Entertainment
Movie Review: ‘Gladiator II,’ with Denzel Washington, goes back into the arena
Rome teeters on the brink in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” Its fall is said to be imminent. The dream it once symbolized is dead. The once high-minded ideals of the Roman Empire have deteriorated across a venal land now ruled by a pale-faced emperor.
On the throne is Geta (Joseph Quinn), who sits alongside his sniveling brother, Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The heart of this Rome, of course, is the Coliseum, where throngs cheer for the gladiators who fight and die. There, the ageless Scott remains remarkably at home. The arena, with its eruptions of spectacle and violence, is a stand in for the director’s own vision of the big screen: Go big or go home.
This dichotomy — a fallen society and its insatiable need for entertainment — is the clever and not altogether flattering backdrop of the “Gladiator” films. Part two, set 20 years after the events of the first movie, brings a new combatant to the Coliseum — a mysterious outsider named Lucius Verus, played by Paul Mescal. And to answer the inevitable question, yes. Yes, I was quite entertained.
“Gladiator II” isn’t quite the prestige film the first one, a best-picture winner, was in 2001. It’s more a swaggering, sword-and-sandal epic that prizes the need to entertain above all else. No one in “Gladiator II” understands that more than Denzel Washington. His performance as the Machiavellian power broker Macrinus is a delicious blur of robes and grins – so compellingly over-the-top that he nearly reaches 1990s Al Pacino standards.
Inside this Rome are scattered interests in toppling it, including Marcus Acacius, a decorated general who has just returned from a successful campaign taking Numidia in northwest Africa. (That siege makes the movie’s blistering opening, with an armada racing at almost NASCAR speed toward the walled city, with towers on the bows of the boats to scale the parapets.)
Acacius is a loyal Roman but, when he learns that the emperors have only more bloodlust for further territory and more war, he and his wife, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) begin plotting to overthrow the brothers.
In a movie where everyone nurtures some secret, few stay hidden long. Foremost among them is Lucius Verus, a warrior in Numidia who’s taken prisoner and forced to fight as a gladiator. He’s the son of Lucilla and Maximus (Crowe in “Gladiator”). Following the events of that film, Lucilla sent him, an heir to the empire, to Numidia to grow up outside of the empire’s power struggles.
Mescal, the terrific Irish actor of “Aftersun” and “All of Us Strangers,” smoothly steps into a blockbuster arena for the first time. “This one is interesting,” says Macrinus, eyeing him for the first time. Mescal’s Lucius is vengeful — the Roman army kills his warrior wife in the Numidia battle. “Rage pours out of you like milk,” Macrinus says, admiringly. The glint of mischief in Mescal’s eyes gives Lucius a little more character than your average revenge-seeking gladiator.
Ahad Raza Mir and Dananeer Mobeen are making headlines with their ongoing drama ‘Meem Se Mohabbat’, which has garnered a great deal of attention from viewers.
However, it’s not just their on-screen chemistry that has fans talking. Off-screen, the duo has also become the subject of dating rumours, with fans speculating about the growing bond between them.
Ahad and Dananeer’s families have also become close in recent months. Ahad’s father, Asif Raza Mir, stars alongside Dananeer in ‘Meem Se Mohabbat’, and Ahad’s mother.
Adding fuel to the dating speculations, Dananeer recently shared a heartfelt Instagram story featuring a picture of her favorite dish, Dumba Karahi, cooked by Ahad’s mother Samra Asif using her own mom’s recipe.
This thoughtful gesture from Ahad’s family has left fans wondering if there’s more to their relationship than meets the eye.
It is to be noted that a few months ago rumours were rife that Ahad is in relationship with actress Ramsha Khan. But now latest buzz suggests that he is no longer seeing her.
However, there has been no official confirmation regarding any of these speculations.
Earlier, Ahad and his father also celebrated Dananeer’s graduation, further strengthening the bond between the two
A leaked video from the film’s set recently went viral on social media.
It shows Salman stepping out of a kaali-peeli taxi in a rugged look, wearing a blue shirt and jeans. The shoot took place in Mumbai under tight security, and parts were also filmed near Hyderabad’s famous Falaknuma Palace.
While the Ek Tha Tiger actor is seen sitting beside the driver, a few others can be seen sitting in the backseat. As the taxi stops, two other taxis coming behind are seen pulling their brakes.
A couple of months back, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan reportedly purchased bulletproof SUVs from Dubai, amid the death threats issued by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
After around 8 months of the firing incident, Salman also upgraded the security of his home in Mumbai’s Galaxy Apartment.
However, recently, Sallu was spotted travelling in a ‘Kaali Peeli’ taxi and the video has gone viral on social media.
Salman Khan is ready to wow his fans once again with his upcoming film Sikandar. Directed by AR Murugadoss, known for hits like Ghajini and Thuppakki, the movie promises intense action and drama. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Sikandar will release on Eid 2025.
Richard Gere has opened up about moving to Spain from the United States with his family.
In a recent interview with Elle España, the 75-year-old said that since making the move with his wife Alejandra Silva and their children — sons Alexander, 5, and James, 4, in addition to Silva’s 11-year-old son Albert from her previous marriage to Govind Friedland — they are “happier than ever.”
“The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum. We are happier than ever,” he told the publication. “[Alejandra], because she is at home and I because, if she is happy, I am happy.”
The Pretty Woman actor first revealed he was selling his home in Connecticut with the goal of moving to Spain back in November 2024.
The home had been originally purchased in 2022 for $10.8 million.
Back in April that year, the Runaway Bride actor opened up about wanting to leave the U.S. and start a life with Silva in Spain so she could spend more time with her relatives.
Silva, 41, is originally from La Coruña, Spain, though she’s spent considerable time with Gere in the States since their 2018 wedding.
Gere met Silva in Positano, Italy, in 2014 when he was still married to his second wife, Carey Lowell — with whom he shares 24-year-old son Homer. Before Lowell, the Hollywood star was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995.
“For Alejandra, it will be wonderful to be closer to her family, her lifelong friends, and her culture,” Gere told Vanity Fair Spain at the time. “She was very generous in giving me six years living in my world, so it is only fair that I give her at least another six living in hers.”
The Agency actor further discussed the move while speaking on The Today Show in November. “My wife is Spanish, and we’re going there for her family, her friends, her culture,” he said. “The kids are bilingual, so it’s really going to be great for them.”
Gere isn’t the only well-known figure to have left the U.S. Eva Longoria also revealed in a November interview with Marie Claire that she and her family were splitting their time between Spain and Mexico City.
“I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them,” she told the outlet.
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