Top 30 Historically Accurate Movies
When it came to faithfully adapting history, these movies did not cut corners. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best movies that were reasonably faithful to reality.
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00:00Our mission was called a successful failure, in that we returned safely but never made
00:04it to the moon."
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best movies that were
00:09reasonably faithful to reality.
00:11I could have got more.
00:12Husker, there are 1,100 people who are alive because of you.
00:17Number 30.
00:18The Big Short
00:19And then that happens.
00:22What is that?
00:26That's America's housing market.
00:27If you want a truthful glimpse into how the 2007-2008 global financial crisis unfurled,
00:32you don't need to watch a documentary.
00:34Just spend two hours with The Big Short.
00:36Director Adam McKay does a terrific job conveying complex financial ideas and making them fiercely
00:41entertaining.
00:42The movie is based on Michael Lewis' book of the same name, and adapts much of its information,
00:46giving a realistic rundown of the United States housing crisis and how it ruined the global
00:50economy.
00:51Financial experts have praised the film for its accuracy, and biographical information
00:55is relatively accurate.
00:57Or the changing of names.
00:58We don't want the movie to be true, but it is.
01:00Just kidding.
01:02Banks took the money the American people gave them, and they used it to pay themselves huge
01:06bonuses and lobby the Congress to kill big reform.
01:09And then they blamed immigrants and poor people.
01:11Number 29.
01:12Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World
01:14I could walk briskly, pausing only to take the most important measures, certainly making
01:19valuable discoveries that could help advance our knowledge of natural history.
01:22While the story is entirely fictional, Master and Commander is probably the closest you'll
01:26ever get to living during the Napoleonic Wars.
01:29A tremendous amount of research went into making this movie, and a tremendous amount
01:33of talent was required to bring it to the screen.
01:35Virtually everything you see and hear in the film is realistic.
01:38The primitive medical practices, the costumes, the sailing techniques, the Oscar-winning
01:42sounds of battle, all brilliantly captured and ripped straight from the history books.
01:46They even filmed aboard the HMS Surprise, which is a full-scale replica of the HMS Rose
01:51from the 18th century.
01:52No detail was spared, and the results are magnificent.
01:55England is under threat of invasion.
01:57And though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is our home.
02:01Number 28.
02:02Bridge of Spies
02:03Instead you treat us as stooges for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
02:06Can we just call them the Russians?
02:07It'll save time.
02:08One of Spielberg's best films of the 21st century, Bridge of Spies relays the exchange
02:13of American pilot Francis Gary Powers and Soviet spy Rudolf Abel during the Cold War.
02:18This exchange occurred on Germany's Glienicke Bridge, and Spielberg used the real bridge
02:22in the climactic scene of the film, accurately relaying the visual language of the historic
02:26trade.
02:27Of course, that's not the only thing that the movie got right.
02:29It also correctly relayed a number of story beats, like Donovan urging the judge not to
02:33order Abel's death and going through the Berlin Wall by himself.
02:36Cold War historian James Hirschberg would later review the film positively, giving its
02:40climactic bridge sequence an 8 out of 10 on the realistic scale.
02:44I'm sorry I didn't think to get you a gift.
02:50This is your gift.
02:5127.
02:52Stalingrad
02:53Like Master and Commander, Stalingrad gets major
03:02points for its atmosphere, and what a bleak film it is.
03:05Directed by Josef Welsmeyer, it follows a number of German soldiers in the fateful Battle
03:09of Stalingrad, the most decisive skirmish in World War II and perhaps the bloodiest
03:13battle in human history.
03:15The Germans lost, and Stalingrad is a terrific depiction of what a typical unit might have
03:19encountered in the city.
03:20This includes the nightmarishly dour ending, which sees everyone dying, often with great
03:24agony.
03:25And with a good eye for historic weapons, costumes, and props, Stalingrad proves an
03:29uncomfortably authentic glimpse into one of history's most important battles.
