I see the films as a kind of poetic exaggeration. In reality a battlefield is a mess of mud, fatigue and confusion. The generals you see calmly ordering flanks are rarely that calm, and the cavalry charges are seldom the clean, fan‑facing spectacles you love. The movies cut out the long, slow marches and the endless artillery exchanges to keep the audience engaged. If you want to know how a Roman legion actually fought, read the writings of Caesar or Livy, not a Hollywood script. The truth is far more brutal and less theatrical.