Gladiator (1992)

Fresh and Exciting

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I'm glad to read all the positive reviews about "Gladiator," as it truly is one of the finest boxing films out there. Great location shooting is one of the movie's strong points; the streets of Chicago look truly mean and cold, and the school that Tommy Riley has to attend looks more like a prison. Director Rowdy Herrington creates a world that is threatening, from the school gangs, to the nasty loan sharks who are after Tommy's father, and the brutal world of illegal boxing, which is a scene that has little to do with the legitimate sport of boxing. Coming from the affluent suburbs, Tommy has to adapt fast to the violent South Side Chicago scene, and being white doesn't help his situation. He finds some good friends in Lincoln and Romano. The three friends all become involved in the underground boxing tournaments, all for their own personal reasons, and soon find themselves in bad situations. It's nice to see an R rated boxing film, that doesn't shy away from the violence. Underground boxing is a truly violent sport, as there are no rules in the ring. It is boxing without honor or pity. The result is some surprisingly bloody matches. Fantastic, pulsating soundtrack perfectly evokes the time of the early 90's as does the accurate street style clothing of the time. I especially like the character Romano, a wise cracking, energetic Cuban boxer, always optimistic as he plans out his bright future as a professional fighter, that doesn't turn out the way he hopes. On a side note, I was very lucky to find the leather coat that the Romano character wears in one scene, in a shop that sells costumes and clothing worn in films. Every time I wear it I feel some of Romano's positive energy and it brightens my day. Anyway, I recommend this awesome boxing movie to fans, as it's one of the best. This is not glossy, soap opera junk like the lousy "South Paw," but rather the real deal..a tough fight film that does not pull it's punches.

The overall rating for this movie is obviously an error. I suggest that the editors of IMDb should review the ratings and make a correction. I looked at all 19 reviews, and obviously the average rating is more in the 7 range. Must be a bug in the IMDb rating calculation system.Anyway - this is a solid and entertaining movie with a tight and fast paced script, good acting, action, a little romance, and a realistic atmosphere and depiction of the gritty underground boxing game. It's as good as any of the "Rocky" movies at a fraction of the production cost. It's a shame that it didn't gain more recognition.I also wonder what happened to James Marshall. He's a good enough actor and "presence" to carry a leading-man role, but seemed to disappear.

Through the Nineties I did my trips to the video shop to rent B movies as they were mostly better than the Hollywood ones and Gladiator is the one B Movie which stands out. If you watch it now you would compare it to the likes of Rocky and 8 Mile because of it's background set around a dead less town with nobody but dead weights.I think James Marshall is playing his best [performance of his career which isn't didn't last that long. Cuba Gooding Jnr will be most recognised here as Lincoln. Also there is Brain Dennehy and Robert Loggia as the would be villains. Tommy Riley played by Marshall is a loner and keeps himself to himself but because of this he attracts trouble on his first day in school since moving with his father who is an addictive drunk and gambler who is sorting his life out. Tommy one night is working at the local café and is confronted outside by the local gang run by there leader Short Cut. Punches are thrown and Tommy comes better off but they are interrupted by Pappy Jack played by Robert Loggia who scouts and looks for would be Boxer hopefuls to put them into the ring in illegal boxing. To clear his father's debts he is taken in by the money that the boxing offers and as much he tries to get out of it there is always something bringing him back. Here he meets Romano and becomes friendly with Lincoln and is a household name but knows it's not long till his own brain will be crushed without repair. The man that decides everything is Horn played brilliantly by Brian Dennehy who always has something on each Boxer to continue Boxing and make him more Money than he already has. Greed has an obvious big part to play in the film but what is great to see is how all the young characters bond well as they are into the same mess as each other but know there is no other way out to make money for their families and to get by. There are scenes where you will cheer harder than you did for rocky but it's the performance as with rocky that steal the show with everyone on top form and not one bad word to be said. Films like this are not made these days so appreciate this for what it did in the nineties and also probably helped some careers especially Cuba Gooding who starred in this not much longer after Boyz N The Hood. If you get the chance then watch this as it has a story than it strong enough to better the likes of 8 Mile and has better performances and memorable characters and a the same time will make you feel good about yourself which is why gladiator is the important film that I will always remember.

Any movie with Ossie Davis, Robert Loggia, and Brian Dennehy is going to be watchable, and Gladiator is no exception. Unfortunately, this tale of two friends in the underground world of extreme boxing can't quite overcome either its poorly constructed screenplay or the weakness of leading men James Marshall and Cuba Gooding Jr. Of the two, Gooding is better, but Marshall is uniformly poor in the dramatic scenes, though perfectly fine in the action sequences. The film also trips up by portraying its protagonists as the least likely high school students in America--in fact, everyone attending their school looks well into their mid-20s. When Gladiator concentrates on fight scenes--or when Davis, Loggia, and Dennehy are on screen--it's a more than adequate, though predictable, boxing drama. Overall, it's a disappointment, though not entirely without merit. Approach with low expectations, and you'll be moderately satisfied.