The Last Duel isn't the first medieval epic Ridley Scott has tackled. Exodus: Gods and Kings, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood are grand features, but Gladiator remains as the filmmaker's greatest historical epic. Gladiator invokes many themes, including survival, vengeance, and redemption, as well as a grand atmosphere in its display of Rome and the Colosseum.
Gladiator centers on Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (the mighty Russell Crowe), who serves under the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (portrayed by the late great Richard Harris). Maximus is a man of action, both a warrior and a leader who fights for his army, for his Emperor, and for the people of Rome. However, he is also simply a man with a family, and after many years of battle, Maximus intends to return to his home, with a wife and son waiting for him.
However, Aurelius wants Maximus to become Emperor of Rome instead of his unstable son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix pre-Joker). Maximus, who would prefer to go home to his family rather than become Emperor, needs time to make a crucial decision. The jealous and snobbish Commodus, realizing that his own father wants Maximus to be Emperor instead of him, is sad and heartbroken. This results in Commodus murdering his father, and then ordering the deaths of Maximus and his wife and son.
While Maximus manages to fight back and escape death, he sadly finds his wife and son murdered, hanging in front of their home. Maximus then finds himself surrounded by other prisoners, and all are forced to fight as Gladiators. However, after losing his family, his Emperor, his army, and his status as a Roman General, Maximus doesn't want to fight, feeling that he has nothing to live for.
When Maximus does start fighting as a Gladiator, showing what he's made of ("are you not entertained?!"), his strive to seek vengeance towards Commodus is made clear, especially to Proximo, the man who owns the Gladiators, and once met Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Proximo becomes one of Maximus' most beneficial allies because he can help Maximus get close to Commodus (who is now Emperor of Rome) since the Gladiators will fight at the Colosseum.
Gladiator may pretty much seem like a simple revenge story, but Ridley's film is set on such a grand scale, with a powerful cast of characters who are very convincing in their roles. Maximus continues to be Russell Crowe's defining performance as an actor (and an Academy Award-winning one) because his protagonist has the right balance of dramatic emotion and physical strength. Whether he's a general leading an army, a slave fighting to survive, or a Gladiator convincing his fellow men to fight alongside him, Maximus is the true definition of a warrior determined to kill and seek vengeance at any cost.
Before winning an Oscar for his dark, tormented turn as the Joker in Todd Phillips' 2019 film, Joaquin Phoenix proved that he could play a villain to hate in the role of Commodus. This character is downright selfish, hateful, and self-obsessed with his cruel methods of becoming the Emperor of Rome. Unlike Maximus, who is always tough and powerful as a General or slave, Commodus is weak and vulnerable because no one trusts him as a leader or a politician. Commodus doesn't trust anyone either, and questions the loyalty of everyone who works under his rule, including his sister Lucilla.
Connie Nielsen (perhaps best known as Queen Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman) portrays Lucilla as a caring daughter to Aurelius and a loving mother to her son Lucius. While she loved Commodus, she gave up caring for her brother once he killed their father and became Emperor. Lucilla remained silent about her brother's evil crimes in order to protect Lucius, fearing that Commodus would kill her son. Lucilla is a very cautious character, but powerful in her ability to take action at the right moments, such as in her meetings with Maximus.
As in every Ridley Scott film, the action sequences are intense and bloody. The fight scenes between the Gladiators and their opponents in the grand Colosseum are especially vibrant to watch because Maximus and his men are the underdogs destined to be killed, but with Maximus' training as a General, he is able to lead his new comrades into battle, defying both Rome and the Emperor. Maximus also has a complicated battle against an undisputed champion, along with tigers.
The confrontations and final battle between Maximus and Commodus are the best because, no matter what Commodus does to try and get rid of Maximus, the General turned Gladiator is always loved and respected for fighting great battles and being a true warrior. As Emperor, Commodus fails to gain the people's trust due to his lack of leadership.
Hans Zimmer also composes another impactful score that perfectly sets the mood for the film, specifically when the music excitedly builds up in every fight sequence. There are also calm, spiritual tones when Maximus remembers his family and thinks about meeting them in the afterlife.
Gladiator is a throwback to the swords and sandals epics, reminiscent of early films like Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus with Kirk Douglas, as well as Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments, each starring Charlton Heston. It also has the vengeful brutality of Mel Gibson's Braveheart, and likely inspired other historical, biblical, and mythical epics of the 21st Century, like Troy, Alexander, and King Arthur.
It's been a while since there's been a Medieval epic made on film (Game of Thrones dominated television). However, The Last Duel not only appears to contain more gritty battles similar to Gladiator, but also a story more centered on its female protagonist, and her stand against sexual abuse and chivalry. While Maximus in Gladiator yelled, "are you not entertained," Ridley's new film declares: "let them go!"