Gladiator 2 ~ Review

Perhaps one of the greatest unmade scripts of all time is the script for Gladiator 2 (a completely different Gladiator 2 than the film in which this review is about). The script, written by Nick Cave (yes singer/songwriter Nick Cave) was about how after he died in the first Gladiator, Maximus (Russell Crowe) would go on a time-traveling quest through various wars and eventually end up working at the Pentagon. It’s probably for the best that this version of Gladiator 2 never got off the ground, because it probably would have ended several careers in the process. And while the Nick Cave script isn’t good exactly, it is incredibly ambitious and I can’t help but wonder if it would have been more interesting than the Gladiator 2 we did eventually get.

Sixteen years after the events of the first Gladiator, Hanno (Paul Mescal) is a young warrior living with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) in the North African port city of Numidia. As the film opens the city is under siege by the Roman navy, led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal). And while the Numidians fight bravely, it all goes catastrophically wrong, leading to the death of Arishat, and the city's sacking. From there Hanno is captured, taken into slavery and eventually bought by the Machiavellian schemer Macrinus (Denzel Washington) – who trains and fights gladiators. From there Hanno fights in gladiator pits in the Roman provinces and then eventually to Rome. 

Speaking of Rome, the city is on the verge of complete collapse. Under the tyrannical rule of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), Rome is an overripe fruit boiling over with unrest and corruption. Acacius and his wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen returning from the first film) are plotting a coup to restore democracy to Rome before it completely falls apart.

Meanwhile, Macrinus wants to gain as much power as possible and will use the gladiator fights to get it. However, Hanno’s lineage might be more important to the future than anyone suspects…

Frankly, there’s just too much going on in Gladiator 2. Not only is everyone scheming against everyone else, but they are also having long protracted philosophical discussions about the nature of power and freedom. This isn’t bad per se, it’s just not compelling. Perhaps if the film was a TV series these concepts could be dramatized and explored in depth. What’s missing here, is the very tight and focused revenge story of the original. While Hanno’s revenge story is simple, it’s just that the film gets distracted by other ideas or characters. It’s weird, there’s too much going on but at the same time not enough – so Gladiator 2 feels slack and baggy with unexplored themes and narrative cul de sacs.

My hunch is that the script, by David Scarpa from a story by Peter Craig has been significantly cut down for time. It feels like there’s a much larger story here, and given director Ridley Scott’s penchant for extended cuts, maybe we’ll see a longer cut in the future.

Scott’s direction is as to be expected. The action is chaotic, but in a way that’s easy to follow. There’s one fight in the Coliseum, which is a staged naval battle with sharks. Do not ask how these sharks ended up in the Coliseum…just enjoy the crazy action.

Paul Mezcal is good as Hanno, but he unfortunately doesn’t have Crowe’s ferocity and the film around him is so busy that Mezcal gets lost in the shuffle. However, whenever he is tasked with big scenes, he carries them well and his physical presence matches Crowe’s in that regard.

Pedro Pascal similarly gets lost in the noise, but he gives a haunted performance of a man who has seen too much bloodshed and wants it all to end. Connie Nielsen delivers another regal performance. 

Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger take the madness of Joaquin Phoenix from the first film and crack it up to eleven. They are crazy and weird, and I wish the film had more of them.

This brings me to Denzel Washington who decides that the scenery of Gladiator 2 is an all-you-can-eat buffet, and I mean that as a  complement. Washington is having the time of his life and the movie comes to life whenever Washington is on screen.

All in all, Gladiator 2 is a mixed bag. Entertaining in parts, slow in others, and with some fun action. It's a little bit better than a legacy sequel to Gladiator could reasonably be. But, I dunno...could it have killed them to put in a time-traveling Russell Crowe? Come to think of it that would overcomplicate things even more.

Two and a half out of Four Stars