The movie “Rush,” directed by Ron Howard, does its best to depict the rivalry between F1 racecar drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1970s. Most of the events in the film and the look and feel of the races themselves are fairly accurate, while Howard took dramatic license with the relationship between Hunt and Lauda, making them intense rivals.
The website, Information is Beautiful stated the film was 82.9% accurate, summarizing that there was “a little staging to get Lauda and Hunt in the same locations sometimes, but otherwise true”.
127 Hours
Mountain climber Aron Ralston was canyoneering alone in the Utah desert when he became trapped by a boulder and was forced to cut off his arm in order to survive. He told his story in a book that he wrote, and that book inspired the film "127 Hours."
Ralston gave the film high praise for its accuracy. The only scene that he felt differed from what happened was when he showed two hikers a hidden pool when in reality he gave them climbing tips. Of the rest of the film, Ralson said it was “so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.”
City of God
The Brazilian film "City of God" from 2003 was applauded around the world following its release. It is based on a semi-autobiographical book written by Paulo Lins by the same name. The book describes the rise of organized crime in the “Cidade de Deus” (City of God) suburb of Rio de Janeiro.
The story is told from the point of view of two boys, one grows up to be a photographer, while the other becomes a kingpin. Lins, who wrote the book, actually grew up in the Cidade de Dues, which allows him to tell the story from his unique point of view.
Jackie
Natalie Portman takes on the iconic role of Jackie Kennedy in the 2016 biopic, "Jackie." Director Pablo Larraín and writer Noah Oppenheim tried to make the film as true to her life as possible.
The most accurate part of the film is the televised White House tour that Jackie gives to the country. Despite a few murmurs about inaccuracy in the portrayal of Jackie’s relationship with Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, the film was well-received.
The Martian – Honorable Mention
So, we get what you are thinking, and you are right, The Martian has clearly not happened... at least not yet. The film, based on the novel by Andy Weir, tells the story of an astronaut who is left behind on Mars when a mission goes wrong and must survive on that inhospitable planet alone until he can be rescued.
We do believe that this film belongs on this list, because although the story is completely fictional, the science behind it is not. NASA experts and engineers were involved with the story from day one, explaining exactly how they would deal with the situation if it arose.