Paul Meyer

There have been many sports movies made over the years. Some have been good, while others have been flops. Many sports movies have not been considered overall good movies simply because they were sports movies. I feel that one of the best and most overlooked sports movies of all time is the movie Gladiator. Gladiator is not only a good sports movie, but it is an all around good movie.

Before we can call an all around movie a "good" movie, we must first define what a good movie is. A good movie can be defined as a movie that has many exceptional movie elements. The following are some major movie elements: plot, drama, special effects, theme, and character acting.

For my review of the movie Gladiator, I will first explain what each one of the major movie elements needs to consist of to be considered good. I will then briefly describe the plot of the movie Gladiator. After that, I will compare the movie elements in Gladiator to the movie elements of a good movie. By doing this, I will explain how Gladiator is an all around good movie.

Before a movie can be considered good, it must have a good plot. A good plot is a plot that tells a definite story and doesn’t focus on unimportant details. It moves from point to point and is never dull. A good plot also keeps the audience in suspense and has them wondering what will happen next. The most important part of a good plot is that it must give the audience something unexpected when it plays itself out. It should be surprising and the audience should not be able guess what will happen next.

Drama is not a necessity of all movies, but it is a necessity of a good sports movie. A good sports movie should be full of drama. The audience should find themselves turning their heads away from the screen in astonishment or feeling a few different strong emotions during a good sports movie.

Special effects have become especially popular in the 1990’s. The most common special effects are computer generated additions to movies of objects that don’t exist to actually film but can still be viewed in the movie. Special effects are for certain genres of movies. Science Fiction and futuristic movies would need a large quantity of high quality special effects to be a successful movie.

A theme should be common in a movie if the movie is related to life in any way. The general purpose of movies is to entertain, but the greatest form of entertainment is achieved when the audience feels that it has received a moral lesson that will affect their own lives.

The final major characteristic of a good movie is character acting. It is obviously important to have good actors, but the actors must also personally fit into the parts they are playing. High quality actors that fit into the roles they are playing are quite necessary for the movie to be a successful movie.

The movie Gladiator has a fascinating plot. A brief description of the plot will now be given. A summary of the quality of the plot will be given after the brief description.

Gladiator is a current film takes place in the slums of Chicago’s south side. The main star in the movie is a character named Tommy Riley. Tommy’s mom has died, and his father has accumulated a large amount of gambling debts. Their financial problems have taken them from their old home in Bridgeport and landed them right in the slums of Chicago.

Tommy needs money to help out his father, so he gets involved in a web of underground boxing matches. The matches are organized by a mastermind named Mr. Horn. Horn fixes the odds and makes big bucks from the gambling that takes place. Once Horn sees what a great boxer Tommy is, he buys the gambling debts that Tommy’s father has accumulated. Tommy is now stuck fighting for Mr. Horn in his dirty, illegal ring of corruption.

While boxing, Tommy becomes friends with two other fighters on the circuit. Their names are Rommano and Lincoln. Rommano is killed in the ring by an enemy of Tommy’s named Shortcut. Tommy has the chance to kill Shortcut in a later fight but passes it up because he knows it is the right thing to do.

Tommy’s other friend Lincoln ruptures a blood vessel in his brain during a match and is instructed to quit boxing or suffer fatal consequences. Mr. Horn knows of Lincoln’s condition and sets up a fight between Lincoln and Tommy because he can fix the odds and make a fortune when Lincoln goes down. Lincoln is blinded by the money that Horn offers him to fight and agrees to go along with it. Tommy refuses to fight because he doesn’t want to kill his friend; some of Horn’s thugs force Tommy into the ring. Lincoln pummels Tommy in the ring because Tommy refuses to fight back. Eventually, Lincoln quits because he is overcome by the spirit of his friend who won’t fight back.

Tommy goes on that same night to challenge the great Mr. Horn to a fight. The terms for Tommy are the gambling debts of his father. The terms for Horn consist of a permanent contract for Tommy to fight. Tommy defeats Horn by making Horn believe Tommy is injured and then unloading on him. In the end, Tommy and his father gain freedom from Horn and from their great poverty.

Gladiator is a fantastic movie. I will now explain this by comparing the major elements of a good movie to the major elements of Gladiator.

The quality of Gladiator’s plot is fantastic. It tells a realistic story that goes from scene to scene without focusing on points not directly related to the plot. It also keeps the audience in great suspense. An example of keeping the audience in suspense is provided when Tommy fights Shortcut after Shortcut kills Rommano. The element of surprise is given to the audience when Tommy challenges and defeats Mr. Horn in the end. That provides a very unexpected twist at the conclusion of the plot.

The drama in Gladiator is simply fantastic. With numerous boxing matches and fight scenes, the audience is on the edge of their seat for a good portion of the movie. One of the most dramatic parts in the movie is when Tommy’s friend Rommano dies in the ring. At this point in the movie the audience is given the experience of rage and desires to see Tommy get revenge.

Special effects can not be found in Gladiator because Gladiator is a very realistic movie and special effects are not required. It is not a science fiction or futuristic movie. One reason Gladiator is so good is because it is almost formatted like a classic movie in the way it lacks modern day technology. Some classic movies are considered to be the best movies of all time. Movies such as Casablanca, Stagecoach, and Citizen Kane contained no special effects at all. Special effects would have lessened the quality of Gladiator overall.

Theme is a common element in Gladiator because there is not just one theme to Gladiator. One characteristic that makes Gladiator so good is the fact that it is multiple theme movie. A theme of friendship can be found in the relationship between Tommy and Lincoln. The theme of supporting the underdog is prevalent throughout the entire move because Tommy is never favored to win. A forgiveness theme can easily be recognized when Tommy spares the life of Shortcut. The themes of the movie can be easily related to everyday life because they are issues that arise frequently in everyday life.

Character acting in Gladiator is fantastic. James Marshall (Tommy) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Lincoln) deliver Oscar worthy performances. Their acting is especially superb in their dramatic boxing match against each other. The way that Marshall and Gooding make you feel like you are actually in the arena through their actions is phenomenal. Marshall and Gooding both have the body structure and physical ability of great boxers. The casting for the movie is pure genius. The actors fit perfectly into their roles and perform like they were born to play them.

It is my opinion that Gladiator is a movie of high value. It compares quite well to the major elements of a good movie in a lot of areas. A major reason that Gladiator is so fantastic is because although it has multiple themes, it is still very easy to follow and understand. It is an excellent sports movie, and perhaps one of the best movies of all time.