Denzel Washington vs the World in ‘Gladiator II’
This story contains spoilers for Gladiator II
It was the poet Tibullus who nicknamed Rome “The Eternal City” – according to scholars, and it seems like they would know! – and perhaps he had in mind Ridley Scott’s 2000 film Gladiator. The historical epic, which starred Russell Crowe as its vengeful hero, has been followed by rumours of a sequel since its release: winning Oscars, delighting history freaks and making a truck load of money at the cinema will do that to a film. The long-awaited follow-up, Gladiator II, does not stray too far from the original: a robust combination of prestige actors and hot young things, sweat and bloodshed, and moody middle-distance stares, which will no doubt make the sequel popular. But what raises the follow-up above typical blockbuster fare is a scene-stealing performance from Denzel Washington.
Not that you really notice that theft at first. There’s a lot going on in the background. This time round, the Gen Z hunk with the saddest eyes and biggest thighs, Paul Mescal, is in Crowe’s role. The Aftersun and Normal People actor plays Lucius, the long-lost son of Maximus (Crowe’s character) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who becomes the star gladiator in Rome after his home in north Africa is sacked. What follows is an entertaining if predictable hero’s tale, which involves Lucius’ birthright as well as the tale of mad twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (The White Lotus’s Fred Hechinger). Cloaks abound, as do daggers. There are sharks and baboons and rhinoceroses to keep you entertained.
And then there is Washington, who plays Macrinus, an arms dealer and gladiator whisperer. He picks Lucius out of a pack of prisoners-of-war, impressed by his rage and tells the young man vague, slightly boring things about how to do well in the arena and what it takes to succeed (a lot of harnessing one’s “rage” in this film). For the first third of the film, you do not know whether Macrinus is going to be a bad dude with a heart of gold or just a very bad dude. Thankfully, during his foray into Roman politics, you realise he is going to be… extremely bad.
As soon as Macrinus’ long-term ambitions (well, longer-term: the events of this film take place in an extraordinarily short amount of time) become clear, Washington is allowed to go fully unhinged. At first, he offs Caracalla by forcing Geta to behead his brother. Then Macrinus murders Geta in the Colosseum by sticking a pin into his ear and through the centre of his brain. He kills others, and does so gleefully, but it’s outside of these deaths that Washington shines.
The key, as ever, is not to chew the scenery. Instead Washington savours his surroundings and then swallows them whole, whether he is blackmailing a senate member or uncovering Lucius’ family history or, and this is perhaps the best vibe of the entire film, just joking around while Rome burns around him. The 69-year-old actor is having a lot of fun, so much fun, the most fun. There are some fine actors present – Pedro Pascal brings a warmth to the film as troubled war hero General Acasius – but it is Washington who understands best that this is a Shakespearean soap opera with swords and sandals.
None of this should be a surprise exactly. Washington has won two Oscars: for best supporting actor in 1989’s American Civil War and best actor for 2001’s Training Day. (I would not wish to reduce any performance purely to awards chatter, but it seems almost impossible that Washington will not be nominated in the supporting role, and that he could feasibly win it.) More relevant to Scott’s production, there is Washington’s experience on stage. He is kicking off 2025 by playing Othello on Broadway, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago.
And he has already played a tortured Roman in a 2005 production of Julius Caesar. To quote that conspiratorial backstabber, “Wrong I mine enemies? And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?” No such qualms in Gladiator II: Washington’s out-and-out villain wrongs everybody, all the time, without hesitation, and it is bloody good fun.
‘Gladiator II’ is out in cinemas now
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