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Gladiator, Ridley Scott's lavish, millenium generation-friendly sword and sandal epic, written by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson, opens nationally. Reworking certain quasi-historical elements from Anthony Mann's The Fall Of The Roman Empire from 1964, Russell Crowe stars as a revered Roman general who is banished into gladiatorial slavery after his benefactor, the progressive Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), is murdered by his dissolute son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). A sweeping, Spartacus-like saga supported by a cast of CGI thousands, the film wins five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor.
