The heart of this Rome, of course, is the Coliseum, where throngs cheer for the gladiators who fight and die. There, the ageless Scott remains remarkably at home. The arena, with its eruptions of spectacle and violence, is a stand in for the director's own vision of the big screen: Go big or go home.
Acacius is a loyal Roman but, when he learns that the emperors have only more bloodlust for further territory and more war, he and his wife, Lucilla, begin plotting to overthrow the brothers.
In fact, he does it so easily and guilefully that, once things begin unraveling for him, the air leaves Gladiator II. You don't quite believe his recklessness after he so patiently and artfully turned the screws.
Two possible successors emerge - Lucius, who has a birthright to the throne, and Macrinus, who comes to within its grasp purely by his own wit. Is it any wonder that I was rooting for Macrinus, all the way?
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