"Gladiator II" opens in theaters on November 22, and every trailer reminds us why we want to revisit Ridley Scott's original 2000 epic Maximus' refusal to support the ruthless new emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) means death, but only Maximus survives his secretly ordered execution

Enslaved as a gladiator without a name, Maximus gets a chance to avenge his murdered wife and son when the games return to Rome Maximus overwhelms the crowd at the Coliseum with the blood on his sword and the command of virtually all of his men, but the fight is so visceral that some audience members may need to mute the Academy Award-winning sound for a moment But no one will be able to look away from the spectacle Scott creates with chains, tanks, and tigers When you take a break from the brutal but beautiful ending, here are seven more films like "Gladiator"

"Gladiator," William Wyler's 1959 adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel, won a tie for the most Academy Awards with 11 In the Best Picture winner, proud Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) refuses to side with his childhood friend turned Roman courtier Messala (Stephen Boyd) four years later, Judah becomes the adopted son of the Roman regent who turned him into a charioteer and the man he loves He finds him and returns to Jerusalem to take revenge on Messala

Sixty-five years later, the excitement still lingers, with a nine-minute chariot race and a miraculous ending that ranks among the seven best Easter movies

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"They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom" Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning story of real-life Scottish hero William Wallace is one of the most haunting films ever made, even if it plays incredibly loose with history In the film, Wallace (Gibson) leads a revolt against King Edward I of England after his wife (Maron, played by Catherine McCormack) is executed for defending him Just as Maximus gains an ally in the form of Commodus' sister, Wallace gains useful information - and sexual tension - from Longshanks' daughter-in-law, Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) Unlike Maximus, Wallace, in his final moments, can only deliver a mortal blow to his enemies with the word "freedom"

Wallace's tragic fate is considered one of the most accurate scenes in the film It is unbearable to watch, unforgettable, and proves that a single change in facial expression can give the audience the slightest comfort

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It's easy to see how Stanley Kubrick's 1960 masterpiece influenced Ridley Scott A slave named Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is bought to train as a gladiator Eventually he becomes a threat to the unhinged Roman authorities (Crassus, played by Laurence Olivier) as he inspires loyalty from the men fighting beside him, both in and out of the ring ("I am Spartacus, I am Spartacus, I am Spartacus") Add in the delicious machinations of Crassus, slaver Batiatus (Oscar-winning scene-stealer Peter Ustinov), and Crassus' rival senator Gracchus (Charles Laughton), and, of course, the carnage ensues on a massive scale

Still, what is most resonant about "Gladiator" is the way Kubrick and Oscar-winning cinematographer Russell Metty make the sprawling story painfully intimate Just wait until Spartacus and Antoninus (Tony Curtis) are ordered to fight to the death Prepare for the final moments when the hero is given the chance to reunite with his beloved (Gene Simmons) and their child in a different, bittersweet way

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"Awe-inspiring" is an overused adjective, but it is 100 percent accurate to describe the gravity-defying fight scenes in Ang Lee's 2000 Best Picture winner Set in a fantastical imperial China, the action begins when the 400-year-old Green Destiny sword once wielded by warrior Li Mubai (Chow Yun-fat) is stolen Just as trusted private security expert Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) was Mubai's unspoken lover, we soon realize that the masked, skilled thief is Jen (Zhang Ziyi), the Governor General's daughter who craves freedom and adventure more than an impending arranged marriage As these two women flit from rooftop to rooftop, we get our first glimpse of the fast-paced fight choreography by Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix)

As young Jen's past and mentor are revealed, the feminist storyline becomes filled with romance and revenge Everyone ponders how she should spend her future The decision leads to a finality whose meaning is still debated by fans

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Set to music as majestic as the frontier landscape, this ballet of revenge and violence, Michael Mann's 1992 adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's French and Indian War novel, is a heart It is a heart-pounding, shocking film While the British Redcoats are escorting the Colonel's daughters Cora (Madeline Stowe) and Alice (Jodi May) to Fort William Henry, their Huron guide Magua (Wes Studi) reveals that he has actually joined the French side to get back at them Enter Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis, at his hottest) and his Mohawk adoptive father Chingachgook (Russell Means) and brother Uncas (Eric Schweig) They will be involved in several rescues before the film is over

Like "Gladiator," the film contains a line that is still quoted today ("Stay alive no matter what We'll find you"), Oscar-winning sound, and a haunting climax Cliffs and Valleys is a coliseum We are the weeping masses

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Ryan Coogler's 2018 Best Picture nominee also has a power struggle at its core: the protagonist and son of a murdered king, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), and T'Challa's long-lost cousin, Killmonger (Michael B Jordan), a former Navy SEAL trying to fulfill his late father's vision Killmonger's ascension to the throne would expose Wakanda's secretive technological capabilities to the world, and Wakanda's hidden resource of vibranium would be used to create weapons that would fight global oppression (and get into the wrong hands)

T'Challa will feel like a gladiator as he faces his challengers, temporarily deprived of his suit and superhuman powers You will be immersed in Wakanda (the film's costume design and art direction won an Academy Award, as did the music) The women - Nakia, the spy played by Lupita Nyongo, Suri, the STEM princess played by Letitia Wright, and Okoye, the warrior played by Danai Gurira - are also noteworthy for their roles as more than bystanders

"Black Panther" has a touching ending, but of course, the real tearjerker is the 2022 sequel, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" In honor of the late Boseman, Angela Bassett (as T'Challa's mother, Queen Ramonda) became the first Marvel film to be nominated for an acting Oscar

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Did you get an adrenaline rush from the wild disregard for human life shared by Commodus and the cheering crowd at the Coliseum? Then George Miller's 2015 reboot of his signature post-apocalyptic franchise's ingenious bloodlust will knock you out War rig driver Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) escapes from the water-hungry Citadel of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) with his five remaining wives in tow The women head for the "green lands" where Furiosa was born, but unwillingly join forces with Max (Tom Hardy), a lone survivor He himself becomes a prisoner and is held for 13 minutes in front of War Boy Nux's (Nicholas Hoult) vehicle

The film, an almost non-stop chase, won six Academy Awards (for film editing, production design, costume design, sound editing, sound mixing, and makeup and hair styling) Just when you thought the practical, high-octane stunts couldn't get any more extreme, along comes Paul Katz Max's name is in the title, but Furiosa is the emotional heart of this chapter, so much so that a true origin story will be told in 2024 in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, starring Anya Taylor-Joy

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