Product Details

• Actors: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris
• Directors: Ridley Scott
• Writers: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
• Producers: Branko Lustig, David Franzoni, Douglas Wick, Laurie MacDonald
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Dreamworks Video
• VHS Release Date: March 13, 2001
• Run Time: 155 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,631 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXE6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,594 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Product Description

VHS

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to definitively know you got the remastered version, January 19, 2011

By 

Lee Dorry (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Pay very careful attention when trying to determine which disc you actually received from Amazon. There's conflicting information on the internet as far as the telltale signs of the remastered disc versus the original crappy transfer. For example, most people tell you the packaging for the new version has a yellow UPC....not always true. Other people tell you the copyright on the back bottom right of the box says 2010 DW Studios LLC instead of the original which says 2009, also not always true.
It seems the only definitive way to tell if you have the new version is to look at the innermost rings on the underside of Disc One itself. Hold it up to the light, and at the end of a string of letters and numbers, you should see "B1R2". If you have anything else (i.e. B1R1), you have the original version and NOT the remastered one!
If so, exchange it promptly.

592 of 648 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Total Mess, August 23, 2009

By 

Jay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This review refers to the blu-ray picture quality only. The movie itself is an absolute classic. Unfortunately this blu-ray was a victim of considerable DNR and EE that has actually removed and distorted picture detail. Here's a good example. At the beginning of the movie where we see Maximus as a General leading a final battle, you see an amazing wide shot of flying, flaming, arrows. It should look amazing, right? Wrong. The picture was DNR'd so badly that it actually removed arrows and the ones you can see are a blurred mess! Absolutely terrible. Don't waste your money on this. Wait until they release a quality blu-ray because "this is not it!"

115 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Classic movie - defective release, August 31, 2009

By 

Adam Clotfelter (Colorado Springs, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

The version about to be released on 2009-09-01 is defective. Picture quality is from the 2000 DVD master. I would advise waiting until an updated release is made available, don't let them make you pay twice!!