10 War Movies That Are Remarkably Historically Accurate, Ranked
These ones definitely can’t be blamed for being unfaithful to history.
It's not surprising that movies tend to fictionalize historical events in order to make them more cinematic or to add a bit more drama than there was in reality.
Or, on the contrary, sometimes directors simply choose to ignore significant battles of people in order to spare the viewers from the real horrors that happened at the time of any war.
These ten films are the best example of the directors deciding to leave all the events as they were and not change them at all, in order to give the audience the most accurate portrayal.
10. Hacksaw Ridge
The director included the famous Battle of Okinawa, during which Doss saved the lives of 70 soldiers and Hacksaw Ridge accurately captures his heroic actions.
9. Letters From Iwo Jima
This Clint Eastwood Japanese-language war movie was released in 2006 and had the famous Battle of Iwo Jima at the center of the story. Viewers get to see all the horrors of that time through the eyes of a group of Japanese soldiers. Although the film had a limited release in the U.S., it's important to recognize all the work Eastwood did to accurately portray the war.
8. Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World
For those who are waiting for tRidley Scott’s Napoleon to be released, maybe try watching this movie first. Peter Weir's movie also tells us about those times, but it gives a very accurate portrayal of the Napoleonic era. The critics also highlight that all the costumes perfectly reflected the period shown in the movie.
7. Jarhead
Jarhead is an example of a movie that focuses on the dreadful and indeed horrifying routine of the pre-war period, telling the story of military life before and during operations. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the movie accurately explores the training process and the psychological aspect of what it means to be a soldier. Jarhead is considered to be one of the most realistic war movies ever created.
6. Platoon
Oliver Stone's Platoon is his fourth film ever, but probably one of the most critically acclaimed of all. It's also probably one of the rarest times when the Vietnam War was depicted with all the horrors and unvarnished scenes that happened there. What makes the movie so special is the fact that Stone showed everything he had already seen with his own eyes, as he actually used his own experiences in the war to direct the movie.
5. A Bridge Too Far
This movie is absolutely one of the most underrated WW2 themed movies, but that's a bad thing because there aren't that many films in the industry that tell such a detailed and historically accurate story of the acclaimed period.
Richard Attenborough's film does an excellent job of chronicling Operation Market Garden and exploring the reasons why it went wrong. He also uses the technique of switching perspectives between British, American, and Polish forces as Montgomery's schemes slowly unravel.
4. The Big Red One
Another depiction of the real horrors happened during World War II. Samuel Fuller, the director, was himself part of "The Big Red One", which was a code name for the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.
At the center of the events are four privates who, along with their sergeant, went through the war from beginning to end and became known as the "Four Horsemen of the Sergeant."
3. The Longest Day
This film does not focus on the horrors of World War II, but rather tells the story of a specific D-Day, with all the details of the landings, starting with the run-up to the invasion and ending with the Normandy beachheads secured.
The Longest Day is a unique film for many reasons, but the main one is that it shows the invasion from different perspectives.
2. Black Hawk Down
Ridley Scott directed the film in 2001 and made it one of the most gritty and detailed portrayals of the Battle of Mogadishu. The battle took place in 1993 during the U.S. Army's attempt to oust Somali leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
Viewers were able to see every stage of the struggle, from the buildup to the final battles. What helped the film remain historically accurate was real-time documentation and eyewitness reports.
1. Saving Private Ryan
One of the most popular war movies happens to also be the one with the most accurate depiction of historical events. Steven Spielberg made sure that the movie would not fictionalize history and tried to keep everything real. That is why the movie is also considered one of the most impressive stories told about World War II.