zkonedog Type "Gladiator" into any search engine for movies, and you'll get pages and pages of Russell Crowe's gladiator epic. Yet, at the bottom of those lists, you may just find this little gem that you've never heard of. If you are a fan of pugilistic big-screen experiences, this is one that at the very least will keep you entertained.For a basic plot summary, "Gladiator" tells the story of Tommy Riley (James Marshall), a white teenage youngster who (via parental circumstances) is moved into an all-black school and neighborhood. After having enough of the constant bullying and needing money badly, Tommy is recruited into a shady boxing circuit by Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia). After befriending similar hard-luck case Lincoln Haines (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Tommy runs headlong into "big boss" Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy) when a huge conflict of interest rises between them."Gladiator", in terms of themes, is about as simple a movie as ever was made. I remember watching it off television as a kid and even then being about to follow the themes. While that simplicity keeps it from being a classic, it also makes sure that the movie ages pretty well. Whether you watching this movie in theaters in 1992 or on your flat-screen in 2014, it plays pretty much the same.Perhaps what shines most from this movie, though, is the performance by Brian Dennehy. That is what I remembered most from the original viewing and what drew me towards finding it again. Along the way, though, I noticed great performances from Gooding Jr. and Ossie Davis as well.If you are not a fan of boxing movies, I would say you can probably skip this one, as without an appreciate of the boxing-related themes the rest of the narrative will be a bit too simplistic to hold your interest. If you love the "sweet science", though, this one will at least entertain you with some drama and adversity themes.

goreilly40 We all have our favourite movies which the critics panned, and this is one of mine. Is it a bad movie, well I didn't think so as it isn't that complicated to follow, and it isn't that far fetched, it tells us a story of two young men living in the slums who find themselves trapped in the dark world of illegal unlicensed boxing, one who wants a better life and the other who has been forced into fighting to pay off his fathers gambling debts. But this is more than a boxing movie, its more of a gangster movie, minus the gun violence, showing how organised crime and gangs have exploited the people who live in the poorer areas for their own gain. The boxing scenes were some of the more violent I've seen, but then this was unlicensed boxing were anything goes. One of the funnier scenes I enjoyed was seeing Brian Dennehy's character, ex- boxer Jimmy Horn teach an arrogant young boxer a lesson he wouldn't forget. The critics may have disliked this movie but on this occasion I disagree with them.

KIEZER SOZE I am NOT or have Never Been a (*SEAL*) Fan but his Song (*KILLER*) in This Movie is Classic along with a Couple Other Great Songs on The Soundtrack & The Plot is Simple But ENTERTAINING & You have your Good Guy Character & a Couple of Bad Guy Characters. The BOXING looks Real & The ACTING & ACTORS are Good. Over The Last 10 Years or So Every Time I see Gladiator when I am Channel Surfing I Always Hope it is This Gladiator & not Gladiator with (*Russell Crowe*) even though that is a Great Movie also But this Gladiator has A Lot More Replay Value in My Opinion ... P.S George Parker from Orange County, CA USA Who left The Review (*Gladitover*) 16 February 2004 Stick to GAY PORN Homey (lol)

lilmissvintage I saw this film the other night on tv, and once I started watching it, it was just too hard to stop. I'm not one to really watch boxing, but this movie was very interesting. It was nice to see the relationships between all of the characters, especially between Cuba Gooding Jr. and his best friend, and their relationship with the boxing promoter. The whole film really got me going; and as I yelled at the tv, I realized that this is a really awesome film and more people should see it.