In the final days of Marcus Aurelius' reign, the aging emperor arouses his son Commodus' anger when he makes known his wish that Maximus be his successor. Power-hungry Commodus kills his father and orders the death of Maximus. But the latter flees and hides his identity by becoming slave and a gladiator. Eventually, Maximus journeys back to Rome to confront his archrival.
Production DreamWorks SKG (as Dreamworks Pictures); Universal Pictures; Scott Free Productions [gb];
Cast Names Jason Croot; James Fiddy; Kjeld Gogosha-Clark; Nic Main; Antonio Meitin; Joćo Costa Menezes; Mike (XI) Mitchell; Norman Campbell Rees; Neil Roche; Paul Sacks; Michael Sheen; Christian Simpson; Ruth Frendo; Russell Crowe; Joaquin Phoenix; Connie Nielsen; Oliver Reed; Richard Harris; Derek Jacobi; Djimon Hounsou; David Schofield; John Shrapnel; Tomas Arana; Ralf Moeller; Spencer Treat Clark; David Hemmings; Tommy Flanagan; Sven-Ole Thorsen; Omid Djalili; Nicholas McGaughey;