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The Gladiator

  • TV Movie
  • 1986
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
767
YOUR RATING
Nancy Allen, Brian Robbins, Robert Culp, Rick Dees, Stan Shaw, and Ken Wahl in The Gladiator (1986)
ActionDramaThriller

A road warrior vigilante avenges his brother's death at the hands of a crazy motorist by using his souped-up pickup to apprehend drunken drivers and others who abuse their driving privileges... Read allA road warrior vigilante avenges his brother's death at the hands of a crazy motorist by using his souped-up pickup to apprehend drunken drivers and others who abuse their driving privileges.A road warrior vigilante avenges his brother's death at the hands of a crazy motorist by using his souped-up pickup to apprehend drunken drivers and others who abuse their driving privileges.

  • Director
    • Abel Ferrara
  • Writers
    • William Bleich
    • Tom Schulman
    • Jeffrey Walker
  • Stars
    • Ken Wahl
    • Nancy Allen
    • Robert Culp
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    767
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Abel Ferrara
    • Writers
      • William Bleich
      • Tom Schulman
      • Jeffrey Walker
    • Stars
      • Ken Wahl
      • Nancy Allen
      • Robert Culp
    • 15User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos20

    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    Nancy Allen, Brian Robbins, Robert Culp, Rick Dees, Stan Shaw, and Ken Wahl in The Gladiator (1986)
    Nancy Allen and Ken Wahl in The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    Nancy Allen and Ken Wahl in The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)
    The Gladiator (1986)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken Wahl
    Ken Wahl
    • Rick Benton
    Nancy Allen
    Nancy Allen
    • Susan Neville
    Robert Culp
    Robert Culp
    • Lieutenant Frank Mason
    Stan Shaw
    Stan Shaw
    • Joe Barker
    Rosemary Forsyth
    Rosemary Forsyth
    • Loretta Simpson
    Bart Braverman
    Bart Braverman
    • Dan
    Brian Robbins
    Brian Robbins
    • Jeff Benton
    Rick Dees
    Rick Dees
    • Garth Masters
    Michael Young
    Michael Young
    • Reporter
    Harry Beer
    Harry Beer
    • Franklin
    Garry Goodrow
    • Cadillac Drunk
    Robert Phalen
    Robert Phalen
    • Dr. Maxwell
    Linda Thorson
    Linda Thorson
    • Woman in Class
    Mary Baldwin
    • Mary
    Thom Bierdz
    Thom Bierdz
    • Kid
    José Flores
    José Flores
    • Policeman #1
    • (as Jose Flores)
    Stephen Anthony Henry
    • Man in Class
    Gary Lev
    • Fast Food Manager
    • Director
      • Abel Ferrara
    • Writers
      • William Bleich
      • Tom Schulman
      • Jeffrey Walker
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The five 1969 Dodge Chargers used in this film were actual "General Lee's" from The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), sold by Warner Bros to this production. Out of the five, two survived in the hands of stunt driver George A. Sack Jr. They are now being restored for "Dukes" stunt coordinator Gary Baxley by Smith Bros. Restorations.
    • Goofs
      (at around 41 mins) Rick is driving through and there is a flashing red light for the crosswalk. He's looking for bad drivers but he runs straight through the crosswalk while a person is walking in front of him.
    • Quotes

      Joe Barker: There's order to the chaos of the universe - as above, so below. I mean, even here, there's a natural order posed by me, because here: I am God.

    • Alternate versions
      Abel Ferrara had to cut approximately 11 minutes of footage from the final cut due to the restrictions imposed by New World Television on the running length. A scene where Rick (Ken Wahl) and Susan (Nancy Allen) go out for a meal and debate the motives behind the gladiator made up the majority of the cut footage; it is unknown whether future DVD releases will contain missing scenes to this date (May, 2007).
    • Connections
      Referenced in A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara (2004)

    User reviews15

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    "This is a citizen's arrest"
    A nutter in a black car is causing hit and runs throughout town, but he picked on the wrong guy when he caused the death of that guy out of the Wanderers. This guy, a mechanic who only wanted his kid brother to grow up and get out of town with a good job, is understandably mental with revenge, soups up his flat bed truck with all kind of gadgets, and goes out on the streets to get justice!

    He calls himself The Gladiator and has a gizmo ridden car that disable drink drivers. The public think he's great, but most of the cops don't, and they begin to think that he may be behind all the killings out on the highways. Will our hero catch his prey, or will the hit and run guy go on wasting good old American folks? Well, this is a TV movie, so don't expect gore and violence. Then again, it's directed by Abel Ferrarra, so it's no walk in the park either.

    Although lacking in violence, Abel makes up for it with many car chases and an excellent showdown in the a junkyard between the gadget truck and the gadget death car. It's good enough for a TV movie, I'll say that, and has a bit of heart about it too. A nice time waster.
    helpful•3
    1
    • Bezenby
    • Oct 28, 2013

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    FAQ2

    • Based on true events?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 3, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Gladiaattori
    • Filming locations
      • California, USA(Location.)
    • Production companies
      • Walker Brothers Productions
      • New World Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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    Nancy Allen, Brian Robbins, Robert Culp, Rick Dees, Stan Shaw, and Ken Wahl in The Gladiator (1986)
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