The Slave Who Became a Gladiator

[Oliver Reed as Proximo]

"50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards, it rises, rises, rises up like a storm, as if you were the thunder god himself."

[Russell Crowe as Maximus]

"You were a gladiator?"

[Proximo]

"Yes, I was."

[Maximus]

"You won your freedom?"

[Proximo]

"A long time ago the emperor presented me with a rudius–it's just a wooden sword, a symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder once, and I was free."

[Maximus]

"You knеw Marcus Aurelius?"

[Proximo]

"I did not say that I knew him. I said he touchеd me on the shoulder once."

[Maximus]

"You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the emperor, as you did."

[Proximo]

"Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you'll win your freedom."

[Maximus]

"I will win the crowd. I will give them something they have never seen before."