10 Most Historically Inaccurate War Movies Ever Made

This two-and-a-half-hour-long thriller is no doubt one of the greatest masterpieces ever to grace our screens. Winning 5 Oscars and starring Russel Crowe as General Maximus Decimus Meridius, it is set in Roman times and tells the story of an emperor’s son, who is passed over as the heir in favour of a more skilled general (Russel Crowe). The enraged son murders his father and orchestrates the slaughter of the general’s family. The latter himself is then sold into slavery so he can train to become a gladiator.

Despite being an edge-of-your-seat drama that has some jaw-dropping moments, it is pretty evident that the producers weren’t exactly Roman historians and in making the film, various details about Roman history are blatantly overlooked. All this is aside from the fact that General Maximus never actually existed…

But the person that did exist was Emperor Marcus Aurelius. However, despite being murdered by his son and facing an insurrection in the film, his rule was relatively peaceful, and he never suffered such a threat. There are also some subtler historical mistakes in Gladiator such as the opening scenes showing the Romans carrying siege weapons for an open-forest battle as well as the emperor banning gladiator games (something he never did or would have done considering the necessity that his citizens be distracted from a failing economy).

*Facepalm* Ah well, who cares, it’s a good film.