Military Historian Reviews the Best Movie Battle Scenes of All Time

Military history expert and TV presenter Dan Snow reviews the most realistic movie battle scenes of all time. Spanning the ancient world to the Second World War, he chooses some of the most iconic scenes from cinema history, and a few surprises. First up, he reviews The Battle of Gaugamela 331BC as recreated in the movie Alexander (2004). He praises the film for its attention to historical accuracy, faithfully depicting the climactic clash between the Macedonian Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III. Next, it's the Battle of Loudoun Hill as portrayed in Outlaw King (2018), which took place in May 1307. Although the movie has Robert the Bruce's Scottish force facing off against Edward, Prince of Wales (who wasn't actually there), Dan still rates the film highly for its vision of a northern European medieval battlefield. Dan then reviews the ambush scene from one of his favourite movies, Last of the Mohicans (1992), in which a Britsh redcoat column is wiped out in the forests near Fort William Henry. Although this large scale battle never took place, it has echoes of the Battle of the Monongahela 1755, which really did happen during French and Indian War. Next, it's the Battle of the Crater from the movie Cold Mountain (2003), which took place during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. Dan describes the clash between Union and Confederate forces as one of the most horrific portrayals of war he has ever seen. The latest adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) is rated for accuracy next, showing life in the First World War trenches from the German perspective. In particular, the film captures the psychological impact of the introduction of tanks to the battlefield. Finally, the iconic D-Day landing scene from Saving Private Ryan (1998) is reviewed, showing Allied units battling their way onto Omaha Beach in June 1944. Do you agree with Dan Snow's choices? Let us know in the comments! You can now become a History Hit member right here on YouTube! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more. Get an exclusive release every week by signing up here: https://bit.ly/45Y4Oyg For more history content, subscribe to our History Hit newsletters: https://www.historyhit.com/sign-up-to... #historyhit #dansnow #moviereview