The 5 Most Brutal Moments In Gladiator 2, Ranked By Sheer Nastiness

Spoilers for "Gladiator II" follow.

When Russell Crowe asked his audience if they were entertained, it was after savagely wrecking a handful of opponents that, to quote the great historians of Rome (probably), did not know who they were messing with. It was one of many incredibly gnarly moments that still holds up 24 years later and etches Ridley Scott's initial epic into the history books as one of the best films from the director. One of the biggest draws about both "Gladiator" and the newly released "Gladiator II" is up-close, in your face, wince-inducing action that makes you glad you never got thrown into the games Maximus and eventually his son Lucius (Paul Mescal) found themselves in. Make no mistake folks, "Gladiator II" gets gory. But which moments in the new film tower above the rest?

In a world where swords and shields are an essential, and raw and unflinching decapitations are a dime a dozen, "Gladiator II" has a handful of moments that only director Ridley Scott could deliver via his exceptional filmmaking ferocity. Some are so bloody you might as well bring an umbrella, whereas other instances are simple and subtle but still enough to make you whisper "that's gotta hurt." Here's our ranking of the most brutal and nasty moments in "Gladiator II." We who are about to spew, salute you.

Macrinus (Denzel Washington) might spend most of the film moving certain pieces on the board in "Gladiator II," but he also proves he's not afraid to get his hands dirty by manipulating one ruler in taking out another. After sizing up which is the weaker of the brothers sending Rome into the ground, Macrinus sends Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) spiraling and brandishing a knife at his brother Geta (Joseph Quinn). The young ruler doesn't have it in him to finish the task and Macrinus knows it, which is when after Geta pleads to put the weapon down, Macrinus takes over the situation and guides Caracalla's hand to finish the bloody execution of his brother.

The sequence is swift, but that doesn't take away from how grisly it is in its (ahem) execution. Blood fills the screen and Quinn really sells his demise, taking one in the neck brilliantly. It's also a major turning point for Macrinus in completing his plan of taking out one barrier and using another to his advantage. Taking over a world-ruling nation sure is a messy business.

Animals getting injured are always guaranteed to get a response, and that's certainly the case for one of the biggest set pieces in "Gladiator II" highlighting the unforgiving nature of this world in the most uncomfortable ways. Bringing a rhino into the Colosseum was on Ridley Scott's to-do list even when he was working on the first film, and now he finally got his wish. After Lucius takes charge (just like his pops) and allies with the other gladiators sent to their doom, he manages to take down a rhino single-handedly with nothing but a careful dodge and a fist full of dirt.

While it might be something that's easily missed, the sight of a rhino stumbling around with a snapped horn after running into the Colosseum wall is chilling and not a nice sight to behold, CGI or not. The icing on the brutal and bloody cake, however, comes in the form of the son of Maximus taking a swing at his Dad's signature move. Like Maximus' "are you not entertained" fatality, Lucius takes a set of swords and lops the head off a well-respected veteran of the Colosseum, immediately winning the crowd and becoming a chip off the old marble block.

In the first "Gladiator" one beloved character was Germanian gladiator, Hagen (Ralf Moeller), who is shot to death by archers during Maximus' failed escape. His death is filmed under a low light but his silhouette of being pierced with arrows is still heartbreaking to see. In "Gladiator II," Pedro Pascal suffers the same fate and then some as the general caught in the middle of Rome's political upheaval. After having his plans to rebel against the emperors scuppered, Pascal's character, General Acacius, is forced into the arena to fight the man that's out for his blood. Does Lucius have grounds to get his revenge? Probably. But it's nothing that can't be talked out like civilized adults.

Unfortunately, the chance of settling things turns to (shadows and) dust because in a matter of seconds the order is given for the arena archers to take down the treacherous general. And they do. Again, and again, and again. Proving that Ridley Scott can't do things in halves, Acacius takes it from every angle, becoming the ancient iteration of a koosh ball and putting Sean Bean's death in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" to shame. No blood is spilled, but it is the sight of Marcus buckling and what feels like a quiver's worth of arrows snapping off his back that is so unsettling. Honestly Pedro, no more deaths for your most beloved roles for a while, please. We beg of you. That's your last one. Deal? Great.

When you have a star as big as Denzel Washington in villain mode for your movie you've got to give him an exit worth remembering. Thankfully, he gets just that when the inevitable showdown between gladiator and master manipulator unfolds and the battle for Rome ends in a muddy lake between a war waiting to erupt. We don't want to admit it, but the disadvantage is with Macrinus and those fancy robes that up until now have made him the star of the show. Here they're what slow him down and leads the young blooded hero to get the upper hand and take Macrinus' hand in the process.

From there, Macrinus' insides become his outsides and he falls beneath the waters of the murky lake that have, in a way, haunted our hero since the beginning. It's a drawn out death as the villain looks at his recent injury with disgust and anger about his loss, making it a more excruciating exit than the one Commodus got in "Gladiator" and one deserving of the star that has stolen most of "Gladiator II."

We can't pick the most stomach-turning moments in "Gladiator II" without mentioning the moment the star of "Normal People" did something that a normal person simply wouldn't do. Following the "Gladiator II" footage shown back in October, we knew this scene was coming, but Scott saved the real ruthlessness for the final product when Lucius is thrown into a battle to the death with what really does feel like a barrel of monkeys. Here the hero-in-the-making shows just how far he's willing to go to stay alive and achieve his mission. Not only does he manage to yank the fangs off the agitated animal, but after getting it pinned down, he proceeds to bite through the poor thing's arm.

It's debatable just how good the CGI is in this whole sequence when breaking out the baboons ("Planet of the Apes" Caesar could certainly take them), but its intended effect lands. Just showing how barbaric Lucius is willing to get sets him apart from the rest of the gladiators with their lives on the line, and ensures that Macrinus (Denzel Washington) is going to use his new found instrument to the best of his ability, even if it kills him. Thankfully though, even after its visceral execution, the reassuring takeaway is that only CGI blood was spilled and no monkeys were harmed in the making of the film's most bonkers battle.