"Are you not entertained?" Indeed you are as techniques of contemporary battle sound design and cinematography join the ever-ready imperial allegories of ancient Rome. And what are those allegories? According to scenarist David Franzoni: "The movie is about our culture, our society: promoter Proximo (Oliver Reed) is sort of a Mike Ovitz, and Commodus (Phoenix) is sort of a Ted Turner. And Maximus (Crowe) is the hero we all wish ourselves to be: the guy who can rise above the mess that is modern society." And who would that be? Well, Spielberg greenlit it.