[Solemn instrumental music]
[Solemn instrumental music continues]
[Sweeping instrumental music]
Sir.
SOLDIER 1: General.
[Sweeping instrumental music continues]
Sir.
Lean and hungry.
- Still nothing? - Not a sign.
MAXIMUS: How long has he been gone? QUINTUS: Nearly two hours.
Will they fight, sir?
We shall know soon enough.
Soldier, I ordered you to move those catapults forward.
- They're out of range. - Range is good.
- The danger to the cavalry... - Is acceptable. Agreed?
[Man yelling]
[Ominous instrumental music]
They say no.
[Ominous instrumental music continues]
[Man yelling in native language]
People should know when they're conquered.
[People cheering]
Would you, Quintus?
Would I?
[People shouting]
[Dog whimpers]
[Sniffs]
Strength and honor.
At my signal, unleash hell.
Load the catapults.
Infantry form up for advance.
QUINTUS: Archers ready. SOLDIERS: [Yelling] Archers!
Nock!
[Gripping instrumental music]
[Soldiers uttering war cries]
Fratres!
SOLDIERS: [Shouting] Maximus!
MAXIMUS: Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops.
Imagine where you will be, and it will be so.
MAXIMUS: Hold the line! Stay with me!
If you find yourself alone...
riding in green fields with the sun on your face...
do not be troubled.
For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!
[Soldiers laughing]
MAXIMUS: Brothers...
what we do in life...
echoes in eternity.
[Gripping instrumental music]
Pull!
SOLDIER 2: Catapults ready, sir!
Archers, ignite!
Ignite!
[Gripping instrumental music continues]
SOLDIER 2: Archers, draw!
Loose!
[Cries]
[Fast-paced instrumental music]
[Uttering war cries]
SOLDIER 2: All right, men, ready!
MAXIMUS: Hold the line!
[Fast-paced instrumental music continues]
SOLDIER 3: Loose!
SOLDIER 3: Reload!
MAXIMUS: Hold the line!
- Draw! - Loose!
MAXIMUS: Stay with me!
[Intense instrumental music]
MAXIMUS: Roma victor!
[Intense instrumental music continues]
[Grunts]
[Yells]
[Growls]
[Somber instrumental music]
[Somber instrumental music continues]
Roma victor!
[Soldiers cheering]
COMMODUS: Do you think he's really dying?
He's been dying for 10 years.
If he weren't really dying, he wouldn't have sent for us.
Maybe he just misses us.
And the senators? He wouldn't have summoned them if...
Peace, Commodus.
After two weeks on the road, your incessant scheming is hurting my head.
He's made his decision. He's going to announce it.
He will name me.
The first thing I shall do when...
Is honor him with games worthy of His Majesty.
For now, the first thing I shall do is have a hot bath.
[Knocking]
GUARD: Your Highness?
GUARD: We seem to be almost there, sire.
[Solemn instrumental music]
SOLDIER: Sire. COMMODUS: Where's the Emperor?
He's at the front, sire. They've been gone for 19 days.
The wounded are still coming in.
My horse.
SOLDIER 2: My lord.
Kiss?
[Somber instrumental music]
You have proved your valor yet again, Maximus.
Let us hope, for the last time.
There's no one left to fight, sire.
There is always someone left to fight.
How can I reward Rome's greatest general?
Let me go home.
Home.
[Somber instrumental music]
[Soldiers cheering]
They honor you, Caesar.
It's for you, Maximus. They honor you.
[Soldiers cheering]
Have I missed it? Have I missed the battle?
You have missed the war.
Father, congratulations.
I shall sacrifice 100 bulls to honor your triumph.
Save the bulls.
Honor Maximus. He won the battle.
COMMODUS: General. MAXIMUS: Highness.
Rome salutes you, and I embrace you as a brother.
It has been too long, my old friend.
Highness.
Here, Father. Take my arm.
I think it is time for me to leave.
So much for the glory of Rome.
[Melancholic instrumental music]
[Melancholic instrumental music continues]
[Drums beating]
Magnificent battle.
[Triumphant instrumental music]
General. Still alive?
QUINTUS: Still alive.
The gods must have a sense of humor.
QUINTUS: The gods must love you. MAXIMUS: Valerius.
Back to barracks, General? Or to Rome?
Home. My wife, my son, the harvest.
Maximus the farmer. I still have difficulty imagining that.
You know, dirt cleans off a lot easier than blood, Quintus.
- Here he is. - Highness.
COMMODUS: Senator Gaius, Senator Falco.
Beware of Gaius. He'll pour a honeyed potion in your ear...
and you'll wake up one day and all you'll say is, "Republic. "
Well, why not? Rome was founded as a republic.
