User reviews

A nutter in a black car is causing hit and runs throughout town, but he picked on the wrong guy when he caused the death of that guy out of the Wanderers. This guy, a mechanic who only wanted his kid brother to grow up and get out of town with a good job, is understandably mental with revenge, soups up his flat bed truck with all kind of gadgets, and goes out on the streets to get justice!

He calls himself The Gladiator and has a gizmo ridden car that disable drink drivers. The public think he's great, but most of the cops don't, and they begin to think that he may be behind all the killings out on the highways. Will our hero catch his prey, or will the hit and run guy go on wasting good old American folks? Well, this is a TV movie, so don't expect gore and violence. Then again, it's directed by Abel Ferrarra, so it's no walk in the park either.

Although lacking in violence, Abel makes up for it with many car chases and an excellent showdown in the a junkyard between the gadget truck and the gadget death car. It's good enough for a TV movie, I'll say that, and has a bit of heart about it too. A nice time waster.

After making films such as "Driller Killer", "Ms. 45" and "Fear City", we would see film-maker Abel Ferrara direct a straight-to-TV movie "The Gladiator". With this being the case, the limitations are there and I could only think what could have been if he was given full control as the context of the story was right down his alley. Maybe this is what interested him to the project, or those who hired him saw his previous films and would have liked to see him recapture the spirit of those features for his production. Still even with those restraints, "The Gladiator" for most part is an effectively brooding revenge piece shot on the cheap, but filled with some grit and style in the signature touch of Ferrara. The nigh-time sequences pack atmosphere with its neon lighting and Ferrara does a tidy job framing it with its rocking soundtrack. It's "Death Wish" on the motorway.

A maniac in a custom-built car known as "The Skull" is terrorising motorists and after the death of his brother one night, mechanic Rick Benton vows to end it. He converts his pick-up truck into an armed and dangerous machine calling himself "The Gladiator". Every night he goes out on the road searching for "The Skull", but also trying to rid the roads of any reckless drivers, but the police led by Lt. Frank Mason see him as a menace. Also people who constantly call into a radio station seem to be divided on the actions of "The Gladiator".

The smart script attached does seem to have more to say, than being a straight-up action exploitation fare. There it tackles the issue of taking the law into your own hands, how things can get out of out-of- control and while at same time spitting out facts and statistics of the danger of drink driving. It does kind of get heavy handed on the last point, but never does it take away from the film's enjoyment. A laid- back Ken Wahl plays the lead role as the young man haunted by the death of his younger brother and agreeable in the part. You do feel sorry for his character, as he portrays a level-headed and reflective character that slowly goes off the rails. Across from him is very solid support by Nancy Allen, Stan Shaw and Robert Culp as the detective in charge of "The Skull" case. The maniac driver motivation seems to be road rage (accidentally provoked or just waiting to be) and he's never seen, until the final shot where Ferrara pit's the two in a thrilling demolition climax in a junkyard. There are some exciting set-pieces, but the final 10 minutes top it.

The Gladiator is the third film i've seen from New York auteur Abel Ferrara. Although this film happens to be set in California it retains all the same visual stylistic choices from his New York films. The Gladiator is yet another film that i find Incredibly divisive, and has done little too sway my opinion of him from either being a hack or a genius.

The film stars Ken Wahl as Rick Benton, a revenge fuelled vigilante. After the death of his brother to a crazed motorist that is in the midst of a murderous rampage. Benton takes to patrolling the roads of San Francisco in his modified pick up truck, using the call sign Gladiator. He does so to ensure the roads are kept safe from inept drivers, whilst simultaneously hunting for his brothers killer.

The Gladiator is essentially Death Wish on wheels, and nothing much else. The script is your typical vigilante drama, as the stoic Benton goes through every cliché known to man. That is until his inevitable showdown with his brothers killer. Usually this would bother me in most films of this ilk though Iv'e come to accept this macho style of film-making from Ferrara. Whilst the film is thin on characterisation, it's never regarded as the focus of the film.

There's something though about Ferrara's film-making that i can't quite put my finger on. It's no secret that his films don't look very good, and most of them have a televisual feel to them alongside, at times unintelligible audio. However they completely suck me into his world. All of his films have this underlying, stoic, brooding atmosphere, that i find intoxicating. Ferrara is able to bring his films to life in ways that few directors can. His night-shots, despite the poor, indie quality of the cameras, look beautiful, much like the work of Michael Mann or Katheryn Bigelow.

