10 Movies About Real Wars (That Were Terribly Inaccurate)

2. Braveheart

20th Century Fox20th Century FoxWhile Mel Gibson wasn't really to blame for the glaring inaccuracies in The Patriot, the same can't be said for his multi-Oscar winning "historical epic" Braveheart. Gibson plays the main role of William Wallace, the 13th-century warrior who led the Scots into the war of independence against King Edward of England before finding himself tried for high treason. The fact that Braveheart is one of the most inaccurate movies in the history of cinema didn't prevent it from becoming a smash at the box office. But historians were less impressed than the popcorn-guzzling audiences in the multiplex, with one describing it as follows: "The events aren't accurate, the dates aren't accurate, the characters aren't accurate, the names aren't accurate, the clothes aren't accurate€”in short, just about nothing is accurate." Both Mel Gibson and his screenwriter Randall Wallace have defended their decision to turn truth on its head in the name of making an entertaining movie - while they acknowledge the many inaccuracies they believe their changes are more "cinematically compelling". Another historian observed that it couldn't have been more inaccurate if they'd inserted a plasticine dog and called the movie William Wallace and Gromit - it certainly sounds like a movie we'd like to see.
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Andrew Dilks hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.