The One Thing You Only Notice In Gladiator After Rewatching The Movie
Considering the recent release of "The Last Duel" and his forthcoming Napoleon Bonaparte biopic "Napoleon," it's safe to say that legendary director Ridley Scott is enjoying mining the history books to tell some truly epic stories. It's not the first time he's tried it, of course, with one of his most notable efforts being the 2000 Oscar-winning "Gladiator." According to ABC News, the now-beloved modern classic won five of its 12 nominations from the Academy, including best picture and best actor for Russell Crowe, which sent Crowe's career into the stratosphere.
Filled with an incredible cast and more than enough iconic quotes to swing a sword at, "Gladiator" still stands as one of Scott's most outstanding achievements. At the center of it all is Crowe's revenge-driven former Roman general, Maximus. A hero cut from the same toga as the likes of "Spartacus" and "Ben-Hur," there is a specific moment that the film could do without.
One scene in Gladiator showed more than just swords and sandals
Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and victim of a wardrobe malfunction, Russell Crowe plays a heroic thorn in the side of the cruel Emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who can seemingly handle any opponent that the Colosseum throws at him. However, as is unintentionally revealed in one of many fight scenes, it's not his skills with a sword or his battlefield experience that gives him an advantage. It turns out Maximus' maneuverability in some very comfortable-looking shorts is what ultimately gives him the upper hand.
At one point during his battle with former Gladiator champ Tigris, Maximus falls to the ground, and the camera catches a brief glimpse under his outfit. While there's no risk of anything being too revealing, we do see that he is in fact wearing a pair of cycling shorts. It's brief, but there's no mistaking the stretchy black fabric under Crowe's costume, proving that even with the film's generally incredible attention to detail it only takes a quick moment to break the illusion of it all.