10 Best War Movie Scenes Of All Time

Gladiator isn't a traditional war movie, and few people think of it as such. After all, it's all about the gladiatorial combat of Maximus Decimus Meridius, but it doesn't start out that way. The movie began with a battle in Germania, and while the film may not be a typical war movie, it absolutely nailed 2nd-century Roman combat.

Rome's conquest of Germania was a long and brutal campaign, which saw an organized and technologically superior force engage a disparate band of battle-hardened barbarians. The scene begins after what appears to be several days of combat, and while the Germanian men yell, the Romans prepare.

Archers, ballista, and catapults are readied as General Maximus emboldens his cavalry with the Roman version of a "Get psyched" speech — finishing with, "What we do in life... echoes in eternity." The scene shifts back to the siege weapons, which are readied and fired into the forest where the barbarians await.

Death rains down from above in the form of ignited projectiles of all types and the Germanians die by the hundred. The Infantry then moves in, using a phalanx formation; the Romans are protected and deadly.

By the time the battle comes to an end, the Germanian casualties vastly outnumber the Romans. They engaged their enemy with brutal strength and intensity. When the smoke finally clears and the dust settles, all that can be said is "Roma victor!!!"