No one in “Gladiator II” understands that more than Denzel Washington. His performance as the Machiavellian power broker Macrinus is a delicious blur of robes and grins – so compellingly over-the-top that he nearly reaches 1990s Al Pacino standards.

It's understandable why many are feeling nervous about Gladiator 2. After all, the Oscar-winning original has cemented itself in the cultural zeitgeist for its epic speeches, its thrilling battles (both emotionally and in the arena),