In this episode of Reel History, we step into the Colosseum to break down Gladiator—what the film gets right about ancient Rome, where it leans into Hollywood spectacle, and how power, politics, and propaganda actually worked in the Roman Empire. From Commodus to Maximus, we separate historical fact from cinematic myth and explore why Gladiator still shapes how we imagine Rome today.

Josh battles some technical difficulties during the recording, but the history still hits hard—because Rome wasn’t built on perfect audio and video either.