“Saving Private Ryan” begins with a 27-minute-long recreation of the Omaha Beach landing. Intense. The scene sets the tone for the whole film, and was hailed as the “best battle scene of all time.”
Director Steven Spielberg and his production crew made sure every single detail in the scene was as true to reality as possible. While the search for Private Ryan is fictional, it is based on a real directive instituted in 1942, titled the “sole-survivor policy.”
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Unlike other films on this list, the plot of this movie is almost entirely fictional. The reason this film does belong on this list, however, is for its amazing production value. Never before have such accurate costumes or ships been seen on film.
The sound of the naval battles matches their description in the novels of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin, which the film is based on, and makes you feel like you have stepped back in time to the 1800s.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Former stockbroker Jordan Belfort wrote a bestselling memoir that tells the story of how he, and his fellow Wall Street cronies engaged in fraud for years before they were eventually brought down for securities fraud by the Federal Government.
The movie was based on Belfort’s account of events. The accuracy of it is a hotly debated issue, with several law enforcement agencies claiming that parts are untrue. The film is, however, true to the book and the way in which the protagonist sees things.
Spartacus
The film provides a very accurate account of Spartacus’ time at the gladiator school in Capua, including the brutality of the instructors. The real Spartacus did lead the revolt and he and the other gladiators did set up camp on Mount Vesuvius.
The battles in the film are also fairly accurate. Director Stanley Kubrick’s action-packed, and glamorous epic manages to remain surprisingly true to the historical record. The film was a hit with viewers and critics alike and won four Oscars.
Gangs of New York
While many of the characters in the film are based on actual people, some are fictional. The film, however, is accurate in its depiction of the realities of New York City in 1863. Many of the gangs that appeared in the film actually existed at the time.
Scorsese also spent a lot of time and money on making sure that the New York in the film was authentic. Historian Tyler Anbinder was impressed with the sets and said that they, "couldn't have been much better".