Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2: Money Lessons from the arena of power and revenge

Bollywood has been doing it for years, so why shouldn’t Ridley Scott bring the son of the Gladiator back into the arena for revenge? South films have been giving political machinations filled with slash and chop peoples arms and legs and heads off violence, then why not see Roman blood and gore?

In this part of the Roman saga Maximus’s son Lucius gets into the arena as a gladiator and lays the foundation of Rome as his grandfather and father dreamed of – a city that would help build dreams for all its people – fighting the twin evil emperors and the machinations of a slave trader called Macrinus. Of course the ghost of Maximus will haunt you, the audience, as the same vicious fights take place in and around the colosseum.

What lessons can you learn from this saga of blood and war?

‘My grandfather and father died for the dream… The dream of Rome’

The King of Numidia (played wonderfully by Peter Mensah) chooses to die rather than become a slave to Rome after his kingdom in Africa Nova falls to General Acacius (the inimitable Pedro Pascal).

General Marcus Acacius has been waging war for Rome and its twin evil Emperors and longs for nothing but to spend time at home with his wife Lucilla (Connie Nelson who was once married to Maximus). And to make that dream come true, he has planned an insurrection with his army waiting just outside Rome.

Lucilla who was once married to Maximus (the great Gladiator from the first film) has let her son escape the dangers of political fallout when her father, once the Emperor of Rome and Maximus, are killed. She too dreams of a Rome that is peaceful and towards that dream, she has loyal Senators ready to help Acacius and the armed insurrection.

Macrinus, the slave trader who trains gladiators dreams of ruling Rome, a city that enslaved him.

A common thread through all these characters who will stop at nothing to fulfil their dreams of a home runs through all investors too, doesn’t it? You remember bringing your first paycheck in and one of your parents will tell you that you must save to build your own home. Homeownership is a goal that only forces you to save, but also brings emotional satisfaction. But planning is of paramount importance.

Assuming that you have been infused with the dream of homeownership and have already put away money towards fulfilling that dream. Assess your current financial situation and check where you afford to buy a house or an apartment, and how much downpayment you can really afford.

Develop a savings plan. Realistically suss out your expenses (if you have children, don’t forget to include their fees and so on). As a couple, see how you can both cut down unnecessary expenses without ending up hating the dream or faltering at the enormity of the EMIs that will follow. Put that home corpus in a high-yield savings account.

Find a side hustle to make additional money which will help you add to your savings.

Explore all avenues that help first time home buyers with help like down payment assistance programs. Check out the pitfalls in all home loan schemes and yes, read the fine print like your life depended on it. As Lucius says, ‘Wood or steel, a point (of the sword) is still a point.’

‘I was owned. Now I will control an empire’

Love him or hate him – the slave owner who turns them into winning gladiators – Macrinus, played brilliantly by Denzel Washington also dabbles in politics because he too has been denied by Rome. Macrinus knows how and when to stab the politicians to get what he wants, and is not averse to murder by suggestion. He is the quintessential person who plays for money, and will stop at nothing.

But when you’re investing your hard earned money, you know that underhanded games that people play do not help build a legacy. So choose wisely. Be inspired by high net worth individuals and follow their strategies of investing.

Ultra high net individuals understand the importance of savings, the basics of investing and yes, how to take calculated risks. It’s easy to defend your portfolio, but is there any way you can invest in emerging markets? Don’t get into the comparing game, it’s self defeating. There’s no point saying my neighbour bought an Audi, I should at least get a Mercedes. Focus on your goals and dreams instead. And yes, keep rebalancing your portfolio with the right mix of stocks and bonds ever so often. Plus, keep an ear to the ground and invest in a private market opportunity instead of focussing on just the public offerings.

Apart from the multiple severed limbs and swordfights that keep you gagging into your black coffee, the spectacle that is Gladiator 2 has two huge weaknesses: despite the huge raccoon eyed evil emperors, the story is a rehash of the original. And the hero just does not inspire me to raise my fistand fight for Rome. ‘Where we are, there is no death. And where death is we aren’t’ or some such dialog seems to be written by some bad AI prompt rather than serious inspiration. As dead bodies fall around them, I say, ‘Meri toh deth hee ho gayi!’

Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.