Gesture

Thumbs up

Commodus from The Gladiator holds his thumb up but this thumb carries a mans life on the line.

the thumb is the deciding factor in who lives or dies in the coliseum aside from the crowd that is.

such a simple gesture can have a huge impact with enough social understanding that it translates without words.

the thumbs up is generally viewed as a positive gesture. in all of these the only version that brings more weight is the one in ancient Rome at the coliseum where a thumbs up meant the difference between Life and Death.

the look on Commodus' face changes drastically with his face becoming serious and void of expression. he knows he's just sentenced a man to death and his look shows he thinks nothing of it.

this last thumb is when he finds out Maximus the main character lived and the crowd siding against the emperor. the look of anguish on his face as he see's the man his father chose to lead beloved by the people.

here are few other looks at the thumbs up in a more light hearted setting.

 Globo gym spokesperson and founder

White Goodman

Chuck Norris

both are friendly gestures. Ben's character is posing for a photo op and Chuck is giving a solid Thumbs up to commend a good play these are both scenes in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)