Yes, and in a republic the senate has the power.
But Senator Gaius isn't influenced by that, of course.
Where do you stand, General? Emperor or Senate?
A soldier has the advantage of being able to look his enemy in the eye, Senator.
Well, with an army behind you, you could be extremely political.
I warned you. Now I shall save you. Senators.
[Triumphant instrumental music continues]
Maximus.
I'm going to need good men like you.
How may I be of service, Highness?
You're a man who knows what it is to command.
You give your orders, the orders are obeyed, and the battle is won.
But these senators scheme, squabble and flatter and deceive.
COMMODUS: We must save Rome from the politicians, my friend.
Can I count on you when the time comes?
Highness, when your father releases me, I intend to return home.
Home? Well, no one's earned it more.
Don't get too comfortable. I may call on you before long.
COMMODUS: Lucilla's here. Did you know?
She's not forgotten you.
And now, you're the great man.
If only you had been born a man...
what a Caesar you would have made.
Father.
[Soft instrumental music]
You would have been strong.
I wonder, would you have been just?
I would have been what you taught me to be.
How was your journey?
Long. Uncomfortable. Why have I come?
I need your help. With your brother.
Of course.
He loves you. He always has.
And...
he will need you now, more than ever.
Enough of politics.
Let us pretend that you are a loving daughter...
and I am a good father.
[Soft instrumental music continues]
This is a pleasant fiction, isn't it?
[Solemn instrumental music]
SOLDIER: Good morning.
[Solemn instrumental music continues]
SOLDIER 2: I need three more horses.
Two! Three!
SOLDIER 7: Four!
SOLDIER 3: One! Two!
MAXIMUS: You sent for me, Caesar?
- Caesar? - Tell me again, Maximus.
Why are we here?
For the glory of the empire, sire.
Yes.
Yes, I remember.
Do you see that map, Maximus?
That is the world which I created.
For 25 years...
I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the empire.
Since I became Caesar, I've known four years without war.
Four years of peace in 20.
And for what?
[Sighs]
I brought the sword. Nothing more.
Caesar, your life...
Please. Please don't call me that.
Come. Please.
Come sit.
Let us talk together now...
very simply, as men.
Well, Maximus...
talk.
5,000 of my men are out there in the freezing mud.
3,000 of them are bloodied and cleaved. 2,000 will never leave this place.
I will not believe that they fought and died for nothing.
CAESAR: And what would you believe?
They fought for you and for Rome.
And what is Rome, Maximus?
I've seen much of the rest of the world.
It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light.
Yet you have never been there.
You have not seen what it has become.
I am dying, Maximus.
When a man sees his end...
he wants to know there was some purpose to his life.
How will the world speak my name in years to come?
Will I be known as the philosopher?
The warrior?
The tyrant?
Or will I be the Emperor who gave Rome back her true self?
CAESAR: There was once a dream that was Rome.
You could only whisper it.
Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish...
it was so fragile.
And I fear that it will not survive the winter.
CAESAR: Maximus...
let us whisper now...
together, you and I.
You have a son.
Tell me about your home.
[Surreal instrumental music]
My house is in the hills above Trujillo.
A very simple place.
Pink stones that warm in the sun.
A kitchen garden that smells of herbs in the day...
jasmine in the evening.
Through the gate is a giant poplar.
Figs, apples, pears.
The soil, Marcus, black. Black like my wife's hair.
Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north.
Wild ponies play near my house. They tease my son.
He wants to be one of them.
When was the last time you were home?
Two years, 264 days and this morning.
I envy you, Maximus. It's a good home.
Worth fighting for.
CAESAR: There is one more duty...
that I ask of you before you go home.
What would you have me do, Caesar?
CAESAR: I want you to become the protector of Rome after I die.
I will empower you to one end alone...
to give power back to the people of Rome...
and end the corruption that has crippled it.
[Surreal instrumental music continues]
Will you accept this great honor that I have offered you?
With all my heart, no.
Maximus...
that is why it must be you.
But surely a prefect, a senator...
somebody who knows the city, who understands her politics.
CAESAR: But you have not been corrupted by her politics.
- And Commodus? - Commodus is not a moral man.
You have known that since you were young.
CAESAR: Commodus cannot rule.
CAESAR: He must not rule.
You are the son that I should have had.
Commodus will accept my decision.
He knows that you command the loyalty of the army.
[Somber instrumental music]
I need some time, sire.
Yes.
By sunset, I hope you will have agreed.
Now embrace me as my son.
And bring an old man another blanket.
LUCILLA: My father favors you now. MAXIMUS: My lady.
- It was not always so. - Many things change.
Many things. Not everything.
