Synopsis Gladiator
In AD 180, General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman army to a decisive victory against Germanic tribes at Vindobona, ending a long war on the Roman frontier and earning the esteem of the elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Though he has a male heir, Commodus, the dying emperor wishes to grant temporary leadership to Maximus, hoping eventually to return power to the Roman Senate. When Aurelius tells him of the decision, Commodus, already bitter that he favors Maximus over him, murders his father in a fit of rage and claims the throne.
Maximus realizes the truth about Aurelius' death, but is betrayed by his friend, General Quintus, who reluctantly instructs the Praetorian guards to carry out Commodus' order to execute Maximus, his wife and their son. Maximus manages to escape but is unable to return in time to save his family. After burying them, Maximus is found unconscious by slave traders and taken to Zucchabar, a Roman city in North Africa. There, he is bought by the trader Proximo and forced to fight for his life as a gladiator in arena tournaments. During this time, he befriends fellow gladiators, theNumidian Juba and the Germanic warrior Hagen. Juba tells Maximus to have faith that he will see his wife and child again in the afterlife.
The experienced Maximus proves a fierce gladiator. He ultimately reaches the prestigious Roman Colosseum, where his group is contracted to fight in a staged reenactment of the Battle of Zama, in which Maximus' side is intended to lose. Concealing his identity with a helmet, he skillfully leads a band of gladiators to turn the tide and defeat the opposing scythed chariot and archer force, earning the crowd's praise. Forced to reveal himself to a stunned Commodus in the arena afterward, the crowd votes to spare his life and Commodus appeases them by doing so. Maximus later wins against the undefeated gladiator Tigris, as well as tigers released into the arena, yet refuses to obey Commodus' command to perform the coup de grâce. As a result, he is declared "Maximus the Merciful" by the crowd, increasing his popularity and further frustrating Commodus, who cannot kill Maximus without losing favor with the Roman people.
Following the fight, Maximus is told by his former servant Cicero that his army is still loyal to him. Maximus then conspires with Commodus' sister Lucilla and the senator Gracchus to rejoin with his army and topple Commodus by force. Commodus, however, suspects his sister of betrayal and forces her to reveal the plot by using veiled threats against her young son Lucius. During Maximus' attempted escape, Commodus' guards attack Proximo's gladiator school, killing Hagen and Proximo. Juba and the survivors are imprisoned, but Maximus makes it to the city walls, where he is captured after a failed attempt to save Cicero.
Desperate to get Maximus out of the way and prove his own greatness, Commodus arranges a duel with him in the arena. Unknown to the crowd, Commodus stabs a restrained Maximus with a stiletto to gain advantage over him before they enter the arena. Despite his injury however, Maximus manages to disarm Commodus during the fight and Quintus disobeys the emperor's demand for a sword while commanding his soldiers to do the same. Commodus then produces the hidden stiletto, but Maximus turns the blade back into Commodus' throat, killing him.
With his dying words, Maximus carries out Marcus Aurelius' wishes, calling for Gracchus to be reinstated, the slaves to be freed and power to be restored to the Senate. Maximus dies in Lucilla's arms as he experiences a vision of reuniting with his family. Lucilla then reiterates his wishes and honors his memory, as Maximus' body is carried out from the arena and the crowd stand as a sign of respect. Some time later, Juba visits the Colosseum and buries Maximus' two small figurines of his wife and son in the ground where he died, promising to see him in the afterlife.
Part 1 - Full Movie
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