A great general, victorious in battle and loved by the Roman people, Maximus finds himself enslaved by the twisted and psychopathic emperor to be, Commodus. The proud General is reduced to a common gladiator, but his extraordinary prowess in the Arena brings him back to Rome and a vengeful showdown with Commodus. Gladiator is an entertaining action epic, with all the grandeur and heroic angst of classics such as "Spartacus" that it seeks to emulate.