Gladiator is a 2000 historical action drama film. It is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays General Maximus Decimus Meridius and friend of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who is betrayed by the Emperor's ambitious son, Commodus (Phoenix), who murders his own father and seizes the throne. Captured and enslaved along the outer fringes of the Roman empire, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murder of his family and his Emperor.
The film won five Academy Awards in the 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film's epic scope and intense battle scenes, as well as the emotional core of its performances, received much praise. The film's success may have helped to revive the historical epic genre, with subsequent films such as Troy, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven and 300. The movie is essentially an uncredited remake of 1964's The Fall of the Roman Empire.