 At actual Roman crucifixions, the nails were driven through the  wrists and not through the palms as in the film. The structure of  the hand is not strong enough to support the weight of the body and  the nail would have torn through between the fingers. However, the  Christian tradition shows the nails as driven through the palms. In  the Bible, the nails were said to be driven into the hands of Jesus.  Medically, the hands include the wrists. 