Have you ever seen anything like that before? I didn’t know men could build such things.”
Bazaar Merchant
“Proximo! My old friend. Every day is a great day when you are here but today is your most fortunate day. What? Not a chance. I do special price for you. Have you seen my new stock? Come and see them.”
“Some are good for fighting, others for dying. You need both, I think. Oh, no, I bought him from a salt mine in Carthage. Sit down. Maybe so. But who cares? He’s a Spaniard. For 1,000? The Numidian alone is worth 2,000. It all adds to the flavor. No. No, no, no. Wait, wait,wait. We can negotiate.”
Gladiators
“Red. Yellow.”
“Good. Red.”
“Spaniard. Next.”
“The gods favor you. Red is the gods’ color. You will need their help today.”
“On the left, draw your shields. On the right, draw your swords.”
“Pair them up, red with yellow. Next.”
“Spaniard. Spaniard. Spaniard. Spaniard.”
“We who are about to die, salute you!”
Zucchabar
“Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill…”
“Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard!”
“Spaniard! Spaniard!”
Rome
“Usurper! Go away.”
“Hail, Caesar.”
“White and red wine for your drinking pleasure. Vino, vino, vino! White and red wine for your drinking pleasure.”
“I knew. I see him. There he is. Where?”
“Out. Move. Out. How many are there?”
“Get inside. Move. Inside.”
“Master Lucius, it is time.”
“When the Emperor enters, raise your weapons, salute him, and then speak together.”
“Hail, mighty Caesar! Caesar! Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!”
Senator Gracchus
“He enters Rome like a conquering hero. But what has he conquered? for Rome or for you? Go to your mother, Lucius. It’s what she’d like.”
“Caesar. All Rome rejoices in your return, Caesar. There are many matters that require your attention.”
“For your guidance, Caesar, the Senate has prepared a series of protocols to begin addressing the many problems in the city. Beginning with basic sanitation for the Greek Quarter, to combat the plague which is already springing up there. So, if Caesar…”
“But the Senate is the people sire… chosen from among the people, to speak for the people. Then, perhaps Caesar will be so good as to teach us. Out of his own extensive experience.”
“Have you ever embraced anyone dying of plague, sire? My lady, as always, your lightest touch commands obedience.”
“Clever. He’s cleverer than I thought. Fear and wonder, a powerful combination. I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. He’ll conjure magic for them, and they’ll be distracted. He’ll take away their freedom and still they’ll roar.”
“The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate. It’s the sand of the Colosseum. He’ll bring them death, and they will love him for it.”
Lucius Verus
“Mother.”
“Gladiator, are you the one they call the Spaniard? They said you were a giant. They said you could crush a man’s skull with one hand. Do they have good horses in Spain? I like you, Spaniard. I shall cheer for you. My uncle says it makes me strong. My father is dead.”
“I have to go. Lucius Verus, after my father.”
Senate
“To order. To order.”
Quintus
“Not a sign. Nearly two hours. Soldier, I ordered you to move those catapults forward. They’re out of range. A danger to the cavalry is…”
“People should know when they’re conquered. Strength and honor. Load the catapults. Infantry form up for advance. Archers ready.”
“General, still alive? The gods must love you. Maximus the farmer. I still have difficulty imagining that.”
“Maximus, the emperor needs you. It’s urgent.”
“Maximus, please be careful. That was not prudent. The emperor died of natural causes. Guards! Please don’t fight, Maximus. I’m sorry. Caesar has spoken. Ride until dawn, and then execute him. Your family will meet you in the afterlife.”
Cicero
“Sir. Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to do.”
“Gaius and Falco. Sword.”
Senator Gaius
“Well, why not? Rome was founded as a republic. Well, with an army behind you, you could be extremely political.”
“Games. 150 days of games. The whole of Rome would be laughing at him, if they weren’t so afraid of his Praetorians. You really think people are going to be seduced by that?”
Senator Falco
“Where do you stand, General? Emperor or Senate?”
“Give him time, Gracchus. He’s young. I think he could do very well.”
“Rome greets her new Emperor. Your loyal subjects bid you welcome, Highness.”
Maximus’s son
“Mama! Papa! Papa!”
The Colloseum
“The crowd wants battles, so the Emperor gives them battles. Get the battle of Carthage. We’ve done that. You’ll get your contract rates, or you’ll get your contract canceled. You don’t like it? Then you can crawl back down that shit hole that you came from.”
“On this day we reach back to hallowed antiquity to bring you a re-creation of the second fall of mighty Carthage! On the barren plain of Zama there stood the invincible armies of the barbarian Hannibal. Ferocious mercenaries and warriors from all brute nations, bent on merciless destruction, conquest. Your emperor is pleased to give you the barbarian horde.”
Roman Soldiers
“Sir. General. Sir. General. General. Sir. General. Sir.”
“Will they fight sir?”
“Steady. Steady. Strength and honor.”
“Archers! Nock!”
“Maximus! Pull. Pull. Catapults, ready, sir! Archers, ignite! Ignite! Ignite. Archers, draw!”
“Draw! Loose! Loose!”
“All right, men, ready! Loose. Loose. Reload!”
“Draw. Loose.”
“Roma victor. Roma victor.”
“Your Highness? We seem to be almost there, sir.”
“Sire. He’s at the front, sire. They’ve been gone for 19 days. The wounded are still coming in. My lord.”
“Whoa. Whoa.”
“Magnificent battle.”
“Three of our legions against 4,000 men.”
“Back to the barracks, General? Or to Rome?”
“Good morning, General. Good morning to you. I need three warhorses. One! Two! Three! Four! One! Two!”
“Kneel.”
