goldeneagle2 said:If I can jump in here, dear Woody—*Gladiator* is absolute garbage because it completely butchers how people actually acted back in ancient Rome. Take that opening battle between the Romans and the Germans, for instance; it’s a total disaster. The Roman army looks less like a disciplined force and more like an undisciplined mob of street thugs. If you actually want to see what military discipline looked like, go watch the HBO series *Rome*. The Roman legions fought shield-to-shield; nobody was allowed to just break formation and charge out into a field to fight one-on-one against the enemy without permission. What were they, musketeers or something? In a real unit, their own centurion would have taken their head off after the battle for that, and during the fight, the line of legionary shields would have just closed up over them—they’d be written off as dead, and a soldier from the second rank would just step up to fill the gap. And then, after the fight, they’re all dancing around and rolling on the ground with joy? What is this, some kind of festival? It’s like watching a chaotic riot break out in Memphis. That level of breakdown in discipline would have been met with death. They should only have been allowed to celebrate if they were actually permitted to, not every time a soldier gets a little rush of adrenaline. And that’s just the first few scenes—after that, the Hollywood stupidity just keeps piling up for the rest of the movie. For a real look at Rome, watch *ROME*.
Listen to this 😂. Why are you bringing up those thugs so much? About 90% of the audience expects a massive historical spectacle when a movie about old battles gets made. Those 90% don't care about historical accuracy; they just want to have a good time watching the film. Then you've got that other 10% who act like amateur historians—including you—claiming the movie is garbage because it depicts certain customs incorrectly. That’s not even the point; you shouldn't take it that seriously. The movie won a ton of awards and praise, and then a few years later, some "historians" show up🤣😂 spitting on the film just because it portrays the Roman army "wrong." I wouldn't be surprised if you imagine the Roman army as some group of soldiers in polished, shiny armor, looking exhausted and bloody while still trying to maintain perfect formations against hundreds of barbarians🙄