Commodus
The 2000 Academy Award-winner for Best Picture, Gladiator starred Russell Crowe as Maximus, and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus. Commodus serves as the main antagonist of the movie. He is depicted as cowardly, greedy and ruthless.The movie is only loosely based on historical events. Although the filmmakers consulted an academic expert with knowledge of the period of the Ancient Roman empire, historical discrepancies were incorporated by the screenwriters. At least one historical advisor resigned due to the changes made, and another asked not to be mentioned in the credits. Historian Allen Ward of the University of Connecticut believed that historical accuracy would not have made Gladiator less interesting or exciting: "creative artists need to be granted some poetic license, but that should not be a permit for the wholesale disregard of facts in historical fiction".The movie begins with an exciting battle scenario, using modern computer graphics. The battle also plays with history: much of the infantry combat is shown as one-on-one dueling between individuals. The highly organized Romans would not have allowed this to happen: the organized, cohort-based fighting style would have been used to wear down the Germans. The movie ends with the death of both Commodus and Maximus in the arena. The post of Emperor is then auctioned off...