Set in the Roman chariot days of films like Ben Hur and Spartacus and in which a Roman general is the presiding Caesar's most fearsome and respected warrior. When Caesar Aurelius Marcus dies suddenly, his son Commodus, imprisons General Maximus - the most successful and popular of his late father's court. Maximus finds himself in the gladiators arena fighting for his life - but soon becomes triumphant and the most famed gladiator of the time. He then uses his influence to weaken Commodus' weak grasp on the Roman Empire. Threatened, Commodus challenges Maximus to a trial in the Arena...