It’s fair to say that after directing 1991’s Thelma & Louise, British director Ridley Scott hit a bit of a rough patch with the mediocre offerings that followed: 1992’s 1942: Conquest of Paradise, 1996’s White Squall and 1997’s G>I. Jane. So he was really in need of a hit.

Luckily for him the next film he helmed was Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, set in Roman times, in the gladiatorial arena.

Just teaching the peasants of Germania a lesson is General Maximus (Crowe). His Caesar Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) is so impressed with his efforts, that he wants to make him the next ruler of Rome.

This news doesn’t sit well with Marcus’ son Commodus (Phoenix), who sees himself as the natural heir to the position. So he decides to do something about it – kill Maximus.

Little does he know that his order doesn’t quite go to plan, seeing Maximus taken as a slave and to another country. It’s there that he becomes a gladiator, performing for audiences baying for blood. But all he has is vengeance on his mind, and that someday Commodus is getting payback for what he has done.

It may well be 24 years old now, re-released back on the big screen just in time for the upcoming sequel, but Scott’s film still manages to impress – visually at least. The fight scenes are still exceptional, with lots of fancy camera work to capture it all, al caught with Scott’s now legendary visual style.

The script is still on the clunky side, with even the story struggling to make much sense; Maximus is seen as the ultimate warrior, who has shown great knowledge of fighting an enemy to get to his no lofty status. And yet when captured, he gives little in the way of resistance at becoming a slave, just accepting his fate, without even once attempting to escape. Which just doesn’t sound like what a Roman General would do.

Still, Phoenix gives a deliciously dark take with his Commodus with an almost pantomime baddie quality to it that makes you want to hiss every time he’s on screen.

It’s no wonder it picked up five Oscars, although Crowe’s Best Actor in a Leading Role win is questionable, especially when you consider who he was up against that year – Ed Harris (Pollack), Geoffrey Rush (Quills), Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) and Tom Hanks (Cast Away), all arguably stronger performances than his.

Despite its story’s shortfalls, Gladiator remains a stirring, visual spectacle that still deserves a thumbs up.