While Gladiator (2000) earned all the acclaim—box office success, Oscar wins, and pop culture status—I’ve come to believe that Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (specifically the Director’s Cut) is actually the superior film. I’m not referring to the truncated theatrical release from 2005, but the full three-hour version that restores the story’s depth and emotional weight.
Back when Kingdom of Heaven first hit theaters, almost no one would have dared compare it favorably to Gladiator. But time has been kind. IMDb scores tell part of the story: Kingdom has climbed to a 7.3, while Gladiator holds at 8.5—with a slow but steady downward trend. What’s clear now is that Kingdom resonates more deeply than many realized at the time, offering not just spectacle, but a powerful, nuanced message that still feels relevant—especially when you consider the ongoing turmoil in places like Gaza.
It’s not hard to imagine a future where Kingdom of Heaven is recognized as Ridley Scott’s true masterpiece, while Gladiator is remembered as a top-tier, but ultimately more traditional, crowd-pleaser. 8/7/25
Unbreakable Story Line Being Played Out In Real Life
This morning, I was reading about the tragic plane crash in India. At the time, movies were the furthest thing from my mind. But later, when I got home and read about the sole survivor—someone in seat 11A—I couldn’t help but think of Bruce Willis’s character in Unbreakable.
It felt odd for a movie to come to mind amid such a heartbreaking real-life event. But a quick internet search showed I wasn’t alone—several articles were already drawing parallels between the crash and the film. In Unbreakable, Willis’s character is the only survivor of a catastrophic train crash, left to grapple with why he lived when no one else did.
It makes you wonder what the real-life survivor must be going through. Not in a scripted, cinematic way—but in a raw, personal, and profoundly human one.
My thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy, especially those who lost loved ones. 6/12/2025
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Shower Scene Steals The Movie? Yes It Does!
Recently, I was listening to Michael Biehn’s podcast Just Foolin’ About, and he shared a great story about teasing Michael Bay. Biehn was telling the director, that not only is he in Bay’s best movie, The Rock, but he’s also in its best scene—the legendary shower room standoff. That scene, of course, features The Abyss co-stars Ed Harris and Michael Biehn in a tragic, high-stakes showdown.
Naturally, that story sent me straight to my The Rock DVD to rewatch the scene—and I’ve got to say, it really is one hell of a moment. Even in a film driven by the star power of Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery, this scene stands apart. It cuts deeper than explosions or one-liners—it’s raw, primal, and built on a collision of honor and conviction.
Ed Harris’s General Hummel isn’t your standard villain. He’s a principled man pushed past the edge. Biehn’s Commander Anderson, a stoic soldier in the vein of his roles in Aliens and The Terminator, is equally grounded. They’re both men of integrity—just on opposite sides.
The tension is in the words. Biehn’s delivery, especially his trembling plea—“I will not give that order”—is packed with restraint, fear, and moral strength. Harris, conflicted and unwilling to back down, gives one last warning… and then chaos erupts.
Lasers slice through steam, Hans Zimmer’s score swells, and the tight direction turns the room into a pressure cooker. You know it’s going to end badly—and you still hope it won’t.
In just a few minutes, the film delivers a tragic, operatic clash between professionals bound by duty. That kind of depth in an action movie? Incredibly rare. No wonder Biehn takes pride in it—it truly steals the show. 6/11/2025
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One Scene Too Many
The Fugitive is a brilliant thriller for most of its runtime. It’s sharp, grounded, and propelled by the riveting performances of Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The plot unfolds like an intelligent puzzle, carefully layering tension with each step of Kimble’s journey to clear his name. It’s gripping, believable, and filled with smart twists—until the very end. That’s when the movie stumbles.
Instead of wrapping up with the same grounded style that defined it, the film throws in one last action scene: a chaotic brawl between two doctors—Kimble and the real villain, Dr. Charles Nichols—inside an industrial laundry facility. The fight feels jarringly out of place. Here we have two educated men, suddenly turning into action-movie brawlers amid lots of moving parts, secret hideways, and billowing steam. It’s loud, overlong, and cartoonish—totally disconnected from the smart, controlled tone that came before.
The audience already knows the truth by this point. There’s no mystery left to solve, and no real suspense—just noise and unnecessary spectacle. The Fugitive deserved a more refined ending. Instead, it got a final scene that treats its intelligent story like just another Hollywood action flick. 6/10/2025
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I like this mini articles. Keep them coming.
Thanks In The Shadows…I hope all is going well. I like putting them together, just having a time issue. Good to hear from you.
I think the scene in the Rock is indeed good, but I think what sticks out to me most is the chemical test chamber with the baby doll. I can relate to the new worker staring at the needle and asking, “You want me to stick this, in my chest?”.
Hey Dead Last….thanks for the thoughts on our The Rock thoughts. The chemical test chamber scene is a good one to get the movie going. Thanks for the feedback.