A medieval Ridley Scott movie fails to impress a historian with its depiction of a battle. The director has built a reputation for creating epic, visually striking films, often set against vast historical backdrops. Scott and his movies have tackled various historical eras, from ancient times to the 1980s and 1990s. From Gladiator to House of Gucci and Gladiator II, his films often explore themes of power, duty, and moral conflict, set within tumultuous periods of history.

As Scott’s filmmaking journey progressed, his interest in depicting large-scale military conflicts and action scenes intensified. For example, 2021’s The Last Duel covered certain pivotal moments within medieval France, while the long-awaited sequel Gladiator II furthered his exploration of ancient Rome. The latter film was just released in November 2024 after a great deal of anticipation, and though it was met with somewhat mixed reviews, several heralded it as a demonstration of Scott’s talent with historical epics. However, he doesn’t always get things right.

Kingdom of Heaven’s Cavalry Tactics Don’t Hold Up

Historians Have Deemed The Film to Be Inaccurate

Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven raises a few red flags among historians. The film earned a score of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned only $218.6 million worldwide against a budget of $130 million. It starred Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, and Eva Green, among many others, as it told its fictionalized version of the Crusades and Balian of Ibelin’s story. Much like Scott’s other historical epics, though the grand scale of the movie was praised, Kingdom of Heaven‘s accuracy has come under close scrutiny and even, in some areas, sparked criticism.

During a video analysis with Insider, military historian Roel Konijnendijk addresses the film’s inaccuracy regarding the cavalry in the siege of Kerak, where the knights face off against Muslim forces. While Kingdom of Heaven attempts to demonstrate military strategy through encirclement and other maneuvers, Konijnendijk points out that these tactics are only partially realized. Additionally, the depiction of the charges of Frankish Knights is deemed inaccurate. Check out the full video and Konijnendijk’s response, which ended with him giving the movie a 4 out of 10, below:

This scene is portraying the siege of Kerak. The Muslim Army, they would often try to isolate Crusader Knights trying to get around them and then sort of circle them and attack them from all sides. That seems to be fairly accurate, but at the same time, they would do that in conjunction with horse archers and other missile troops that they would use to try and soften that formation up first. There should absolutely be arrows flying everywhere, and most of these Frankish Knights should probably be ᴅᴇᴀᴅ before they even make it to combat. It’s also especially weird to see that the Frankish Knights decide to split up. I mean, that’s absolute madness. That’s guaranteeing your own defeat. They should have stuck together as close as they could, they should have made a strong column and driven it straight into the Muslim Force. That’s the only chance they have of getting out alive.

The Calvary tactics of medieval heavy Calvary, like medieval European Calvaries, are very much based on the idea that they are a heavy shock force. They’re meant to trample the enemy. I feel like Ridley Scott put a lot of effort into training his horsemen to allow him to do this kind of maneuvering, and he wanted to show it on screen. It looks great, but tactically, it’s nonsense. They would have never fought like this, and it had absolutely no chance of achieving anything.

What This Means For Ridley Scott’s Vision of Medieval Warfare

While The Cavalries Are Misrepresented, The Visuals Are Enjoyable

Despite its shortcomings in historical accuracy, Kingdom of Heaven remains one of Scott’s most visually ambitious projects. The scale and grandeur of the battle sequences are undeniable, and they continue to resonate with viewers who appreciate these types of films. However, when viewed through the lens of historical accuracy, the film’s shortcomings are more apparent. While Kingdom of Heaven delivers phenomenal visuals, its depiction of medieval cavalry tactics fails to capture the truth of how warfare unfolded during the Crusades.

In balancing spectacle with historical detail, Kingdom of Heaven missed an opportunity to offer a more grounded and legitimate portrayal of medieval military strategy. For audiences seeking realism, the film’s tactical errors may be hard to overlook. However, for those drawn to the splendor of Scott’s filmmaking, the battle scenes remain a visually thrilling depiction of medieval combat.

Source: Insider