03:33Don't worry, you should know that you are soldiers, and you will remain soldiers.
03:39Your homeland is at war.
03:4126.
03:42Zero Dark Thirty
03:43Abdel Laden is there, and you're going to kill him for me.
03:49While it sparked some controversy for its violent depiction of CIA activities, among
03:53other things, Zero Dark Thirty earned widespread acclaim as a piece of filmmaking and went
03:57on to receive five Oscar nominations.
03:59Despite the controversies, director Catherine Bigelow claims that everything that happens
04:03on screen is representative of first-hand accounts.
04:06But what really sticks in the mind is the climactic assault on Osama bin Laden's compound.
04:11The scene was meticulously researched and filmed with the utmost accuracy, faithfully
04:15recreating the tense attack and the killing of the infamous terrorist.
04:19This was accomplished with the help of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who gave the filmmakers
04:23an exclusive look at classified information regarding the raid.
04:2925.
04:34All the President's Men
04:35I never asked about Watergate.
04:36I simply asked what were Hunt's duties at the White House.
04:42They volunteered he was innocent, but nobody asked if he was guilty.
04:44Alan J. Peculia's film is a tense and terrific espionage thriller, and the best part about
04:49it is that it's real.
04:50All the President's Men is based on the book of the same name by Carl Bernstein and Bob
04:54Woodward, two journalists at the Washington Post who uncovered the Watergate scandal.
04:58Their work has been called maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time, and
05:02it's all relayed in fascinating detail throughout this film.
05:05It's accurate in both the details and the general atmosphere of the time, faithful to
05:08the historic characters and the integrity of professional journalism.
05:12Even the physical details of the office were correct, thanks to having the executive editor
05:16of the Washington Post as a consultant.
05:18I can't do the reporting for my reporters, which means I have to trust them, and I hate
05:24trusting anybody.
05:2624.
05:27Hotel Rwanda
05:28They said there was no war.
05:29There's always war.
05:31Hotel Rwanda earned critical acclaim and three Oscar nominations.
05:35It depicts the terrifying events that occurred in Rwanda throughout the spring and summer
05:38of 1994, in which the Tutsi group were systematically killed by Hutu militias.
05:43It's estimated that up to 800,000 people died in the attacks.
05:47Hotel Rwanda is an unfortunately faithful recreation not just of the general events,
05:51but the specific story of Paul Rusabagina, who housed refugees in his hotel.
05:56This part of the movie is certainly looser than the general atmosphere of the killings,
05:59which are depicted with startling accuracy and prove a good history lesson for those
06:03interested in the tragic event.
06:04I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it.
06:09It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.
06:1223.
06:13Malcolm X
06:14But I believe the true practice of Islam can remove the cancer of racism from the hearts
06:19and the souls of all Americans.
06:22Considered one of Spike Lee's best films, Malcolm X is an epic concerning the life of
06:26the titular activist.
06:27The details were taken straight from the autobiography of Malcolm X, which was published back in
06:311965 and written by both Malcolm X himself and journalist Alex Haley.
06:36The film remains mostly accurate, adapting much of the book and correctly depicting many
06:40events.
06:41It was also praised for its complex depiction of the titular hero, with Spike Lee saying
06:44that it examines all the different Malcolms as making up one Malcolm.
06:48The director also conducted independent research, like interviewing Malcolm X's relatives in
06:52order to get the most realistic account of the man possible.
06:55The results are staggering.
06:56Beware of them cameras.
06:57Oh, them cameras are bad as any narcotic.
06:5822.
06:59Zodiac
07:00Travis and I worked here side-by-side for ten years.
07:01His foot gets crushed in an accident, and the killings begin.
07:02Coincidence?
07:03I don't know.
07:04You're a cop, man.
07:05Do the math.
07:06Like all the president's men, Zodiac focuses on the art of investigative journalism.
07:07It's all about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer, which is largely done by cartoonist and amateur
07:08sleuth Rupert Murdoch.
