Gladiator was one of the best historical epics ever, but a large part of its appeal came from its no-frills, straightforward revenge story. In an age where revenge pics were a dime a dozen, Ridley Scott’s 2000 masterpiece made a familiar premise feel visceral and real again. It helped that Scott was also taking a gutsier approach to the sword-and-sandals films that once dominated the multiplex. In many ways, Gladiator represented the genre’s peak, and it still hasn’t really been topped. But leave it to Scott, 24 years later, to take a swing at a follow-up.
