Who doesn't love a movie where the protagonist is seeking revenge in numerous action sequences for the sake of sweet, sweet revenge? When placing films into this type of category, one film that stands out among the rest has to be Gladiator. Gladiator may be considered one of the greatest action films of all time, and for good reason. The soundtrack, dialogues and characters are unmatched in the revenge action film category and can be considered the ultimate in pure action films. Gladiator is a well-rounded film that adds the best of all worlds to create the masterpiece seen today. Ridley Scott's masterpiece, Gladiator, was released to the public in 2000. Received with initial success and considered one of the best films of the year, during its release in 2000, Gladiator had received numerous awards. The film was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning five including Best Film, twelve BAFTA Awards and five Golden Globes, winning two including Best Original Score. The AFI's 100 Heroes and Villains, which evaluates the hundred best movie heroes and villains of the last hundred years, rated Maximus Decimus Meredius, played by Russell Crowe, as the fiftieth best hero character of the last hundred years, according to Empire Magazine . rated Massimo as the thirty-fifth greatest movie character of all time. Gladiator was a highly influential film that sparked curiosity about Roman and classical history in viewers across the United States, in what is now called the "Gladiator Effect." This renewed interest in the story has influenced many film writers to create a film that will live up to Gladiator's name as a predecessor to renewed interest. Some might say that Hans Zimmer is the greatest film composer of... middle of paper ......role. Now, even though he didn't win the award, Phoenix did such a great job as the incestuous, murderous Commodus so well that the audience could see into Commodus's own psyche and feel that Commodus was not the sane emperor he thought to be. These two actors did a great job creating one of the best rivalries between protagonists and antagonists that an action film has ever seen. Gladiator was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, action films of all time. A fantastic soundtrack composed by the great Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. Many memorable quotes and scenes that leave a permanent imprint on the brain such as the dialogue between Commodus and Maximus during Maximus' revelation. Great actors, like Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, play well-developed characters. Gladiator does not disappoint and is considered, and should be, the greatest action film of all time.