07:09It's also about the fact that the Zodiac Killer is a man-made crime.
07:10It's a man-made crime.
07:11It's a man-made crime.
07:12It's a man-made crime.
07:13It's a man-made crime.
07:14It's a man-made crime.
07:1520.
07:16You clearly hurt him.
07:17Oh, the truth.
07:21It's all about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer, which is largely done by cartoonist and amateur
07:26sleuth Robert Gracemith.
07:27Theiali going back to their time in White House would actually be a cleaver view.
07:28Add this in line and you have gracing heights.
07:29Director David Fincher did a ton of research to make the movie as accurate as possible,
07:31spending 18 months interviewing witnesses and reading thousands of official documents.
07:36He also accurately depicts the information found in Gracemith's books, even though this
07:40information has come under scrutiny in recent years.
07:42Maybe the end result doesn't quite land?
07:44Arthur Lee Allen was likely not the killer, but much of the details along the way are
07:48brilliantly evoked.
07:49Just because you can't prove it doesn't mean it's not true.
07:53Easy, dirty Harry.
07:56Finish the book.
07:59Number 21.
08:00Goodfellas
08:01As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.
08:03Martin Scorsese has made some fine flicks, but arguably none are better than Goodfellas,
08:08a masterpiece of the gangster genre.
08:10Scorsese recounts the true story of Henry Hill, an ex-mobster who worked under the Lucchese
08:14crime family.
08:15He was the subject of Nicholas Pelleggi's Wise Guy, which in turn was adapted into Goodfellas.
08:19All the broad strokes are here, depicting the real story of Henry Hill, with a fair
08:23degree of reality.
08:24But once again, most of the realism comes through in the details, and in this way, Goodfellas
08:28remains one of the most accurate glimpses into the mafia.
08:31In fact, a former mob boss named Michael Franzese once did a Reddit AMA and claimed that Goodfellas
08:36was the most authentic mob movie ever made.
08:3820.
08:39Lawrence of Arabia
08:44One of David Lean's many masterpieces, Lawrence of Arabia details the experiences of T.E.
08:49Lawrence in the First World War.
08:57The movie is based on Lawrence's own book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which was published
09:01in 1926.
09:03The film has its flaws in regards to history, using dramatic license to depict an epic cinematic
09:08adventure.
09:09Most of the criticism is aimed at the portrayal of Lawrence himself, but many biographers have
09:13argued against this criticism.
09:14The Defenders claim that while imperfect, the movie contains a reasonably accurate depiction
09:19of the historic figure and his actions.
09:21Biographer Stephen E. Tabachnik even praises the film as a whole, calling it appropriate
09:26and true to the text of Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
09:3919.
09:41Milk
09:42On January 8, 1978, the openly gay Harvey Milk made California history when he was inducted
09:48as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
10:02His film is quite accurate, with its story tracing back to the 1982 biography The Mayor
10:07of Castro Street, which was written by San Francisco Chronicle reporter Randy Schiltz.
10:12This book inspired the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk.
10:15These sources provide a great framework for the film, which accurately captured the life
10:19of Milk and the politics of the day.
10:22Even the chilling words of Milk predicting his own assassination were lifted directly
10:25from the documentary.
10:36The Guardian called Milk the creme de la creme of faithful biopics, and it's not hard to
10:40see why.
10:4118.
10:42Spotlight
10:43Winning Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards, Spotlight follows a small news team as they
10:48reveal uncomfortable truths within the Catholic Church.
10:55The film is an accurate retelling of the real Spotlight team and its efforts in winning
10:59the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, including the award-winning reporters and
11:04the Boston Globe's editor-at-large, Walter V. Robinson.
11:07Some events were made up or exaggerated for dramatic purposes, but the film remains a
11:11fairly realistic portrayal of history.
11:14Even the Catholic Church praised the film's authenticity.
11:16The Catholic News Service called it generally accurate, and Vatican Radio referred to it
11:20as honest.
11:21Sometimes, truth is more disturbing than fiction.