Nearly all his films are divisive and rough around the edges. This film is more straight forward, then most of his others films such-as: Bad Lieutenant, The Driller Killer etc. Whilst i respect and even at times admire his low budget, guerrilla style of film-making, it's not enough to save this film from it's poor, under-cooked screenplay, and bland characters.

I bought this for less than five quid, so I didn't expect much. The villan has a black 69 Dodge Charger and there's a 70's Torino in there as well - it's a bit like watching one of the Dukes of Hazzard episodes - there's one with the General and a Starsky Torino in a Junkyard. The Gladiator has the Duke traits - the story isn't great but you get a bit of car action involving 60/70's US cars. It works for me, I even spotted a black 76 firebird in a junkyard !

Is it the writing team? The producers? An undisclosed source of financing for the production? Who was it that had connections to M. A. D. D., or an association of driver's ed instructors, to shape the film? The premise is plain enough, and promising, but of whatever else the concept may be, I wasn't anticipating a public service announcement being adapted into a thriller. All this is to say that 'The gladiator' is more than a little heavy-handed in broaching the issues of driving safety and drunk driving; of course these matters are very important, but one doesn't expect such emphatic, unwieldy treatment in a full-length feature, least of all one made by Abel Ferrara. Then again, this was a TV movie, and further proves it with use of music (score or soundtrack) that's a tad kitschy, curt editing (for commercial breaks), and major forthrightness in many regards. None of this inherently reflects on the quality of the picture, but if one isn't prepared to engage with such fare then it's best to not even stop to take a look.

Ferrara is a filmmaker I generally trust; not all his films are equal, but he can broadly be relied upon for solid entertainment. Whatever it was about this project to influence its course, there's no getting around the ungainly inelegance that characterizes a lot of the proceedings. The acting, above all, is often rather blunt, and lacking of tact or nuance. Though technically capable, Ferrara's direction in this case also comes off as a little forced and contrived, so many scenes struggle to feel authentic. Factor in the music that's enjoyable in and of itself but increasingly feels over the top as it's employed, and dialogue and scene writing that's undeniably ham-handed and overdone (including but absolutely not limited to the romantic element), and the viewing experience is surely walking on thin ice. Make no mistake, the stunts are fantastic, and the effects are well done; there are earnest (if relatively minor) thrills to be had from the core substance of the narrative, and it's cathartic to see some rotten people get just desserts. Such value is necessarily weighed against those aspects that raise a skeptical eyebrow, and these are possibly greater in number.

What's arguably most surprising about 'The gladiator' is that beyond the central conceit, the feature also tries to give thoughtful rumination on vigilantism, its worth and its folly. This facet is very welcome, and in fact I'd have liked it if the screenplay dealt with it more. There are two problems, though. First is that when this tack is broached most directly, it's with an exactness relative to other scenes and dialogue that's too on the nose for its own good. Second, with a runtime of just over ninety minutes, I don't think there's enough context of the protagonist's activities to most meaningfully give weight to the meatier topic, and as it stands such pondering is given such minimal, passing treatment that it comes off as a little gauche. And here's one more thing: the climax is surely the single best part of the picture, if imperfect. Yet at large the last fifteen minutes or so feel rushed, and overfull, as though there was a last-minute recognition of how much plot still had to be resolved but the production had definitive limits on how much time it had to do so.

More so than not I think 'The gladiator' is well made, with honest intent and fine craftsmanship, not least from crew behind the scenes. It's a curious mixed bag, however, in almost every way, and in some such regards unquestionably leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. If the writing were handled more delicately and mindfully, that alone would have improved the end result by leaps and bounds, to say nothing of more sincere choices for the music, and more careful editing and direction. Ultimately I don't think this is bad, but nor is it anything that demands viewership. If you happen to come across it it's a decent way to spend 94 minutes, though one must be prepared for the less than ideal treatment of most everything herein, and even at that I wonder if I'm being too generous in my assessment. Probably recommendable for diehard fans of Ferrara or others involved, 'The gladiator' is a modestly satisfying good time, but if you're going to watch, just know what you're getting into and temper your expectations.

A deranged (and easily identifiable) 70's muscle car goes on a killing spree, so the brother of a victim (Ken Wahl) decides to build his own Death Truck (with sheets of steel, grill protector, and a spear-gun) to bring vigilante justice to the streets at night. Will he catch the killer?

The poster and the plot summary sound like "can't lose" kind of idea. Anyone familiar with the end of THE EXTERMINATOR 2 or the real-life rampage by Marvin Heemeyer will see some comfortable familiarity in the scenario of a guy souping up his truck to exact righteous vengeance upon the wicked. Unfortunately this film squanders the premise largely out of adherence to the TV standards of the time.

For one, it's extremely cheap and lacking in any of the cold, calculating style of Ferrara's other 80's films. Additionally the script presents plenty of problems that make the premise seem much more ridiculous than it had to be. The movie takes great pains to make Ken Wahl's descent into vigilantism gradual and emotionally realistic, yet stretches credulity many times as he would not be able to get away with it so long and not be able to hide it from his friends and lover (Nancy Allen) who know him, know about his dead brother, and know about his fancy truck. Yes "The Gladiator" as he calls himself becomes something of a celebrity with the cops not-so-hot on his trail, but he puts effort into to trying to get people to pull over and adhere to a citizen's arrest rather than hurting or killing anyone. This leaves dozens of witnesses who could easily see his license plate, but it doesn't come to anything.

Personally I think the film would have been a lot better had they decided to make it more realistic, give us some tension with the authorities closing their net around him, or else to just gone all-out with the violence and mayhem. We could have seen Wahl start as a noble do-gooder turn into a monster just as bad as the one who created him. The film hints at this but never delivers. As it is, THE GLADIATOR unfortunately stands as an extremely unsatisfying yet fascinating window into the forgotten realm of 80's TV movies aimed at adults but safe enough for kids.

(1986) The Gladiator THRILLER

A young woman leaves working at a bar and upon her driving home she is then rear ended, chased and pushed down an over path to her death by a black dodge charger. Because it happened in the middle of the night, and that the charger has dark windows, we are unable to see who that person is. Upon the very next day, we are then introduced to Rick (Ken Wahl) working on someone else's Volkswagen. And he then drives it to a dealer with many fine looking cars, and it just happens to belong to a radio talk show host, Susan Neville (Nancy Allen). And during celebrating Rick's little brother, Jeff (Brian Robbins) birthday, Rick promises him he was going to take him driving. And when Jeff is driving Rick's ford dodger pickup with him on the passenger side. He ends up cutting the unknown assailant driving the black charger off, and as a result rear ends him to the intersection so that it would be intentionally hit by another oncoming truck through a red light. Rick's little brother gets killed while he ends up in a coma. He then realizes after attending a "victims of the road" meeting that he is apparently not the only person suffering scars. Motivate him to soup up his truck with the help of his friend, Joe Barker (Stan Shaw) who owns a scrap yard for auto parts. Installing battling rams and a harpoon to become a vigilante called "The Gladiator"- hence the title, coming after aggressive drivers and at the same time get police involve by using a CB frequency channel, while pursuing his little brother's killer as much of the police are worthless particularly Lieutenant Frank Mason (Robert Culp) in charge with both cases particularly the capturing of the crusader of the Gladiator.

Did I mention that the police here are portrayed as useless in which there is not a single traffic cop in sight despite a serial killer driver running loose, using a spear, similar to the one used from a James Bond movie. Some of the action made no sense despite the Ken Wahl character had the opportunity to ram the charger into a much larger truck. And yet some reviewers forgive it's faults because it is an 1980's movie people grew up with.

Dialog, script, character casting (why did everything produced in the 80s have Nancy Allen in it? Ugh), creepy Robert Culp, and Ken Wahl practicingto be an actor. Background music sounds like it was copied from an old skin flick and there was scarcely more dialog than said flick. Good for a few laughs anyway.

Ah, the 1980s, when Mullets ruled and hair bands screeched like howler monkeys, and Hollywood produced schlock like this as fast as movie cameras could roll.

To say this was made on the cheap is an understatement.

It's sort of a PSA for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

We're missing half the story.

Who says that the baddie's car is called "The Skull Car?" It's not in the movie. That Skull Car attacks randomly? No, he just goes in for disproportionate revenge over petty actions (kinda like our "Hero" does). Is he insane? Well, maybe if the movie had bothered to give him even a single line of dialog, we might know that.

Instead we're just told that the black car driver is insane. Insane villains don't have motivations or back-stories.

1980s action heroes don't know the law about how citizen's arrests work.

Also, when are streets in LA ever that empty? Maybe in the 1920s?

The one thing that movies from the 1980s have that modern movies don't is that the cameras actually focus on the action (such as it is) so that you can see it clearly.

The end result is better than, say, any of the Halloween or Friday the 13th movies, but not by much.

Wonderful and rewarding film. The film is about how a simple, good guy decided to restore order on the roads, the reason for this was the death of his brother. He breaks the cars of drunk drivers, leaving them for police. His car is equipped with special devices. The main goal, to find the killer of his brother. Movie impressive car chases and stunts, as well as music and songs.

