- The Colosseum... You should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. Fifty-thousand Romans... watching every movement of your sword... willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike and the noise afterwards. It rises. It rises up... like a storm. As if you were the Thunder God himself.
- You were a gladiator?
- Yes, I was.
- You won your freedom?
- A long time ago, the Emperor... presented me with a rudius. It's just a wooden sword. The symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder, and I was free.
- You knew Marcus Aurelius?
- I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once.
- You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the Emperor... as you did.
- Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you'll win your freedom.
- I will win the crowd. I will give them something they've never seen before.
- You were a gladiator?
- Yes, I was.
- You won your freedom?
- A long time ago, the Emperor... presented me with a rudius. It's just a wooden sword. The symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder, and I was free.
- You knew Marcus Aurelius?
- I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once.
- You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the Emperor... as you did.
- Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you'll win your freedom.
- I will win the crowd. I will give them something they've never seen before.