Review: ‘Gladiator II,’ though more of the same, unleashes a scheming Denzel Washington

Ridley Scott’s 2000 sword-and-sandal epic “Gladiator” closed on a memorable shot that became an indelible image associated with the film: Russell Crowe’s hand, callused and battle-worn, softly caressing strands of wheat, as his character Maximus makes his way home to some place in the afterlife. Therein lies the Achilles’ heel of “Gladiator II” — there is simply too much plot to truly care about these characters. Because there’s so much going on, with multiple double-crosses, backstabbings, front-stabbings, politicking, what “Gladiator II” is lacking from its forebear is sophisticated storytelling, deep character work and nuanced messaging. “Gladiator II” maps closely onto the original film’s structure and style, so there’s not much about it that is surprising or unexpected.