LUCILLA: Maximus, stop.
Let me see your face.
LUCILLA: You seem upset. MAXIMUS: I lost many men.
What did my father want with you?
To wish me well before I leave for home.
You're lying.
I could always tell when you were lying because you were never any good at it.
- I never acquired your comfort with it. - True.
But then you never had to.
Life is more simple for a soldier.
Or do you think me heartless?
I think you have a talent for survival.
[Chuckles]
Maximus, stop.
Is it really so terrible seeing me again?
No. I'm tired from battle.
LUCILLA: It hurts you to see my father so fragile.
Commodus expects that my father will announce his succession within days.
Will you serve my brother as you served his father?
[Soft instrumental music]
I will always serve Rome.
Do you know...
I still remember you in my prayers.
Oh, yes. I pray.
I was sad to hear of your husband's death. I mourned him.
- Thank you. - And I hear you have a son.
Yes. Lucius.
He'll be nearly eight years old.
My son is also nearly eight.
MAXIMUS: I thank you for your prayers.
MAXIMUS: Ancestors, I ask for your guidance.
Blessed Mother, come to me with the gods' desire for my future.
Blessed Father, watch over my wife and son with a ready sword.
MAXIMUS: Whisper to them, I live only to hold them again.
Ancestors, I honor you...
and will try to live with the dignity you have taught me.
[Sentimental instrumental music]
MAXIMUS: Cicero.
Sir.
Do you ever find it hard to do your duty?
Sometimes I do what I want to do.
The rest of the time, I do what I have to.
We may not be able to go home, after all.
[Sighs]
[Solemn instrumental music]
CAESAR: Are you ready to do your duty for Rome?
Yes, Father.
You will not be emperor.
Which wiser, older man is to take my place?
My powers will pass to Maximus...
to hold in trust...
until the Senate is ready to rule once more.
Rome is to be a republic again.
COMMODUS: Maximus. CAESAR: Yes.
My decision disappoints you?
You wrote to me once...
listing the four chief virtues:
Wisdom...
justice...
fortitude...
and temperance.
As I read the list, I knew I had none of them.
But I have other virtues, Father.
Ambition.
That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel.
COMMODUS: Resourcefulness, courage.
Perhaps not on the battlefield, but there are many forms of courage.
Devotion to my family...
to you.
But none of my virtues were on your list.
[Solemn instrumental music continues]
Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son.
Commodus...
you go too far.
I searched the faces of the gods...
for ways to please you, to make you proud.
One kind word...
one full hug...
where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight...
would have been like the sun on my heart for 1,000 years.
COMMODUS: What is it in me you hate so much?
Commodus.
All I've ever wanted...
was to live up to you, Caesar.
COMMODUS: Father. CAESAR: Commodus...
your faults as a son...
is my failure as a father.
Come.
[Dramatic instrumental music]
Father.
[Sobs]
I would butcher the whole world...
if you would only have loved me!
[Caesar choking]
[Commodus grunting]
[Sobs]
[Caesar groaning]
[Tense instrumental music]
[Caesar groans]
Maximus, the Emperor needs you. It's urgent.
Lament with me, brother.
Our great father is dead.
[Grave instrumental music]
MAXIMUS: How did he die?
COMMODUS: The surgeons say there was no pain.
His breath gave out as he slept.
MAXIMUS: Father.
Your emperor asks for your loyalty, Maximus.
Take my hand.
I only offer it once.
MAXIMUS: Quintus.
[Tense instrumental music]
[Lucilla sighs]
[Sniffs]
Hail, Caesar.
I must talk to the senators. I need their counsel.
- Wake Gaius and Falco. - Gaius and Falco.
Sword.
QUINTUS: Maximus, please be careful. That was not prudent.
Prudent? The Emperor has been slain.
QUINTUS: The Emperor died of natural causes.
- Why are you armed, Quintus? - Guards!
Please don't fight, Maximus.
I'm sorry. Caesar has spoken.
Ride until dawn...
and then execute him.
Quintus, look at me. Look at me!
Promise me that you will look after my family.
Your family will meet you in the afterlife.
GUARD: Kneel.
MAXIMUS: Blessed Father, watch over my wife and son.
Whisper to them that I live only to hold them again.
At least give me a clean death.
A soldier's death.
[Groans]
[Grunts]
The frost, sometimes it makes the blade stick.
[Stealthy instrumental music]
Praetorian!
[Tense instrumental music]
[Groans]
[Valiant instrumental music]
[Thunder rumbling]
[Somber instrumental music]
CAESAR: When was the last time you were home?
MAXIMUS: Two years, 264 days and this morning.
Blessed Father, watch over my wife and son...
