‘Gladiator II’ is one great film 

Gladiator II compliments the first Gladiator film well. The sequel has all of the hero swashbuckling action as in the initial Ridley Scott movie. The difference in the second Gladiator flick is the dominating presence of Denzel Washington. Washington owns the room in all of the scenes he’s in. 

Washington’s character is Macrinus. As in all of his roles, Washington’s every move as Macrinus commands your attention in a way that recalls his dastardly underhanded character in “Training Day,” a role in which he was awarded an Oscar as the lead actor. 

This is what makes Washington the special talent that he is. Audiences are so used to Washington playing the good guy we all root for that whenever he flips the script as he does with Macrinus we are reminded of his greatness as a thespian.

Washington can bring an undeniable presence to his character as he does with Macrinus whether he has a speaking part or simply serves as lord of the moment as he cunningly watches and quietly plots. 

Meanwhile, Rome, led by its ruthless leaders Emperor Gets (Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) has gone about its business to conquer one territory after another. 

The saying that to the victors come the spoils was not hype for Rome and its territorial soldiers. Eventually, this led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Gladiator II touches on this narrative throughout as the first movie did. It is here amid all the chaotic growth and tumultuous times in Rome that the lives of the film’s power players become intertwined. 

This would include the avenging Lucius (Paul Mescal), a loyalty-torn Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and a war-weary general (Pedro Pascal) who entertains thoughts of rebellion. 

That’s a lot of star power. Sometimes when a film has many high-profile actors chemistry can be thrown off or a project just doesn’t come together as well as it should. In Gladiator II, that is not the issue. Everything clicks. Under the direction of Scott, the stars make the film work. 

And yes, we are entertained again. 

The spectacle of Gladiator II makes the film worth watching. Then when you throw in the magnetic acting of Washington, the irreplaceable charisma of Nielsen aided by a solid performance by Pascal (Marcus Acaicus), and the hero swag of Mescal, you’re going to have something that equals out to a quality product. 

Gladiator II is a lot more than substance. It’s why we go to the movies in the first place. Everyone likes a good show. Gladiator II provides this. Like in the first Gladiator, while there is a lot of dialogue, there are plenty of action sequences to balance the movie. 

As in the first film, the formula works similarly with that same rah-rah, popcorn appeal. We see a family man driven into a dire situation before rising again through only one manageable escape route. 

The pathway of a gladiator is not kind. It is brutal. And it is truly in this arena where the best of the best survives. We get a whole lot of this in Gladiator II. But what makes Gladiator II an outstanding film are the tender moments of intellectual conversations between Lucilla and a brooding Marcus Acaicus and the scheming deceptiveness of Macrinus. 

Lucius, on the other hand, is a man fueled by anger. The only thing that can quiet his ongoing rage is getting even with those who brought it on. That would be the entire empire of Rome. And that’s a whole lot of pent-up frustration.  

This is good. Every movie has to have a foil. Gladiator II has several. The film has its hero, too. Sometimes, the lines separating the good guys and the bad gets blurred. However, by the movie’s end, it is starkly clear who the bad guys are and who is worthy to be redeemed.

Led Photo Caption: Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures