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Forced into slavery by the corrupt, incestuous heir to be throne, Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) becomes a gladiator. His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor.

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It begins with a funny, touching evocation of a rambunctious Sicilian childhood, as six-year-old Toto (the irresistible Salvatore Cascio) becomes first an irritant and then a willing assistant to the gruff projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) at the local cinema, the Paradiso.

A decade later, now going by his full name of Salvatore (Marco Leonardi), he falls in love with a girl out of his social league, takes his first tentative creative steps in the world of film and decides to leave home for good. Finally, the adult Salvatore (Jacques Perrin) ruefully reflects on the personal and emotional cost of his artistic success, and how much he owes to Alfredo. The beautiful score by Ennio Morricone and his son Andrea bathes the film in a warmly nostalgic glow.

Sweeping and visually resplendent, 'The Mission' is a powerful action epic about a man of the sword (Robert DeNiro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons) who unite to shield a South American Indian tribe from brutal subjugation by 18th Century colonial empires.