GLADIATOR (2000)

Directed by: RIDLEY SCOTT
Cinematography by : JOHN MATHIESON
Pollice Verso ("Thumbs Down") by Jean-Léon Gérôme —the 19th century painting that inspired Ridley Scott to tackle the project.
Maximus(Russel Crowe),is a Roman general who leads the troops in conquering Germania for the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) ,the Emperor of Rome tells Maximus that he'd like him to rule Rome once he's gone . Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the emperor's only son, who is thirsty for power ,kills the emperor and put blame on Maximus.Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, his wife and child have been murdered by Commodus. He is captured as a slave by the profiteering Proximo (Oliver Reed, in his last role).Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must kill or be killed in the ring, battling to save not only himself but the future of the very empire that he loves and honors.
The film features a terrific battle sequence, huge crowd scenes of thousands of people, and even a little romance. The impeccably choreographed gladiator scenes are violent yet thrilling, flashing by like lightning. GLADIATOR is a glorious spectacle filled with heart and soul.
TRIVIA:Oliver Reed(Proximo)suffered a fatal heart attack during filming.The British,CG company Mill created a digital body double for the remaining scenes involving his character Proximo by photographing a live action body-double in the shadows and by mapping a 3D CGI mask of Reed's face to the remaining scenes during production at an estimated cost of $3.2 million for two minutes of additional footage The film is dedicated to his memory
In Malta, a replica of about one-third of Rome's Colosseum was built, to a height of 52 feet (15.8 meters), mostly from plaster and plywood (the other two-thirds and remaining height were added digitally). The replica took several months to build and cost an estimated $1 million.