10 Ridiculously Manly Movie Characters Who Drip Machismo

4. Russell Crowe As Maximus Decimus Meridius - Gladiator (2000)

A mix of Roman history, myth, Shakespeare and good ole' fashioned Hollywood epicness, Maximus Decimus is about as traditional a manly, yet tragic, hero as you€™re likely to come across. With everything you could think of taken from him by corrupt Emperor Commodus, all he has left to fight for is justice, and before he dies, justice is what he shall reinstate and receive. And while it doesn't feature guns or fists, the defiant speech in Gladiator is one of the most hard-as-nails scenes in film history: ''My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.'' Too epic!