11:2917.
11:31Gallipoli
11:32Starring Mel Gibson as Frank Dunn, Gallipoli is another film centered around the Ottoman
11:36Empire in the First World War.
11:48Per its name, this film primarily covers the Gallipoli Campaign, which occurred in modern-day
11:52Turkey and resulted in Ottoman victory.
11:54When it comes to war, Gallipoli is none too accurate, especially in its shoddy depiction
11:58of the climactic Battle of the Neck.
12:00Most of the film's accuracy lies in its representation of lifestyles.
12:04For example, Gallipoli accurately conveys the horrific conditions that soldiers faced
12:08throughout the Gallipoli Campaign.
12:10Furthermore, it serves as a fantastic period piece about Australian life in the early 20th
12:14century.
12:15When it comes to visuals and atmosphere, Gallipoli is a triumph of accuracy.
12:2316.
12:27The Imitation Game
12:28A highly successful movie, The Imitation Game chronicles the life of Alan Turing and his
12:33time decoding secret German messages in World War II.
12:41This fascinating story is based on the biography Alan Turing, The Enigma, written by esteemed
12:46mathematician Andrew Hodges.
12:48Unfortunately, the real story is so complex that a movie adaptation would never do it
12:52justice.
12:53But The Imitation Game does a solid job of conveying the basics.
12:56Some of the more dramatic and unsettling aspects of the story are lifted straight from history.
13:00These include Turing being put on trial for gross indecency and his subsequent chemical
13:04castration.
13:05The film even earned praise from Turing's descendants, many of whom complimented the
13:09performance of Benedict Cumberbatch.
13:1915.
13:22First Man
13:23Neil Armstrong is one of the most important figures in human history, having been the
13:26first person to step foot on the moon.
13:36A biography titled First Man, The Life of Neil A. Armstrong was published in 2005, and
13:41it's from this book that Damien Chazelle sourced the story.
13:44First Man isn't so much about the Apollo mission but the life of Armstrong himself.
13:48A few factual liberties were made, like Armstrong bringing his deceased daughter's bracelet
13:52to the moon.
13:53First Man is nonetheless very accurate, faithfully depicting Armstrong's reserved personality
13:57and journey to the moon.
13:59Chazelle even included the orchestral Lunar Rhapsody in the dance scene, as this was the
14:03actual piece of music that Armstrong and his wife danced to.
14:1214.
14:14Gettysburg
14:15There's a lot of material to mine from the Battle of Gettysburg, which occurred from
14:18July 1st to 3rd in 1863.
14:21The Ronald F. Maxwell's epic got the job done.
14:32The length certainly helps.
14:34Gettysburg was actually shot as a miniseries, which explains the imposing four-plus-hours
14:38running time.
14:39Many historians have praised the movie's faithful and respectful approach to the battle.
14:43All the major players are present, and the film was meticulous in nailing down historical
14:46aspects like battle strategies, costumes, props, and character motivations.
14:51The National Park Service even provided the filmmakers with the rare opportunity to film
14:55on the real Gettysburg battlefield, which lent a great deal of authenticity to the setting.
15:0813.
15:10The Longest Day
15:11Military historian Cornelius Ryan wrote The Longest Day, a very popular book about the
15:16D-Day invasion of 1944.
15:21It was published in 1959 and turned into a movie just three years later.
15:25Nearly three hours in length, the film serves as an epic examination of the Normandy landings.
15:30Many cast members actually served in World War II, and their military experience is central
15:34in the film's accuracy.
15:36Richard Todd, who plays Major John Howard, actually took part in D-Day and even helped
15:39to recreate his own personal experience for the movie.
15:42The film was also shot at many real locations, including Ponte du Huc, and D-Day veterans
15:46worked as historical consultants.
15:48It all ensured a war epic that brims with genuine and frightening history.
15:5512.
15:57City of God
15:58Brazilian author Paulo Lins was raised in the Rio suburb of Cidade de Deus, or City
16:04of God.