Cast is worthy. The main character wants to empathize. The girlfriend of the main character Susan is also a very interesting character, it helps Rick cope with depression, she broadcaster, has commented on the development of the story in the course of the film. The movie is saturated dialogs and dramatic moments.

Soulful and entertaining film.

I was in sixth grade when i first saw this movie, it had everything i was looking for in an "automobile chase" movie, at that time that was what i was into, roadwarrior etc.....

It had the drunk on revenge main character....who soups up his truck to take down drunk drivers after his brother gets hurt by one. And not to mention the standoff automobile fight scene in the end that would make vaughn from crash, pass out in ecstasy.

did i mention that i loved able ferra movies before i even knew who he was?!

If you ever get a chance to see this vehicle vigilance movie. then do so. Other wise you will miss his really cool harpoon gun.

The Gladiator (1986) made for TV movie really dose get a great job done and teaches us a lesson. The car that was used in this movie by the psychopath who was driving black 69 Dodge. The similar car was later used in TV movie Wheels of Terror with Joanna Cassidy in the main role. I thought The Gladiator movie used the car as maniac murder by Wheels of Terror but i was wrong. Wheels of Terror used the story of the car from this movie. I watched Abel Ferrara 's movie when i was a child and it was really good awesome movie. Haven't seen this movie for about 15.years until today, i watch it the first time on YouTube someone upload it.Ken Wahl and Nancy Allen made outstanding terrific cast as the main actor and actress in this movie. The Gladiator (1986) is a decent road action flick that made a job well done. I wish that today they would make movies like this now. The most shocking is when the psycho push and hit Rick and Jeff in the truck and Rick's younger brother dies. That could be true because so many people died like on this way on a road when accident happened, it really did shocked me, than his brother put that anger and become a vigilante and a road warrior "The Gladiator" seeking justice. Chasing the most dangerous drunk drivers that cost accidents on a road and kill so many innocent people and cops call's The Gladiator a criminal? I am lost if The Gladiator really would exist he could stop drunk criminals. 2.years ago in Slovenia second main city Maribor a young fellow drive drunk and was speeding he drove out of the road went to the plant his car jump off the grass in the air and he hit a young mother who was pregnant at the time with her second child. All what he got was 2.years and 1.month of prison and that murderer did not even apologize to the family of victims, no he didn't. After he woke up with a little injuries in his head and realizing what he did he took his plate off the car and fled the crime scene. He did not call ambulance not police officers or fireman's zero. He let the poor young mama dieing in cold blood. Slovenia is horrible you can do anything here , in my country there is no justice and if The Gladiator really would exist, he would stop this psycho murderer yes he would. I am giving this movie higher rank even for 80's action drama flick I am glad i watch this movie and i can download from torrents.

Another thing: I said before The Gladiator teach us a lesson and i am right, drunk driving is dead dangerous. I watched another movie in 80's License to Kill not a Bond film but a Drama movie with Denzel Washington who he was playing a young lawyer who was prosecuting a drunk driver murderer who caused a car accident and killed a young graduate teenage girl and who was getting away with it. They were showing us what someone who is drunk can do behind the wheels. That movie was really great i watched 2.years ago on TV i missed the beginning but i went watching it anyway. Today drunk driving nobody takes serious nobody.I watched Death Proof Quentin Tarantino's film and it is the most boring stupidest unreal movie ever made, it dose not compare to this movie. I so so so wish they would still make movies like this today. I miss the 80's The Gladiator really touched me and i will watch this movie again. 10/10

I love Abel Ferrara, but I'm guessing he was slightly high when he accepted this gig and had some bills to pay?? No that's cruel. Although the film stock and general production values of this are shoddy and televisual, Ferrara's gritty aesthetic just about peers through the sanitised veneer of this one. His mechanic best buddy is a nice character, and there are a few unintentional laughs to be had. Overall though, if this was your first insight into abel ferrara, then it would be a bad one to pick...Choose Ms.45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant or Fear City instead....

I believe Tarantino's segment of the forthcoming film GRINDHOUSE is about a killer, hit-and-run car.....I'm sure he's seen this one then! I also had the (mis)fortune of watching BLACK MOON RISING on the same day!? Also about cars/car chases/the fetishisation of driving souped up cars in the US. Is this the direction that Tarantino is travelling???.....

Another great gladiator movie. This one has motorbikes in it. Not as good as the boxing one