Gladiator (2000, USA) 
Director: Ridley Scott 
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix 

Upon the sudden death of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), his twisted son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) unlawfully imprisons his father's loyal general, Maximus (Russell Crowe), and condemns him to fight in the gladiator games. While the plot is virtually the same as the 1964 film Fall of the Roman Empire, Dreamworks Studios and director Ridley Scott have produced an impressive, unbelievably massive epic. Gladiator tries to bring to its genre a little more depth and artistic beauty than usual, but there are many glaring inconsistencies here, and talky scenes of convoluted political intrigue often slow the pace. This is an entertaining popcorn movie on a gloriously grand scale with spectacular action sequences and jaw-dropping sets. 

 With all these half-naked brawny men on display, it's not hard to see how gladiator movies fueled so many gay boyhood fantasies. Ancient Rome accepted homosexuality, so at one point star gladiator Crowe is offered either women or "boys," and Derek Jacobi plays a senator who takes a male lover. 

--Q Syndicate

Source : Obtained from PlanetOut.Com