*** This review may contain spoilers ***
An aloof and intelligent young man, Tommy (James Marshall), moves with his father to a new neighborhood which is ‘not the sort of place people move to’ but rather the sort of place that people are trying to get out of. “Gladiator” is the story of a young man with principles who is thrust into a new and dangerous environment after his mother dies and his father (John Heard) falls on hard times. Tommy is soon left to fend for himself when his father who is a salesman must be away from home for weeks at a time. He is pulled into a seedy world of violence and exploitation by a boxing scout (colorfully played by Robert Loggia) and his ruthless boss (Brian Dennehy). Tommy is not only a survivor, but also a loyal friend to fellow boxers played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Jon Seda, and to his new girlfriend (Cara Buono).
**** Mild Spoilers Ahead ******
“Gladiator” is a gritty but touching movie. It’s interesting to watch from the first round to the last round. The soundtrack seemed just right for the setting and era. I enjoyed the location shots of Chicago. James Marshall was terrific as Tommy and the rest of the cast was very good. All of the characters were larger than life but somehow seemed to avoid overplaying or falling into the trap of being a caricature. I guess you could say that director Rowdy Herrington got universally wonderful performances from all of his cast. I found the premise of the movie to be very well set up and engrossing. I’ve read critics who feel like the ending of the movie is not plausible and they are certainly entitled to their opinion. As for me, I found the ending was very realistic given the egos of sports figures. In other words, yes, I believe this particular boxing promoter (Brian Dennehy) would have gotten in the ring to fight Tommy.
For the above reasons I give “Gladiator” the match and a score of 89/100. If you like “Rocky” with Sylvester Stallone, I think you’ll also enjoy “Gladiator”. Just watch out for the graphic language in “Gladiator” which is much rougher than in “Rocky”.
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