When Ridley Scott was given the chance to direct a $120million movie in the Ben Hur mould, some people wondered if the Geordie director was going mad.

For many, he hadn't made a decent film in years (1492, White Squall and GI Jane were all good looking messes).

However, a director is only as good as their script and, sad to say, Scott was choosing some very ropey movies to make.

Even his brother, Tony - king of the bubblegum epic such as Top Gun and True Romance - was turning out better fare with Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State being a couple of corkers in the last five years.

However, every 10 years or so, Ridley comes up with the goods.

In 1979 he delivered Alien and then his masterpiece, Blade Runner three years later. In 1991 Thelma and Louise won him a new wave of feminist followers and it's been a long wait for the next for a solid gold smash, but now he's back on form with one of the hottest films of 2000.

Backed by Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks company and featuring Russell Crowe and Oliver Reed (in his last movie), Gladiator is the first sword and sandals epic to come out of Hollywood in 40 years.

With lavish sets, clever special effects and the sort of in-your-face visuals that has wowed the US critics, it's THE must see movie of the year.

Few big screen offerings in recent years have been as lush, grandiose, brutal and epic as Gladiator. And regardless of the budget, Scott's best movie since Thelma and Louise is also one of the most accurately cast films of recent years.

Russell Crowe (in a part originally intended for Mel Gibson) is superb as Maximus, the fictional General who is largely surrounded by characters who are said to have existed in 180 AD.

The Roman Empire is on the rise and even countless corrupt emperors have failed to destroy it. A seemingly kindly Caesar, Marcus Aurelius (the excellent Richard Harris giving his best performance for years), is a scholar who has taken to the battlefield to repel a barbarian threat from Germania.

Maximus proves his worth in a stunning opening scene, the most brutally realistic since Saving Private Ryan.

Amazing what you can do in Surrey when you have a million dollars and a few thousand actors to play with.

The dying Emperor names him as his successor - a decision that angers Laurence Olivier lookalike Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) - Marcus' 19-year-old son.

In a scene reminiscent of the head- crushing scene from Blade Runner, Commodus commits patricide, then send Maximus away to be killed.

Needless to say, our hero escapes with a nasty shoulder wound and gallops home to his wife and son. Alas, both are crucified by the time he arrives and he is taken prisoner by slave-traders.

Along with the muscular Nubian Juba (Amistad's Djimon Hounsou), he is purchased by seasoned Gladiator, Proximo (Oliver Reed), an owner and trainer of Gladiators. Recognising Maximus' potential, the veteran grooms him for a trip to Rome's Colliseum.

As this was Olly's last movie and many of his scenes remained unfinished, it was obvious towards the end which were doubles and which were finished with computer generated assistance. However, it's great to see Reed bow out on such a high note.

Gladiator progresses with grand sweeps as the General turned Gladiator wins the crowd and his life, eventually seeking his vengeance in the arena against insurmountable odds.

The film is filled with sterling performances from Connie Nielsen (Mission to Mars), Derek Jacobi (Dead Again, I Claudius) and John Shrapnel (101 Dalmatians).

Breath-taking special effects by London-based firm The Mill prove that anything ILM and Digital Domain can do, the British can do as well.

Hans Zimmer's soundtrack may often try bursting into Holst's Mars Bringer of War but it's often a deeply evocative soundtrack that conjures up the spectacle of what's on offer.

On the whole, you won't feel short changed after the huge saga unfolds.

In a word?

Unmissable.

© 2000 Roger Crow

The Duellists (1977)

Alien (1979)

Blade Runner (1982)

Black Rain (1989)

Thelma and Louise (1991)

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Joan of Arc

Mission to Mars

Enemy of the State

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