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Rome is on the brink in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” It is said that its collapse is near. The dream it once symbolized is dead. The once high-minded ideals of the Roman Empire have decayed into a barbarian land now ruled over by a pale-faced emperor.
On the throne is Geta, who sits with his sneezing brother Caracalla. Of course, the heart of this Rome is the Coliseum, where crowds cheer for gladiators who fight and die. There, the ageless Scott remains remarkably at home. This segment, with its explosions of spectacle and violence, embodies the director’s own vision of the big screen: go big or go home.
This duality – a fallen society and its insatiable need for entertainment – is the clever and not altogether flattering backdrop of the “Gladiator” films. Part two, set 20 years after the events of the first film, brings a new combatant to the Coliseum – a mysterious outsider named Lucius Verus, played by Paul Mescal. And to answer the inevitable question, yes. Yes, I was quite entertained.
“Gladiator II” is not that iconic a film; the first film, a Best Picture winner, came out in 2001. It is a ground-breaking sword-and-sandal epic that values the need to entertain above all else. No one understands this more than Denzel Washington in “Gladiator II.” His performance as the Machiavellian power broker Macrinus is a delicious blur of robes and smiles – so compellingly over-the-top that he almost reaches 1990s Al Pacino standards.
There are scattered interests inside Rome in overthrowing it, including Marcus Acacius, a decorated general who has just returned from a successful campaign to capture Numidia in northwest Africa.
Acacius is a loyal Roman, but when he learns that the emperors are only more bloodthirsty for further territory and more war, he and his wife, Lucilla, begin plotting to overthrow the brothers.
In a movie where everyone keeps a secret, few stay hidden for long. The most prominent among them is Lucius Verus, a warrior from Numidia who was taken captive and forced to fight as a gladiator. He is the son of Lucilla and Maximus. Following the events of that film, Lucilla sends him, as heir to the Empire, to Numidia to grow up out of the Empire’s power struggles.
Mescal, the brilliant Irish actor from “Aftersun” and “All of Us Strangers,” steps effortlessly into blockbuster territory for the first time. “That’s interesting,” Macrinus says, glancing at it for the first time. Lucius of Mescal is vengeful – the Roman army killed his warrior wife in the Numidian War. Macrinus says admiringly, “Anger flows out of you like milk.” The twinkle of mischief in Mescal’s eyes gives Lucius a little more character than your average avenging gladiator.
We see Lucius cleverly survive one arena after another. Meanwhile, Macrinus manipulated the emperor in order to divert public interest away from him. It is a rich but slightly cartoonish tapestry of palace intrigue, with Macrinus deftly pulling all the strings.
But, really, no power move is as compelling as the Coliseum’s booming carnival scenes. On the gladiators’ first journey, they were greeted by man-eating monkeys. Next, it’s atop a giant rhinoceros, which is charging. Then, the piece de resistance: the coliseum full of sharks. There are also small artificial islands with palm trees spread all around them.
Now, “Gladiator II” will not stand up to much scrutiny from historians. , But this is not a film made for accuracy. It’s designed to take a few pieces of history and incorporate them into the feast and the allure of seeing Macrinus of Washington waving his head recently freed from his body.
Yes, Scott has a major role in the “Gladiator” sequel. Macrinus succeeds in driving Rome into frenzy. In fact, he does it with such ease and finesse that, once things start to unravel for him, the wind leaves “Gladiator II.” Even after changing the screw so patiently and skillfully, you still don’t believe his carelessness.
Nevertheless, two potential heirs emerge – Lucius, who has a birthright to the throne, and Macrinus, who comes to grips with it solely through his intelligence. Is it any wonder that I was supporting Macrinus all the way? How can you not, when Washington is chewing up the scenery and making enthusiastic declarations like: “That, my friends, is politics!”
“Gladiator II,” a Paramount Pictures release. Rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “strong bloody violence”. Running time: 148 minutes. Three out of four stars.
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