16:11Known as a violent and impoverished favela, City of God became the subject of Lins' semi-autobiographical
16:17novel of the same name.
16:18With a story spanning multiple decades, City of God offers unknowing viewers a horrific
16:23and tragic glimpse into the favela's geography, economy, and culture of organized crime.
16:27The film is even composed of amateur actors, many of whom came from the real City of God.
16:32They underwent an acting workshop that taught them how to simulate the area's crime.
16:36The movie was shot in a real favela, with producers coming into conflict with local
16:40slumlords.
16:41The resulting atmosphere is authentically gritty and uncomfortable.
16:5411.
16:55A Bridge Too Far
16:56Cornelius Ryan strikes again.
16:58Based on his 1974 book of the same name, A Bridge Too Far recounts the story of Operation
17:03Market Garden.
17:13This was one of the largest airborne operations of World War II.
17:16Its aim was to secure various bridges in the Netherlands, thereby granting Allied access
17:20into Germany.
17:21The period was faithfully recreated by using real military hardware in authentic Dutch
17:25locations.
17:26The complex battle logistics were also fairly accurate.
17:29This is because Roy Urquhart and Brian Horrocks, respectively played by Sean Connery and Edward
17:34Fox in the film, served as military advisors.
17:37With a solid foundation in Ryan's book and first-hand accounts of the operation, A Bridge
17:41Too Far is a great exercise in historical authenticity.
17:5010.
17:54Come and See
17:55A subversive response to a long history of Soviet war propaganda films, Come and See
18:00was written by director Elam Klimov with the help of an ex-partisan who fought against
18:03the Nazis, along with numerous eyewitness accounts.
18:11The production of the subjective and the realistic portrayal of the German occupation of Belorussia
18:15was almost as brutal as the subject matter.
18:18Alexei Kravkin playing the lead role was a non-professional actor who endured fatigue
18:22and hunger during filming, all the while dodging live ammunition used instead of blanks for
18:26the filming.
18:27Meanwhile, wartime documentary-style footage made the film a stunning testament to the
18:31suffering endured by ordinary people fighting for their lives on the Russian front.
18:399.
18:43Flags of Our Fathers
18:44In 1945, Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph of U.S. Marines raising the stars and stripes
18:57on the captured island of Iwo Jima brought fame to its subjects.
19:00Clint Eastwood's epic war film was based on a best-selling book written by the son of
19:04one of the men in the photo, James Bradley, who also provided narration and interviews
19:08with veterans for the movie.
19:19Flags of Our Fathers' depiction of the horrors of warfare and the tragedy of what comes after
19:23was praised by the U.S. Marine Corps Chief Historian for its attention to detail and
19:27historical verisimilitude, particularly the depiction of the harsh terrain where the Marines
19:32fought.
19:338.
19:34Lincoln
19:35Historians and critics gave a warm reception to this painstaking recreation of President
19:41Lincoln's fight to have the 13th Amendment passed in the closing months of the American
19:45Civil War.
19:46The film was shot in Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Petersburg in Virginia, where historical
20:02architecture from the period remains today.
20:05Daniel Day-Lewis received widespread accolades for his masterful performance as President
20:09Lincoln, paying attention to key character details like the President's unexpectedly
20:13high voice and propensity as a master storyteller.
20:27Tommy Lee Jones was also praised for his performance as Thaddeus Stevens, a 19th-century master
20:32of insults and sarcastic wit.
20:387.
20:40Das Boot
20:41This claustrophobic depiction of wartime life aboard a German U-boat submarine was
20:45based on a novel by Lothar Gunther Buchheim, who served as a naval war correspondent on
20:50the U-96 during World War II's Battle of the Atlantic.
20:58With the commander of the U-96 as technical advisor, an obsessively accurate replica of
21:02the vessel interior was built, which could be hydraulically rocked, shaken, and tilted
21:06up to 45 degrees.
