The Life of one Man
Granted that this is a longish film, approximately 2.5 hours, it doesn't feel as long as that. Ridley Scott does a very good job of putting us right in the midst of the battle scenes. The cinematography is excellent, and Russell Crowe also does a very good job to bring the main character to life.
Here we have a man (Maximus) that was named to be heir to the throne of Rome above the son (Commodus) of the current heir. This results in Maximus' family (wife and son) being murdered and all his possessions being taken from him by men working for Commodus, surprise.
This may not be the best course of action when Maximus is a respected general/military man and now only has one thought in his mind, revenge. Maximus does have a few problems however, he has no money and will be killed on sight so he can't get close enough to Commodus to do anything.
Maximus is captured by slave traders and becomes a gladiator while keeping his identity a secret. Initially he only fights in the outskirts, his military background serves him well, he wins his fights and the more he wins the more famous he becomes. As his fame spreads he gets closer to fighting in the Colosseum at Rome.
After a period of time he does make it to Rome, and has fights in the Colosseum, his fame and power continue to rise. There is the possibility that he may undermine Commodus's rule, this can not be allowed to occur. In order to maintain his right to rule Commodus battles Maximus in the Colosseum, there can only be one winner.
If you haven't seen this film and like the Roman, gladiator theme then find yourself a couple of hours and watch this film. I highly doubt you will be disappointed, I did enjoy it.