Oscars: Every Best Picture Winner Ever Ranked From Worst To Best

66. Gladiator (2000)

Gladiator Maximus
Universal Pictures

Gladiator is for sure an epic, sweeping entertainment with especially fine work from director Ridley Scott and leads Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, but in a year where it faced off against Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, its victory can't seem anything less than totally ridiculous.

Though the role shot Crowe to superstardom, it's still tough to see why Oscar voters gave him the win over the far more measured and impressive work from Tom Hanks in Cast Away, or what, remotely, made the film Best Picture worthy.

Entertaining and well-made but disappointingly simplistic, Gladiator was a pure populist choice and a disappointing one considering the strength of its competition (also including Erin Brockovich and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.