Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott went to great lengths to ensure that this epic drama about the Roman Empire was historically accurate. Before beginning work on Gladiator, he consulted historians for help with the screenplay. He made alterations along the way that caused some of them to leave! If you need an example of a major inaccuracy, consider the fact that the soldiers did not actually wear the “fantasy helmets.” Furthermore, the plot begins with Commodus assassinating his father. This, however, was not historically correct.
Gladiator (2000)
The Patriot (2000)
Following that, we have another Mel Gibson picture that is riddled with historical falsehoods. The most important of these having to do with the main character, Benjamin Martin. During the Revolutionary War, he is said to have been a valiant regular Joe fighting for the Crown and ultimately for America. In truth, he was modeled on Francis Marion, a slave owner. This was not mentioned in the film, which also ignored slavery as a whole. As a result, critics have labeled it a “total whitewashing of history.”
The Patriot (2000)