The film “Munich” is a historical drama, directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Vengeance, which tells the story of the Israeli government’s secret retaliation against the PLO that was a response to the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Spielberg attempted to make the depiction of the hostage-taking and killing of the Israeli athletes historically accurate and the film uses actual news clips shot while the hostage situation was taking place. The deaths of the members of Black September also stick mostly to the facts.
Milk
Director Gus Van Sant directed the 2008 biopic about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California history, with accuracy in mind. He used Milk’s own recorded oral history as voice-overs in the film, the production worked closely with LGBT activist Cleve Jones who was close to Milk, and writer Dustin Lance Black.
The film uses a lot of archive footage and most of it was shot on location in San Francisco, the crew even recreated Milk’s Castro Camera store by using old photos and consulting with his friends.
Come and See
Despite what some war movies will have you believe, war is not cinematic and organized, it is a brutal, messy business. That feeling shines through in this film, which gives audiences a glimpse into the horrifying reality of World War II as seen by a Belarusian whose village is massacred.
It was important to director Elem Klimov to show the true story behind Russia’s involvement in the Second World War. Historians gave the film high marks for its honest portrayal of death camps, resistance fighters, and difficult emotions.
Miracle
If you love sports movies and have missed this one, you should watch "Miracle" on your next movie night. The film tells the story of the United States men’s hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics, as they take on the favored Soviet team in the semifinals.
It’s a true underdog story and the match has since become known as the “Miracle on Ice.” Director Gavin O’Connor mixed actual footage from the match into the film in such a way that it is almost impossible to tell which is which.
Flags of Our Fathers
The 2006 war film, "Flags of Our Fathers," was directed, co-produced, and scored by Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood. The film was based on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller of the same name and tells the story of the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima.
The moment was famously captured by war photographer Joe Rosenthal. The movie did not do as well as expected at the box office but was fairly well-received by critics, many of whom were impressed by Clint Eastwood’s respect for sticking to the facts.