History Awesome / Gladiator

%%* "[[{{TearJerker}} Who will help me carry him?]]"

* Proximo is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators -- HIS gladiators -- win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.
** " Shadows and dust..."

* "[[{{TearJerker}} Who will help me carry him?]]"
* A meta one: just watching the film, you'd never know a major cast member died before finishing his scenes, because the crew was able to cobble together a character arc for Proximo so seamlessly out of what Creator/OliverReed had already shot, plus an occasional [[FakeShemp digital recreation]].

* "[[{{Tearjerker}} Who will help me carry him?]]"

* A meta one: just watching the film, you'd never know a major cast member died before finishing his scenes, because the crew was able to cobble together a character arc for Proximo so seamlessly out of what Oliver Reed had already shot, plus an occasional digital recreation.

* Proximo is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, even naming a trope ("WinTheCrowd..."), not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators -- HIS gladiators -- win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.

* Proximo is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, even naming a trope ("Win the crowd..."), not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators -- HIS gladiators -- win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.

* The second Zucchabar arena fight, where Maximus stabs a guy in the chest with two swords, then pulls both of them out and decapitates him.
** The same fight has him kill six men in less than a minute. In a "blink or you'll miss it" moment, he takes down a helmeted gladiator by punching him in the head ''with his less dominant hand''.
** The fight gives the film its most famous line, as Maximus is simply so lethal in single combat that he'll take down a whole arena in a brutal and uncomfortable fight that the audience is disturbed into silence by.
-->'''Maximus:''' ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
* Maximus dispatching all the praetorians sent to kill him.
** "It's the frost. [[NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont Sometimes it makes the blade stick]]". Max says this before dispatching the last praetorian.
** Don't forget Maximus killing a mounted Praetorian by ''[[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing a sword at him]]'' from at least thirty feet away, in deep woods. ''With his hands chained together.''
** Adding to all that, one of the Praetorians does manage to wound him during the scuffle, and Maximus still curb-stomps them.
* The captain of Commodus' personal guard gets his when he betrays his ruler. Commodus has been disarmed, and he requests a new sword, so the guards begin offering their blades, only for the captain to step forward and yell "Sheathe your swords!" Commodus is killed as a result.
* Maximus leading his men to victory at the Colosseum, despite that it was supposed to have been a recreation of a CurbStompBattle.
--> '''Commodus''': My history is a little hazy, Cassius, but shouldn't the barbarians lose the battle of Carthage?
--> '''Cassius''': Uh, yes, sire... umm, forgive me sire.
* Maximus risking his own life against a rampaging chariot in order to save Hagen, who until this point was effectively his enemy. This changes Hagen's [[FireForgedFriends attitude entirely]].
* Proximo is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, even naming a trope ("Win the crowd..."), not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators -- HIS gladiators -- win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.
** " Shadows and dust..."

** Also, Quintus giving one last [[BodyguardBetrayal "Fuck you"]] to the Emperor by refusing to give him his sword and ordering the guards surrounding him to sheathe their swords.

** "[[FamousLastWords Shadows and dust]]..."

* '' '''"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"

** The same fight has him kill six men in less than a minute. In a "blink or you'll miss it" moment, he takes down a helmeted gladiator by punching him in the head ''with his less dominant hand''. Maximus is just that manly.

* Maximus' multiple burns toward Commodus. From revealing his identity, sparing Tigris' life and keeping his head cool when Commodus describes his wife's and son's deaths, while at the same time draining all popularity from Commodus until even his [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating own men hate him]].

** What possibly makes this even more awesome is that it's actually slightly ''historically accurate''. The Praetorian Guard really did have a history of betraying their Emperor, although, while it's historically accurate in the sense that the Praetorians were known to turn against the Emperor if given sufficient reason to do so, it's not how the real Commodus died; he was strangled by an assassin. His Praetorian Guards were loyal through out his reign.

