gladiator - Crowe plays General Maximus, chief legionnaire for the aging Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). A fierce fighter and canny tactician, Maximus wants nothing more than to mop up a few Huns and go back to Spain where his family awaits. But politics intervene and he soon finds himself in the middle of a power play between the emperor and his weasel son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Marcus wants Maximus to rule as a regent until the Senate can take control, making Rome a true republic. Commodus, on the other hand, sees the Empire as his own personal chew toy and doesn't need Maximus getting in the way. One foiled execution and desperate flight later, the general finds himself chained to a slave caravan, destined for the gladiator pits of North Africa. While he chafes under the yoke of his new master (the late Oliver Reed), his new enemy whacks the old man, heads back to Rome, and starts making creepy overtures to his she-devil of a sister (Connie Nielsen)