Some of the greatest films ever made covered a historical event. Whether it's a war movie or about a significant moment in history or a biopic, odds are, it will have some serious production value. Some movies in this category are incredibly accurate, while others play fast and loose with the facts to tell the story. Whatever the case, historical films are almost always entertaining.
Looking back through history, one thing that tends to pop up a lot is betrayal. People were always selling someone out for one reason or another, and it had an impact. This list looks back on the most egregious backstabs in historical movies the audience didn't see coming. While most historians may have expected it, the general public may not. And some movies on this list (looking at you, Gladiator and Braveheart) take a historical setting and heavily fictionalize the events, so there are surprises in store for everybody. Here are the biggest movie betrayals in history - vote on the most treacherous below!
In Braveheart, William Wallace is thrust into leadership when he takes up arms against the English. As he amasses more and more troops, he's knighted and given a great deal of respect. On the opposite side of the table is Robert the Bruce, the man representing Scotland who would be its king should Wallace prove successful in his war of independence. Unfortunately, things go sideways at the Battle of Falkirk, and Wallace's forces are largely destroyed.
During the battle, two Scottish noblemen, Mornay and Lochlan, refuse to provide their forces, siding with the English. They pay for this later, but that's not the biggest betrayal in the film. Wallace fights with an armored man who turns out to be Robert the Bruce. In the film, this betrayal is enough to break Wallace.
In real life, this didn't happen, and Wallace entered into a self-imposed kind of exile after the battle. Most of his forces were killed in the one-sided battle, and Wallace became somewhat despised by many Scots. He was captured seven years after the battle when he was betrayed by a different Scottish noble, Sir John Menteith. Menteith handed Wallace over to England, and he was tried for treason and executed. Sadly, Wallace's grisly end in Braveheart is true to life.
For many years, Alan Turing was one of the unsung heroes of World War II due to his work in creating a machine that could break the Nazi's Enigma Machine encryption. Granted, he didn't do it alone, but Turing was head of the project that saw it happen, and he's also considered to be the father of artificial intelligence and theoretical computer science. If you're reading this on anything other than a piece of paper, you can thank Turing for that.
The Imitation Game focuses on aspects of Turing's life, with the central plot revolving around his efforts to break the Enigma's encryption. Turing is shown to be a homosexual, and in the United Kingdom, that wasn't decriminalized until 1967. After the war, Turing is unable to publish anything related to his work due to it being classified and lives a quiet life. In 1952, after his home is invaded, law enforcement realizes Turing is a homosexual.
He's tried and convicted for gross indecency. and given the option to undergo chemical castration in lieu of prison time. The very government he worked so hard to protect decried him a criminal and castrated him, and you can't feel any more betrayed than Turing did at the time. After a year of government-mandated hormone therapy, Turing took his own life. He was given a posthumous Royal Pardon by Queen Elizabeth II 59 years after his suicide.
Gladiator tells the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius, “commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius.” While Rome, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus were well represented, Maximus is a fiction created for the film. Regardless, his story is incredibly entertaining, even if it is tragic. The movie begins with Maximus defeating an army of Germanic warriors, and he is beloved by his emperor.
The emperor's son isn't too keen on Maximus's closeness with his father, nor is he willing to step aside so Maximus can return the empire to a republic. So, in an act of pure hatred, Commodus smothers his father. His first act as emperor is to have Maximus murdered. The true betrayal comes when Maximus's closest aid, Quintus, a commander of the Praetorian Guard, betrays him. Maximus is sentenced to execution but survives. He later finds his family farm burned, and his wife and son slain.
Okay, bear with us on this one. Yes, the story of Julius Caesar is well known throughout the world, so anyone who studied Roman history at any point in their lives likely knows it. That said, there are plenty who don't know what happened to the Roman Republic's first Dictator for Life. 1953's Julius Caesar is the first cinematic adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, and while it sticks close to history, the Bard took some liberties with the facts. Regardless, it's an excellent and entertaining film.
The film begins after Caesar's victory over one of Pompey's sons, and he's beloved by the people. On the other hand, the Senate is a bit wary of the man who is incredibly powerful and popular. Fearing that Caesar will become a tyrant, a group of Senators hatch a plot to kill him, and Brutus is among them. Brutus is one of Caesar's closest friends and allies, so his involvement is troubling. On the Ides of March, the conspirators carry out their plot as each of them stabs Caesar on the Senate floor. The last to do so is Brutus, and upon realizing that his friend betrayed him, Caesar utters his last words, “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?)
Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer tells the true story of the eponymous physicist and his work in developing the atom bomb during World War II. It also details his life after the Manhattan Project, and how he was ostracized and diminished via bogus investigations into his loyalties. This was, after all, during the time of McCarthyism, and intellectuals (especially those with Communist or Socialist associates and acquaintances) were heavily scrutinized.
When his security clearance is up for review, a hearing is held where many of Oppenheimer's past associates testify against him, including Edward Teller. This betrayal hits hard and comes out of left field, but not to anyone familiar with the proceeding. The real Teller testified, "I would prefer to see the vital interests of this country in hands that I understand better and therefore trust more.” He said the same in the film with some additions. This was a significant turning point in Teller's life, and led to many in the scientific community turning their backs on him for betraying Oppenheimer.
Goodfellas opens with a group of men killing a guy in the trunk of their car. The camera focuses on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), and via narration, he says, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” The film follows Henry as he matures and shows how he makes his way into the Mafia to become a significant player in several heists. Through narration, he describes his friends and “co-workers” with admiration – after all, he was enamored with the life.
Towards the film's end, Henry gets involved with drugs, which the Mafia forbids. This puts him on the outs with his fellow Mafiosos, and after he's caught, he does the unthinkable. Henry turns on everyone he loves to save his own skin, becoming a rat. In the end, he points to the head of the Mafia and his former friend in court, which afforded him immunity from prosecution. At the end of the movie, Henry is living in witness protection, where, as he describes, “I'm an average nobody... get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”
