Six Roman war films historians will defend, and one of them built a 22-hectare Forum

Hollywood and history have always had a complicated relationship. If you go to the cinema expecting total accuracy, frankly, you’re bound to end up disappointed half the time. But every now and then, a film does strive to get the details just right, especially when it comes to the Roman Empire. I’ve pulled together a list of six Roman war films that manage to keep things mostly authentic (or at least genuinely interested in it), blending proper research with the sort of action everyone wants on a weekend night.

Centurion (2010)

If you’re after Roman carnage with a dash of creative licence, Centurion is worth a look. Michael Fassbender stars as Quintus Dias, one of the survivors of the Ninth Legion after an absolute massacre in the forests of Caledonia. Rather than a grand tale of war strategy, it’s more like a non-stop chase — and director Neil Marshall genuinely goes for gritty, blood-splattered realism.

What’s odd with Marshall’s film is how he stitches together three different bits of Roman-era legend: the Boudica uprising, the lost Ninth Legion, and the grisly ambush of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. It should be a mess, but it somehow gels into a convincing recreation of the period.

On History Hit’s YouTube channel, Roman history obsessive and podcast host Tristan Hughes picked it as a personal favourite for its vivid action and atmospheric storytelling. Here’s how Hughes described the fighting:

"It is absolutely brutal, this battle scene, I must admit, but I do like it because it gives Teutoburg Forest Vibes, and I find that battle really, really interesting."

Gladiator (2000)

It’s impossible to make a Roman war film list without Gladiator looming over it. The plot’s pure Hollywood — Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a wronged Roman general out for vengeance against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). There was no real-life Maximus, and Commodus’s actual death was less swordfight-in-the-arena and more ‘strangled in the bath by a wrestler named Narcissus’.

Yet, the production did pull in real experts. Harvard’s Kathleen Coleman advised on the project, though she was apparently so unimpressed by the final result she had her name taken off. Still, the filmmakers nailed the look and feel of the Colosseum — especially the way trapdoors worked and the maze-like corridors underneath. Robert De Graaff, a historian, broke down its accuracy for The Collector:

"The wooden floor of the Colosseum did have trap doors, and the underbelly of the amphitheater had a maze of corridors leading to lifts and ramps. These can be used for dramatic effect, with doors opening to reveal wild animals, other gladiators, props, or whatever else the editor of the games thought would be appreciated by the audience."

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)

This one goes old-school. In The Fall of the Roman Empire, Alec Guinness brings Marcus Aurelius’s brooding to life while Stephen Boyd and Christopher Plummer play out the interminable Rome succession drama. Producer Samuel Bronston famously built a replica Forum that genuinely covered 22 hectares — talk about committing to the bit.

What makes it stand out is its use of Marcus Aurelius’s own writings for dialogue, rather than Hollywood’s usual guesswork. The philosophy and tone get remarkably close to what’s on the page — even if the film fudges the actual story of succession (shock). In historian Martin M. Winkler’s view (from his book on the film), it’s "the most accomplished presentation of Roman history ever put on the silver screen."

Spartacus (1960)

Kirk Douglas stars as Spartacus, leader of the slave revolt. Stanley Kubrick directs, Dalton Trumbo adapts Howard Fast — so it’s heavy on drama rather than academic detail. Yes, it’s more an idealised portrait of rebellion than a blow-by-blow retelling. Still, the film nails one essential element: the rivalry between Spartacus and Crassus (Laurence Olivier). Instead of inventing a new character dynamic, the writers stick close to ancient sources like Plutarch, which cast Crassus as Spartacus’s mirror image. Scholar Jeff Tatum summed up the dynamic for an academic essay collection:

"Crassus' character, although animated by Laurence Olivier's compelling performance, is, in the end, simply Spartacus reversed."

Ben-Hur (2016)

If people know anything about Ben-Hur these days, it’s that chariot race. In the 2016 version, Jack Huston is Judah Ben-Hur, betrayed and thrown into slavery by his (Roman) foster brother Messala (Toby Kebbell). It’s all a bit much relying on grand coincidences, but the real highlight is the racing sequence.

Fun fact: while Roman nobles didn’t tend to pull double duty as imperial chariot racers, there absolutely was a functioning hippodrome in Jerusalem during the relevant era — so hosting a huge event like the film’s centrepiece wasn’t outside the bounds of possibility. The mayhem is rather exaggerated, but credit to director Timur Bekmambetov for going heavy on practical effects and real horses, avoiding CGI whenever possible.

Ben-Hur’s depiction of the Jerusalem chariot race relied on practical stunts, real horses and custom chariots, making it one of the most intense and physical sequences Hollywood has managed in a Roman epic.

The Eagle (2011)

The Eagle stars Channing Tatum as Marcus Aquila, out to recover his father’s lost golden eagle from beyond Hadrian’s Wall. It’s a pretty standard-issue quest story, but credit where it’s due: that opening ambush is shockingly accurate.

Historian Michael Taylor went so far as to rate the depiction of the Roman testudo (shield formation), orbis and defensive tactics as 9 out of 10 for authenticity — not an everyday score for a film in the genre. The wider fate of the Ninth Legion is still a hot topic for actual academics, but when it comes to getting the military stuff right, The Eagle’s up there.

The ambush sequence in The Eagle was praised by historians for its accurate depiction of Roman battle formations.