-->([[Main/{{Beat}} beat]])

* The second Zucchabar arena fight, where Maximus stabs a guy in the chest with two sword, then pulls both of them out and decapitates him.

* Maximus's final battle with Commodus. Even when Commodus stabbed him to ensure an advantage, Maximus held his own and even when Commodus resorts to outright cheating, he still won.
* Maximus [[spoiler:forcing Commodus' hand backwards to stab him in the throat.... all the while bleeding to death]]
* "Who will help me carry him?"

* "Shadows and dust..."

* Maximus's BattleCry in the opening battle.
--> '''Maximus''': ''(as he leads his cavalry in a charge)'' '''''ROMA INVICTA!'''''[[note]]"Unconquered Rome!"[[/note]]
** And his victory cry as well: '''''ROMA VICTOR!'''''[[note]]"Rome is victorius!"[[/note]]
* Proximo is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, even naming a trope ("Win the crowd..."), not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators - HIS gladiators - win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.

* The FinalBattle, where Maximus and Commodus confront each other in a duel to the death. Points go to Maximus, who remains [[TranquilFury terrifyingly calm]] while Commodus is [[VillainousBreakdown losing it]] as the battle goes on.

* No love for Proximo? The man is a former gladiator who won his own freedom, and has some of the best lines of the movie, even naming a trope ("Win the crowd..."), not to mention the gleeful cackle he gives when the gladiators - HIS gladiators - win the Unwinnable Fight in the Battle of Carthage reenactment. On a meta-level, it's Oliver Reed's final role, and he goes out like a boss.

** Neither did we, [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome until this film showed us how far CG technology had come]].

* Juba, upon seeing the coliseum: "I didn't know men could build such things."

* The captain of Commodus' personal guard gets his when he finally stands up to the humiliation and corruption of his ruler. Commodus has been disarmed, and he demands a sword, so the guards begin drawing their blades, only for the captain to step forward and yell "Sheathe your swords!" Then he turns to look at Commodus, and his expression says it all: Time for you to fight your own battles, you bastard." Commodus is promptly so desperate that he finally drops all pretense of fair play and brandishes a dagger. And still gets his ass handed to him.
** What possibly makes this even more awesome is that it's actually ''historically accurate''. The Praetorian Guard really did have a history of betraying their Emperor if/when they finally go too far, and Commudus certainly did. However, while it's historically accurate in the sense that the Praetorians were known to turn against the higher-ups if given sufficient reason to do so, it's not how the real Commodus died; he was strangled by an assassin.

*** And that single line, shouted out over the din of the ENTIRE ROMAN COLOSSEUM, is none other than noted very loud person BrianBlessed.

--> '''Maximus''': ''(as he leads his cavalry in a charge)'' '''''ROMA INVICTA!'''''[[note]]"Rome Is Invincible!"[[/note]]

** On that note, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaYffgD6nBA the fight against Tigris the Gaul]]. Particularly when Maximus is pounced on by a tiger that had escaped its restraint, and he quickly dispatches the cat while his stunned opponent looks on. Despite his face being completely hidden by a helmet, Tigris' OhCrap reaction is very much apparent. And then, after Maximus had defeated the guy and received the ''pollice verso'' from Commodus, he spares Tigris anyway, just to ''[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu piss off the Emperor of Rome]]''.
-->''Maximus! Maximus, the Merciful!''

--> '''Maximus''': ''(as he leads his cavalry in a charge)'' '''''ROMA INVICTA!'''''

** Neither did we, [[VisualEffectsOfAwesome until this film showed us how far CG technology had come]].

--> '''Maximus''': ''(as he leads his cavalry in a charge)'' '''''ROMA VICTOR!'''''

-->'''Maximus:''' "My name is Gladiator." ''[turns away]''
-->'''Commodus:''' "How dare you show your back to me! Slave, you will remove your helmet and tell me your name."
-->'''Maximus:''' ''[removes helmet and faces Commodus]'' "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."