Top 10 Most Historically Inaccurate Movie Scenes

“Napoleon” (2023)

This was Napoleon’s final stand, where he faced off against the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon made numerous blunders, and Wellington made few, but it was the former who ultimately lost the fight. Ridley Scott paints a decidedly different picture of how it all went down. Napoleon didn’t actually lead a cavalry charge at Waterloo, as he was meant to oversee rather than to personally get involved with the fight in his role as commander. There’s significant evidence that he was also in ill-health due to hemorrhoids at the time, so his leading a cavalry charge is a massive stretch. Also, there appears to be a British sniper present, who shoots a bullet through Napoleon’s hat. Waterloo happened 39 years before the first sniper rifle was invented. There are plenty of other inaccuracies, but we don’t have enough time to explain them all.

“Amistad” (1997)

“Amistad” is a wonderfully poignant film about the horrors of slavery. While it’s a great watch, it’s not as accurate as you’d hope. The court case wasn’t such a pivotal moment for abolitionists as it was presented to be. Also, John Quincy Adams makes an iconic and powerful speech. While records indicate he spoke for hours, he was probably more focused on constitutional and international law, rather than the morals discussed in the movie. It also frames him as the sole savior of the Amistad Africans, which downplays the role of Lewis Tappan and Roger Sherman Baldwin. Also, while Adams opposed slavery, he was never an abolitionist.

“Argo” (2012)

In 1980, after the Iranian Revolution, Canada and the US worked together to help six American diplomats escape Iran. The operation involved two CIA officers, six Canadians, one Irishman, and one Latin American. “Argo” dramatizes this operation, but fails to show how essential the Canadians were. Its least accurate scene is arguably its intense airport escape. In “Argo”, they experience numerous dramatic difficulties here. In reality, while there was some tension and some worry, they managed to get through the airport with much less fuss. Meanwhile, the intense chase sequence is a complete fabrication. It’s best to treat “Argo” as historically inspired fiction, rather than historical fiction.

“JFK” (1991)

This movie was so inaccurate that criticisms began 6 months before it was released. It focuses on the investigation surrounding JFK’s assassination. It’s now mostly accepted to be full of inaccuracies, but the worst offender is arguably the magic bullet scene. This was a theory proposed by the Warren Commission, and in the film it suggests that a single bullet couldn’t have done as much internal damage as it did. In reality, the argument was backed up by ballistics and medical evidence. In the film, the single-bullet theory as shown omits key elements and some alterations of fact, even though it has been regarded as plausible by experts. The argument conveniently leaves this out, making it seem laughable, when it’s been tested extensively.

“The Last Samurai” (2003)

This movie is a fictionalization of the Satsuma Rebellion, a samurai revolt against the Meiji government, in 1877. Firstly, Tom Cruise’s character is made up - though he was loosely based on French Guard officers involved in an earlier Japanese war. “The Last Samurai” also completely misunderstands and/or oversimplifies the factors that caused the rebellion. It’s difficult to pick a specific scene, since it’s all so far from reality. We decided to choose the ninja attack, since the representation of ninjas is largely fictional. While ninjas, or more accurately shinobi, did exist, and were essentially spy samurai, they were mostly a thing of the past by the Meiji Restoration. And even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have looked anything like they did here.

“Pearl Harbor” (2001)

The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a major tragedy, which Michael Bay decided to turn into a love story. Many Pearl Harbor survivors criticized its accuracy. Veteran Kenneth M. Taylor, who appears to have inspired one of the male protagonists, called it “a piece of trash”. The whole attack scene is so far from reality that the train tickets back would be through the roof. For example, the aircraft carriers used by the Japanese in the film were actually being used by the US Navy. They also used jet catapults and angled flight decks, which was 50s technology - as in not invented yet! The US had P-40 planes at the time, but the film uses the P-40N, a plane invented 2 years after Pearl Harbor.

“Pocahontas” (1995)

One of this movie’s most famous scenes is when Pocahontas saves John Smith from execution. This fact is a matter of historical debate. John Smith’s accounts tell us he was never at risk of execution when captured. Also, Pocahontas would have been about 10 years old at the time, and John Smith would have been 17 years older. There isn’t any evidence they were ever romantically involved. It’s also a wildly inaccurate portrayal of the Powhatan people. It sensationalizes European colonization, which makes sense for an American movie. It avoids discussing the devastating impact colonization had on Indigenous peoples, probably because it’s a kid’s movie. Others argue they should avoid romanticizing one of history’s most brutal events.

“The Patriot” (2000)

Mel Gibson played the leading role in this American Revolutionary War drama. Gibson’s character was based on 4 real-life men, including Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion. It presents the British as complete monsters, and while they could be cruel, in reality, Marion and people like him were just as cruel. His main foe is Colonel Tavington, based on Banastre Tarleton. Its most controversial scene shows the British locking Americans in a church, and burning it to the ground. Not a single record exists of the British committing an atrocity to civilians like this during this conflict. It villainizes them to a cartoonish degree, yet such tactics would have been considered abhorrent by themselves.

“300” (2006)

This was one of the most famous battles in history, fought between a Greek alliance, led by the Spartans, against the Persian Empire in 480 BC. Approximately 7,000 soldiers, with Leonidas at their helm, defended the pass of Thermopylae. Here, they faced off between 120,000 and 300,000 Persians, and held their ground. Zack Snyder’s “300” depicts there being only 300 Greek soldiers present - all Spartans, which is clearly very off. Of course, we have to acknowledge that the film is based on Frank Miller’s comic book limited series, but the seeming demonization of the Persians isn’t something we cannot mention. On a lighter note, the Spartans wouldn’t have had access to slow-motion technology and would have fought entirely at regular speeds.

“Braveheart” (1995)

Even to someone with only the most basic knowledge of Scottish history, “Braveheart” will feel like complete nonsense. It decimates accuracy in favor of making Mel Gibson look like a cool Scottish warrior. They wear tartan centuries before it was common, and paint their faces blue about a millennium after it was popular. It’s tough to pick only one scene for inaccuracy, but we decided on the Battle of Stirling Bridge. How come? Well, for a start there isn’t even a single bridge in the scene. As the name suggests, significant parts of the battle were fought on a thin bridge, with only enough room for a couple of horses. The battle tactics depicted were also inaccurate. Show this film to a Scotsman or a historian, and they will be seething within seconds.



Which historical scene made you the angriest for its lack of accuracy? Let us know in the comments below!