In addition to star Russell Crowe’s General Maximus Decimus Meridus being named by the American Film Institute’s greatest screen heroes of all time, GLADIATOR (2000) was recognized in the year of its release with an AFI AWARD, naming it among the most outstanding motion pictures of year. According to the official rationale, “GLADIATOR updates the traditional American genre — the epic costume film — through cutting-edge technology. Its hero, a noble and unselfish man, is a type movies have celebrated for generations, but the modern methods used to create the world he lives in give viewers a new kind of spectacle for the new millennium.” Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about GLADIATOR.
Featuring more than 160 films from 56 countries, AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva continues tonight with the red carpet premiere of NUREMBERG, written and directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Crowe opposite Rami Malek as they engage in a battle of wits in advance of the Nuremberg trials.
