Gladiator

Sir.

General.

Sir.

Lean and hungry.

- Still nothing? - Not a sign.

- How long has he been gone? - Nearly two hours.

Will they fight, sir?

We shall know soon enough.

Soldier, I ordered you to move those catapults forward.

- They're out of range. - Range is good.

- The danger to the cavalry... - Is acceptable. Agreed?

They say no.

People should know when they're conquered.

Would you, Quintus?

Would I?

- Strength and honor. - Strength and honor.

At my signal, unleash hell.

Load the catapults.

Infantry form up for advance.

- Archers ready. - Archers!

- Nock! - Nock!

Fratres!

- Maximus! - Maximus!

Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops.

Imagine where you will be, and it will be so.

Hold the line! Stay with me!

If you find yourself alone,

riding in green fields with the sun on your face,

do not be troubled.

For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!

Brothers,

what we do in life

echoes in eternity.

Pull!

Cohorts ready, sir!

Archers, ignite!

- Ignite! - Ignite!

Archers, draw!

Loose!

All right, men, ready!

Hold the line!

Loose!

Reload!

Hold the line!

- Draw! - Loose!

Stay with me!

Roma victor!

Do you think he's really dying?

He's been dying for 10 years.

If he weren't really dying, he wouldn't have sent for us.

Maybe he just misses us.

And the senators? He wouldn't have summoned them if...

Peace, Commodus.

After two weeks on the road,

your incessant scheming is hurting my head.

He's made his decision. He's going to announce it.

He will name me.

The first thing I shall do when...

Is honor him with games worthy of His Majesty.

For now, the first thing I shall do is have a hot bath.

Your Highness?

We seem to be almost there, sir.

- Sire. - Where's the Emperor?

He's at the front, sire. They've been gone for 19 days.

The wounded are still coming in.

My horse.

My lord.

Kiss?

You have proved your valor yet again, Maximus.

Let us hope, for the last time.

There's no one left to fight, sire.

There is always someone left to fight.

How can I reward Rome's greatest general?

Let me go home.

Home.

They honor you, Caesar.

It's for you, Maximus. They honor you.

Have I missed it? Have I missed the battle?

You have missed the war.

Father, congratulations.

I shall sacrifice 100 bulls to honor your triumph.

Save the bulls.

Honor Maximus. He won the battle.

- General. - Highness.

Rome salutes you, and I embrace you as a brother.

It has been too long, my old friend.

Highness.

Here, Father. Take my arm.

I think it is time for me to leave.

So much for the glory of Rome.

Magnificent battle.

General. Still alive?

Still alive.

The gods must have a sense of humor.

- The gods must love you. - Valerius.

Back to barracks, General? Or to Rome?

Home. My wife, my son, the harvest.

Maximus the farmer. I still have difficulty imagining that.

You know, dirt cleans off a lot easier than blood, Quintus.

- Here he is. - Highness.

Senator Gaius, Senator Falco.

Beware of Gaius. He'll pour a honeyed potion in your ear,

and you'll wake up one day and all you'll say is, "Republic, republic, republic."

Well, why not? Rome was founded as a republic.

Yes, and in a republic the senate has the power.

But Senator Gaius isn't influenced by that, of course.

Where do you stand, General? Emperor or Senate?

A soldier has the advantage

of being able to look his enemy in the eye, Senator.

Well, with an army behind you, you could be extremely political.

I warned you. Now I shall save you. Senators.

Maximus.

I'm going to need good men like you.

How may I be of service, Highness?

You're a man who knows what it is to command.

You give your orders, the orders are obeyed, and the battle is won.

But these senators scheme, squabble and flatter and deceive.

Maximus, we must save Rome from the politicians, my friend.

Can I count on you when the time comes?

Highness, when your father releases me, I intend to return home.

Home? Well, no one's earned it more.

Don't get too comfortable. I may call on you before long.

Lucilia's here. Did you know?

She's not forgotten you.

And now, you're the great man.

If only you had been born a man,

what a Caesar you would have made.

Father.

You would have been strong.

I wonder, would you have been just?

I would have been what you taught me to be.

How was your journey?

Long. Uncomfortable. Why have I come?

I need your help. With your brother.

Of course.

He loves you. He always has.

And

he will need you now, more than ever.

Enough of politics.

Let us pretend that you are a loving daughter,

and I am a good father.

This is a pleasant fiction, isn't it?

Good morning to you.

I need three more horses.

One! Two! Three!

Four!

One! Two!

You sent for me, Caesar?

- Caesar? - Tell me again, Maximus.

Why are we here?

For the glory of the empire, sire.

Yes.

Yes, I remember.

Do you see that map, Maximus?

That is the world which I created.

For 25 years,

I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the empire.

Since I became Caesar, I've known four years without war.

Four years of peace in 20.

And for what?

I brought the sword. Nothing more.

Caesar, your life...

Please. Please don't call me that.

Come. Please.

Come sit.

Let us talk together now,

very simply, as men.

Well, Maximus,

talk.

Five thousand of my men are out there in the freezing mud.

Three thousand of them are bloodied and cleaved.

Two thousand will never leave this place.

I will not believe that they fought and died for nothing.

And what would you believe?

They fought for you and for Rome.

And what is Rome, Maximus?

I've seen much of the rest of the world.

It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light.

Yet you have never been there.

You have not seen what it has become.

I am dying, Maximus.

When a man sees his end,

he wants to know there was some purpose to his life.

How will the world speak my name in years to come?

Will I be known as the philosopher?

The warrior?

The tyrant?

Or will I be the Emperor who gave Rome back her true self?

There was once a dream that was Rome.

You could only whisper it.

Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish,

it was so fragile.

And I fear that it will not survive the winter.

Maximus,

let us whisper now,

together, you and I.

You have a son.

Tell me about your home.

My house is in the hills above Trujillo.

A very simple place.