7 Ways Gladiator Was Historically Accurate (& 9 Ways It Wasn’t)

Movies based on real life are never completely accurate, and the Gladiator historical accuracy has been hotly debated since the Oscar-winning movie came out in 2000. There are several things that this movie fictionalizes, including the main character, the fate of the villain, and even the events that happened in the military and gladiatorial battles of Ancient Rome. While Gladiator had a team onboard to ensure its historical accuracy in many areas, there were several things that bothered even these crew members, as Ridley Scott took some serious creative license with the factual events of the Roman Empire at the time.