“Gladiator II” and the missed opportunity of history far more riveting than Ridley Scott’s fiction

Image caption: Paul Mescal plays Lucius in “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures). Commentary article by Nicholas Liu. Salon – December 7, 2024.

About two hours into “Gladiator II,” Hanno (Paul Mescal) steps up to deliver a speech that might finally tell us why we should care about anyone or anything in Ridley Scott’s newest sharks-and-sandals potboiler. We’ve fought for nothing more than another day’s survival, he tells the assembled NPCs/gladiators, but now you can join me and fight for a freedom far […]

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