Gladiator

"A Hero Will Rise"
The Gladiator tells the story of a Roman general who comes to Rome as a gladiator to revenge for his family.

Gladiator is a historical epic masterpiece of Ridley Scott that received much praise and honors because of its scope, creative and intense battle scenes and convincing performances of the lead cast.

Year Released: 2000

Summary: 

Maximus Meridias (Russel Crowe), a Roman general that has been named as the keeper of Rome and its empire by Emperor Marcus Aurelius thus, giving him the privilege to be his successor. However, the emperor was killed by his power-hungry jealous son Commodus and later orders the death of Maximus. Fortunately, Maximus managed to escape but was captured by slave traders and was sent to North Africa. He ends up being a slave and was forced to be a gladiator. With the twist of fate happened to Maximus, he remained strong and hopeful that he might someday fulfill the wish of the late emperor. As a victorious gladiator, he was sent back to Rome to participate in the Gladiatorial Games (a battle to death of the most famous gladiators) in which he had plans of taking revenge and gain his freedom against the man who took away his family and the good things he once have.

Cast:
Russell Crowe
Joaquin Phoenix
Connie Nielsen
Oliver Reed
Richard Harris
Derek Jacobi
Djimon Hounsou

Director:
Ridley Scott

Reviews & Ratings:
"Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladitorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath."
~ Rottentomatoes on Gladiator

8.5/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.1/10 (76%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Gladiator is Russell Crowe's favorite film, and Maximus is his favorite character portrayal.
• The film is dedicated to Oliver Reed who suffered a fatal heart attack during principal photography.
• Mel Gibson was offered the lead role, but turned it down because at 43 he felt he was too old to play Maximus.
• Antonio Banderas was also considered for the role of Maximus.

Source: IMDB - Gladiator

Fight Club

Fight ClubMovie Information
Genre:
Action | Drama
Main Cast:
Edward NortonBrad PittHelena Bonham Carter
Director:
David Fincher

About the movie:
Fight Club is an action movie adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's award winning novel Fight Club in 1996. The story is based on the unnamed protagonist who hates his job and his life.
The film is narrated by a depressed and unfulfilled man played by Edward Norton. He is an average-guy living in a consumer culture generation, with no family and friends. During a flight for a business trip, he met Tyler Durden, a soap salesman and a rebel with intriguing personality. Eventually they became friends as they have a mutual hatred for corporate consumer-culture hypocrisy. Later on, the two started the Fight Club, a ferocious bare-knuckle bouts of angry men, which convenes in a bar basement. It attracted the crowd and soon becomes the place for men - mostly are victims of the dehumanizing power of the modern-day society.
The film is about becoming of a real man. That fighting is a way of standing out against several other members of the species called men. Its a fact the Fight Club is a violent film but there is a purpose for the brutal scenes. It was the most talked about aspect of the movie because of the graphic portrayal of violence, and it is somehow being linked to the controversies of A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick.The depth of the film is truly incredible. Edward Norton is outstanding in this film and Brad Pitt will always be remembered as Tyler Durden.

American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Crime

Main Cast:
Denzel Washington
Russell Crowe


Director:
Ridley Scott


About the movie:

American Gangster (2007) is based on the life story of Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is a former international drug lord and crime boss in a major African American business and cultural center in Manhattan, New York known as Harlem during the late 1960's up to early 1970's. While Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), is a New Jersey police detective and Essex County Assistant Prosecutor.

The movie's plot revolves around the separate lives of a high class gangster and an ordinary police man and how their lives accidentally coincides. It features how Lucas engaged into a dark side of "rags to riches" story. He started as a driver of a mob boss that passed away, leaving the authority to him. He created his own empire to achieve his own American Dream. He ruled the inner city drug trades, dealing with the elite in politics, entertainment and the same field he's in.

Meanwhile, Richie Roberts is having a hard time dealing with his failing marriage, police career and law-school classes. His rampant womanizing resulted to a more complicated situation when his wife seeks a divorce and custody of their child. His colleagues hates him because of his rare honesty making him an outcast. He take the charge of the newly-built task force against the raging drug trafficking in the cities of New Jersey and New York.

As the drug-related crimes rises and as the police task force seeks the right timing to caught the man behind the rampant drug trafficking, Lucas and Roberts paths will become intertwined, as destined to be - where only one can come out on top.

American Gangster features the interesting personalities of the men of the opposite sides of the law and it tackles the issue of corruption and crime. Ridley Scott magnificently directed this gangster movie (this is the best movie so far of 2007) and the cast, Washington and Crowe give depth with their roles and acted brilliantly here.

The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line Movie Information

Genre:
Action | War

Main Cast:
Adrien Brody
James Caviezel
Ben Chaplin
George Clooney
John Cusack
Woody Harrelson
Elias Koteas
Jared Leto
Tim Blake Nelson
Nick Nolte
Sean Penn
John Reilly
John Savage
Nick Stahl
John Travolta
Director:
Terrence Malick

About the movie:
The Thin Red Line movie is based from the novel 'The Thin Red Line' written by James Jones. It was nominated in 1998 Academy Awards including: best picture, best director, best screenplay, best cinematography, best editing, best musical score and best sound. The movie won the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1999. Academy Award winning director Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese ranked it as his second favorite movie of the 90's.


It was directed by Terrence Malick and has a large cast of well-known actors including Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, John Cusack and Ben Chaplin. John Travolta and George Clooney has cameo but memorable appearances here. This action / war movie tells the story of a group of US forces in World War II that were sent in the Pacific Island of Guadalcanal.


The story setting was in 1943 during World War II when the offensive forces of U.S. Army were sent into the South Pacific Island to break the last resistance of the Japanese troops. A strong bond among the US soldiers were formed as they were fighting for the survival of oneself and his fellow men against the Asian counter force.

Director Terrence Malick excellently illustrated the tension and fear of the soldiers and the chaos of war itself. No single character stands above the rest, he gives an emphasis for the important characters thus, creating a connection between the movie characters and the audience.


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