When Coppola began production on Godfather III (1990), his production company was on the verge of bankruptcy. The movie he never wanted to make, suddenly he needed to make. And in his hasty about-face, he made critical errors in casting, story beats, and even Pacino’s too-cool crew cut, if you believe the Reddit bro brigade. Out came a joyless, self-serious miss.
Ridley Scott didn’t need to make Gladiator II, and thank God. This is an unapologetic popcorn flick through and through. Scott’s care in crafting Denzel Washington’s character feels like art — the rest, as the Romans would say, is spectacle, making Gladiator II one of the most entertaining trips to the movies this year.
Warrior Hanno (Paul Mescal) finds himself on the losing end of a battle in North Africa. Soon, he’s enslaved, shipped to Rome, and ultimately bought by Macrinus (Washington), who quickly monetizes Hanno’s rage. Fighting as a gladiator, Hanno seeks survival only to position himself to exact revenge against General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who commanded the invading army that devastated Hanno’s city. Two bloodthirsty young brothers (Joseph Quinn & Fred Hechinger) rule as vengeful co-emperors. They distrust the general, who also happens to be married to Lucilla (Connie Nielson), the daughter of a former emperor — the couple, a nepotic threat.
Washington knows the Scotts well, and that trust opened him up to explore here in one of the riskier roles of his career. Working with Scott’s brother Tony, Washington built out the middle of his career in zippy action-thrillers. It’s his role in Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day (2001), though, that comes to mind watching his performance in Gladiator II. It’s Game of Thrones meets The Penguin, and it’s fantastic.
Mescal stares down Denzel believably, which on its own merit alone surely marks a wild success. The physicality of Mescal’s performance seems to eclipse Russell Crowe’s in the original, but where Crowe had the element of surprise working to his advantage in new IP, Mescal’s granted no such reprieve. Instead, he’s inevitably and endlessly compared to his predecessor like two video game characters on a select screen. No matter what Mescal does, he still feels like DLC.
The performances are all compelling. Nielsen’s queen returns, a bit of a Mary Sue, but tragic and heart-wrenching to watch break. Pedro Pascal continues his win streak of always making a role more interesting than it has any business being. An unleashed Joseph Quinn of Stranger Things fame is one half of the creepy twin emperors, violent and erratic. Scott’s faith in him proves warranted, a major role for the up-and-comer.
There is one forgivably mismanaged fight with a cartoon CGI animal that sets up Mescal for quick character development, but feels about as in-universe as the special edition Return of the Jedi (1983) with a cartoon whammy belting a funk song in Jabba’s shadowy palace. Meanwhile ‘Best Actor’ is in the cards for Washington, or ‘Supporting’ depending on how Paramount wants to play this. Between him and a plot that gets increasingly less predictable, it’s hard not to recommend Gladiator II. The story amplifies interest with every scene — but in something this pulpy, don’t expect to care who wins.
Ryan Derenberger is a freelance journalist and editor, a Journalism and AP Language teacher at Whitman HS in Bethesda, MD, and the founder of 'The Idea Sift.' He also serves on the board of directors for student journalism nonprofit 'Kidizenship.'
