Films That Were Amazingly Inaccurate

Watching a film usually means we have to use a bit of our imagination. After all, for the most part, they’re fictional stories or retellings of things that have been dramatized for the big screen. While plenty of directors and writers do their best to stick to the facts, there are times when things have been wildly off - and they’re hard to ignore.

In fact, the films that were amazingly inaccurate can sometimes take away from the action, while others have no idea just how wrong things are. The problem? If you’re a bit of a history buff or you love things to be as accurate as possible, it might be hard to get fully involved in the story.

Enemy at the Gates tells the story of a duel that most likely never happened

Taking inspiration from the Battle of Stalingrad was none other than the 2001 war action ‘Enemy at the Gates.’ The story is supposed to follow the hero of it all, Vasily Zaitzev, who takes down and ends the life of Erwin König. The problem? While both men might have existed, there’s a good chance the duel between them never actually happened. ‘Enemy at the Gates’ also places a lot of emphasis on how important the snipers are when it comes to stopping enemy retreats while completely brushing over the Soviet female snipers. To make matters worse, while it might be a small inaccuracy, the film claims that Turkey was invaded by Germany during WWII, which actually never happened.

Braveheart got just about everything wrong in terms of the battle

Mel Gibson starring in 1995’s war movie ‘Braveheart’ is still known as one of Hollywood’s most iconic moments, but what about the man behind the title? The film follows a Scottish patriot fighting for his freedom, but things instantly get off to a bad start. For one, Braveheart was the nickname given to King Robert the Bruce and not the main character of the movie, William Wallace. Then there’s the fact his best friend, Sir John de Graham, is nowhere to be seen, Wallace never gave that epic speech, and Edward II is portrayed somewhat offensively. Then there’s the military accuracy. ‘Braveheart’ shows us inside the Battle of Stirling Bridge, but there’s no bridge to be seen. After all, the entire plan was to wait for enough British soldiers to be on the bridge before they charged, but the film seemingly skipped over this fact. Add in the issues with weapons, clothing, and that famous blue face paint, and it all adds up to be one of the most amazingly inaccurate movies of all time.

The Hurt Locker is based on fictional events, but what happens still isn’t accurate

To be fair, 2008’s war movie ‘The Hurt Locker’ isn’t based on real events, but it is inspired by the Iraq War. Sadly, plenty of veterans weren’t pleased when they saw the reckless yet talented star Staff Sergeant William James lead the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. A lot of the film focuses on diffusing weapons and the tension that can be cut with a knife, but it turns out most of the depictions are nowhere near reality. ‘The Hurt Locker’ sees soldiers go in to physically dismantle weapons, but soldiers often use other explosives or robotics to keep people safe. Even the Sergeant’s personality doesn’t line up with real life, as EOD soldiers almost always aren’t that dangerous.

The Battle of the Bulge was so inaccurate that a president publicly renounced it

The famous Battle of the Bulge was meant to be brought to life in the 1965 war movie, but things immediately got off to a bad start. In fact, the film was so far from the real events that a former president had to publicly renounce it. Although ‘The Battle of the Bulge’ is almost three hours long, plenty of vital details were left out or changed. One of the most obvious is that the original battle took place in France, yet they shot the film in Spain. The story also ignores the British troops, introduces tanks that are totally inaccurate, and lacks the turning point of the battle in the form of the Allied Air Power. All in all, just about everything that could be changed in ‘The Battle of the Bulge’ from the original events was.

While there is always going to be some creative liberty when it comes to Hollywood, the films that were amazingly inaccurate seem to have taken that idea and run for the hills. Sure, many were still hits in their own right, but it can often be hard to look past all the things they got wildly wrong.