21:13Realism was also enhanced by location shooting at the wartime boat pen at La Rochelle.
21:17Das Boot is a stunning depiction of the confinement, tedium, and terror of ordinary men caught
21:22in the war beneath the waves.
21:286.
21:33Tora Tora Tora
21:34This documentary-like account of the attack on Pearl Harbor showed both sides of the battle,
21:38emphasizing the historical context and detailed planning of the attack.
21:54Producers and directors from Japan and the United States filmed their perspectives separately,
21:59which were then combined into a single film.
22:01Technical advisors from both sides were spared no expense to make the sets and scenes as
22:05true-to-life as possible.
22:07Full-scale replicas of naval vessels were built, and American training planes were made
22:11to resemble wartime Japanese planes, which added to the realism of what was being shown
22:16on-screen.
22:175.
22:18Twelve Years a Slave
22:23Based on the 1853 biography of freed ex-slave Solomon Northup, this film was praised by
22:28historians and critics alike for its brutal depiction of the reality of slavery in Louisiana.
22:38Steve McQueen's distinct directorial style and the unforgettable performances of Chiwetel
22:43Ejiofor and others helped to bring the cruelty and barbarity of slavery to horrific life.
22:48Twelve Years a Slave vividly portrays the social and historical realities of a past
22:52where men and women were used and abused as chattel, while emphasizing Solomon Northup's
22:57astonishing achievements.
23:064.
23:07The Pianist
23:08This film was closely based on an autobiographical book by the pianist and Holocaust survivor
23:12Władysław Szpilman.
23:27However, director Roman Polanski had additional motivation to respect the history on which
23:32the pianist draws, as he himself survived the Holocaust in Krakow.
23:36This story of one talented man's struggle to survive in the Warsaw ghetto is heartbreaking
23:41and poignant, and a testament to the effort to recreate the setting in every detail.
23:45From the oppression of the ghetto streets to specific songs Szpilman played, the pianist
23:49is a haunting vision of suffering, made more disturbing by the beauty of the music.
23:573.
24:04Schindler's List
24:05Steven Spielberg's award-winning movie is considered by many to be the greatest film
24:08about horrors of the Holocaust ever made.
24:11This tale of German industrialist Oskar Schindler's
24:26strategy to save Jewish people from mechanized extermination is a showcase of the highs
24:31and lows of the human condition.
24:33Holocaust survivor Leopold Poldek Pfefferberg spent years working to have his story of one
24:38man's struggle to save those caught in the maw of a destructive hate machine made, and
24:43Spielberg's grim and realistic portrayal helps ensure it will never be forgotten.
24:572.
25:00Downfall
25:01The paranoia and surreal madness of Adolf Hitler's last ten days holed up in his bunker
25:05were masterfully recreated in Downfall, a war flick known in Germany as Der Untergang.
25:25Based on extensive historical research, the film features fearsomely factual depictions
25:29of some of modern history's most vile figures.
25:32In fact, many of Hitler's lines were derived from actual quotations taken from his writing.
25:37Bruno Gans gave a terrifying performance as Hitler, both at his most monstrous and his
25:42most human.
25:43This film shows how, at the end of the day, even the most despicable man in history is
25:47still just a man.
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26:091.
26:11Apollo 13
26:12This tale of a brush with fatal disaster in orbit was based on a book written by science
26:16writer Jeffrey Kluger and Apollo 13 mission commander Jim Lovell, as well as first-hand
26:21testimony of other astronauts.
26:29Made with the technical support of NASA, the historical docudrama was praised for its exact
26:33reproduction of Apollo 13 modules in control rooms.
26:37Zero-gravity scenes were even filmed in the same KC-135 plane, also called the Vomit Comet,
26:43used to simulate weightlessness during astronaut training.
26:45The tense tale of survival in space against the odds gained universal praise from real
26:50astronauts and earned the filmmakers two Oscar wins out of nine nominations.
27:02What are some other historically accurate films we missed?
27:05Let us know in the comments below!