I will try to live with the dignity you have taught me.
Whisper to them, I live only to hold them again.
... with a ready sword, for all else is dust and air.
Whisper to them, I live only to hold them again.
For all else is dust and air.
[Melancholic instrumental music]
[Serene instrumental music]
[Fast-paced instrumental music]
Papa!
[Neighs]
[Heroic instrumental music]
[Neighs]
[Gasps]
[Surreal instrumental music]
[Melancholic instrumental music]
[Sobs]
[Melancholic music continues]
[Bells jingling]
[Men speaking in native language]
Don't die.
[Growls]
MAXIMUS: You'll meet them again.
Not yet.
[Gasps]
No. They will clean it. Wait and see.
[Gripping instrumental music]
[Lion roars]
Don't die.
They'll feed you to the lions.
They are worth more than we are.
Better now?
Clean. You see?
[Gripping instrumental music continues]
SLAVE TRADER: Proximo! My old friend.
Every day is a great day when you are here...
but today is your most fortunate day.
[Grunts]
Those giraffes you sold me, they won't mate.
They just walk around eating and not mating.
You sold me queer giraffes.
- I want my money back. - Not a chance.
[Gasps]
SLAVE TRADER: I do special price for you. PROXIMO: On what?
Have you seen my new stock? Come and see them.
PROXIMO: Do any of them fight? I've got a match coming up.
Some are good for fighting, others for dying.
You need both, I think.
Get up.
PROXIMO: What's your trade?
I was a hunter.
No, I bought him from a salt mine in Carthage.
Sit down.
PROXIMO: Mark of the legion.
PROXIMO: Deserter. SLAVE TRADER: Maybe so, but who cares?
He's a Spaniard.
I'll take six. For 1,000.
One thousand? The Numidian alone is worth 2,000.
PROXIMO: These slaves are rotten.
It all adds to the flavor. No, wait!
I can negotiate.
I'll give you 2,000, and 4,000 for the beasts.
That's 5,000 for an old friend.
Come on! How long does it take to get into my own house?
PROXIMO: I am Proximo.
I shall be closer to you for the next few days...
which will be the last of your miserable lives...
than that bitch of a mother that brought you screaming into this world.
I did not pay good money for you for your company.
I paid it so that I could profit from your death.
And as your mother was there at your beginning...
so I shall be there at your end.
[Growls]
And when you die, and die you shall...
your transition shall be to the sound of...
[Clapping]
Gladiators...
I salute you.
PROXIMO: Red.
HAGEN: Yellow.
Yellow.
[Yells]
HAGEN: Good.
Red.
HAGEN: Spaniard.
[Slow instrumental music]
[Grunts]
PROXIMO: That's enough for the moment!
His time will come.
Next.
[Slow instrumental music continues]
Spaniard...
why don't you fight?
We all have to fight.
SCRIBE: Well, I don't fight.
I shouldn't be here, I'm a scribe, I write down words...
and speak seven languages.
HAGEN: Good.
Tomorrow, you can scream in seven languages.
[Hagen chuckles maliciously]
HAGEN: Perhaps the scribe will be the one who wins his freedom.
Freedom?
What do I have to do?
You go in the arena and you kill me.
And him...
and the Numidian...
and the deserter.
HAGEN: And 100 more.
And when there's no more to fight, you're free.
I can't do that.
No?
[Solemn instrumental music]
But I can.
Is that the sign of your gods?
Will that not anger them?
[Gasps]
[Gripping instrumental music]
The gods favor you.
Red is the gods' color.
You will need their help today.
[Gripping instrumental music continues]
[Roars]
Proximo!
Still leading with the German?
The crowd love a barbarian.
Besides that, he's making me rich.
Has that Numidian fought before?
No, first time.
MAN 1: And that one, laborer, soldier?
He's a Spaniard. He might as well be a eunuch, for what he brings to the ring.
Five hundred sestertii, the Numidian and Spaniard team makes it through.
And 1,000, that the Numidian makes it through alone.
Are you asking me to bet against my own man?
It's unethical.
What if I make it 2,000?
[Festive instrumental music]
[People cheering]
Some of you are thinking you won't fight...
some that you can't fight.
They all say that until they're out there.
Listen.
CROWD: Kill!
[Slow instrumental music]
Thrust this into another man's flesh...
and they will applaud and love you for that.
And you...
you may begin to love them...
for that.
Ultimately, we're all dead men.
[Solemn instrumental music]
Sadly, we cannot choose how...
but we can decide how we meet that end...
in order that we are remembered...
as men.
Come on!
[Man yelling in native language]
HAGEN: On the left, draw your shields!
On the right, draw your swords!
CROWD: Kill! Kill!