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Title: Pretty Good, But No BEN HUR
Review: There's lots of spectacle here, and a reasonably compelling story dealing with honor, love, and revenge. Joaquin Phoenix is outstanding as the villain, and certainly deserves his Oscar-nomination.Yet, I must say that when I saw this film last summer, I ate my popcorn, enjoyed the picture, then went home and quickly forgot about it. The film did not linger, and I had no desire to see it again at the theater--possibly because I followed it up with BEN HUR, an infinitely better Roman epic.GLADIATOR is undoubtedly one of the year's best, but if the Oscars are just, it will not beat CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON... which is, quite simply, one of the finest films in the history of world cinema (AND which has far better swordplay).
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