"Gladiator," unlike many films that pit men against men in individual combat, is entertaining to watch because it has, what Aristotle was one of the first to call, "spectacle."

Spectacle is grandeur, a large story set on a worldly stage, with dazzling scenery, and breathtaking moments.

"Gladiator" has all of these things, and through special effects, it shows us what Imperial Rome may have looked like.

The Coliseum is, well, spectacular.

When the script says it seated 50,000 blood-lusting locals, the moving pictures in front of you prove it.

You believe that Russell Crowe and company are doing battle in the best arena in the world.

So, from an architectural standpoint, this movie is a great travelogue.

Moreover, the scenes depicting gladiators fighting each other to the death are well done.

But where it leaves me feeling vacant is in the arena of individual motivation.

A martial artist must ask himself: When is it right to fight?

When you have right, and might, you're invincible.

Might alone, without the proper motivation, can let you down and you can fall to someone less physically impressive, who is fueled by virtue.

Why does Russell Crowe's "Gladiator" fight? Largely, it boils down to a single word: Revenge.

He lost his family and his promotion to the throne because of one man's avarice and cruelty, and he wants payback.

Revenge is a great theme in the movies, but is it something around which you should construct a life?

Who is the stronger martial artist: One who can overcome loss, or one who must avenge it, at the price of his own life?

I leave it to you to consider this and other questions raised by this film.

In the meantime, it's definitely worth your attention, and it's entertaining, especially if you forget that pesky fact that you're a martial artist, and it is your job to align right with might.

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Watch most of the martial arts movies coming from Hong Kong, and you'll see some unusual hand weapons being deployed.

Some look like striking snakes; others like pecking hens.

Which hand weapons are best?

In my view, we should learn a variety of hand variations, but stick to deploying a just a few simple and solid ones in our training and in combat.

Here are my four favorites:

(1) Closed Fist. There is a reason that many punches employ a closed fist. It is solid, hard, resistant to injury, and it penetrates upon contact with the opponent. The knuckles are the primary striking surface, moving frontally or side to side, but the soft surface, next to the baby finger, can be used as well in a hammering motion.

(2) Tiger's Claw. This is a five-finger deployment, utilizing curled and rigid digits, useful in facial and eye attacks.

(3) Braced Thumb. Make a fist, bring your thumb up beyond and flush with your index finger, and you have an excellent weapon for soft targets, such as eyes, or the temple area.

(4) Eagle's Talon or Crab. This is a three-digit deployment, using the index and middle fingers and the thumb, in opposition to each other. Squeezing these together in an attack on the neck and Adam's apple is efficient because it creates a quick grab and requires very little space for landing in the right spot.

I'm not a big fan of the "shuto," known commonly as a "karate chop." I think it's too easy to damage yourself when using it, especially if you accidentally strike a hard surface of the opponent's body.

For the same reason, I'm reluctant to launch solitary finger strikes. It's way too easy to break an unsupported finger, causing pain and distraction in a critical situation.

Let me know what works for you, and why!

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