It isn’t hard to find a multitude of parallels that echo betweenRidley Scott’sGladiatorfilms.Released more than two decades apart, each of the movies are very much their own thing, while also tied together by certain themes, circumstances, and even a bloodline. BeyondPaul Mescal’s Luciusbeing the son ofConnie Nielsen’s Lucilla and Russell Crowe’s Maximus, one of the other most obvious mirrorings is that of the rulers of Rome. In the original movie,Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus was absolutely out of his mind, constantly teetering on the edge of insanity with every bad decision piling on top of another. In the sequel, audiences are introduced to Rome’s latest bonkers rulers, twin brothers, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
Some might be wondering how all those who sit upon the throne end up insuch fragile mental statesand for the answers to these questions, you needn’t look further than the filmmaker himself, with Scott jumping in to give us some context. While the sequel explains that Caracalla is afflicted by a bout of syphilis that has started to feast on his brain, Scott also blames another poison for the poor mental wellbeing of Rome’s leaders. While chatting withThe Hollywood Reporter, theNapoleonhelmer explained,
“People forget that all the wealthy, high-end senatorial Roman aristocracy would live on water which was piped through lead pipes and lead tanks. People don’t think about that. Your choice is water or wine. When you drink water, it’s though a lead system that by then could be 200 years old. No wonder they’re f–king crazy. They’re all going halfway to Alzheimer’s.”
This is the point in the article where I -a true-crime-obsessed human- will tie ancient Rome to recent U.S. history. Those of us who have a certain appreciation for learning about the more morbid side of life, will know that the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s were a particularly bustling time for criminal activity - particularly of theserial killing variety. When crime took a dip in the early ‘90s,researchers began to follow the breadcrumbs, which would eventually bring them back to lead in gasoline and other products as a main puzzle piece behind the outburst in violent crimes. The theory is that children who grew up in the ‘40s and ‘50s, who were in constant contact with lead, had their brains altered by the chemical, thus becoming violent offenders down the line. When lead restrictions went into place, those tendencies slowly but surely petered out, with the ‘90s ushering in a new age with much fewer instances of such behaviors. With this in mind, Scott’s portrayal of his unhinged Emperors is completely on point with what science has shown us about lead poisoning and cognitive behavior.
Watch Quinn and Hechinger completely lose their minds inGladiator IInow playing in cinemas.
Gladiator II
Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus’s beloved Lucilla, returns to Rome after years in the wilderness. Captured by Roman forces led by General Marcus Acacius, he is thrust into the gladiatorial arena. As he battles for survival, he encounters Macrinus, a former slave-turned-merchant, and faces the corrupt twin emperors Caracalla and Geta.
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