20 Sad Movies That Men Are Allowed to Cry At

Gladiator

Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou.When guys reflect upon Ridley Scott’s violent epic Gladiator, the praise is typically aimed at the film’s kick-ass fight scenes, barbaric duels that posit Russell Crowe’s Maximus as the ultimate heroic badass. And we’re not here to argue the merits of Gladiator’s awesome brutality—like many of you, viewings of the flick make us want to restart our frequently abandoned gym routines, though food and liquor always take unfortunate precedence. Aside from the macho force, though, Gladiator never fails to pound our eye sockets into teary submission in that final scene, when a dying Maximus reunites with his wife and son in the afterlife. If not for the character’s likeability earned through awesome dismemberment of foes with his sword, that closing moment wouldn’t register with as much feeling as it does—it’s not cool to cry while working out, right?