The film “Glory,” directed by Edward Zwick, tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, which was the first all-black volunteer company in the American Civil War. The screenplay, written by Kevin Jarre, was based on several books.
James M. McPherson, a Civil War historian, stated the film “accomplished a remarkable feat in sensitizing a lot of today’s black students to the role that their ancestors played in the Civil War in winning their own freedom.”
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.
Bridge of Spies
Steven Spielberg is back on the list with "Bridge of Spies," which tells the story of a lawyer who is charged with negotiating a hostage exchange during the Cold War between an Air Force pilot who was shot down and a convicted Soviet KGB spy.
Although the film does not always portray events accurately, critics have forgiven the departures and lauded the film for maintaining the spirit of the events. In this case, Information is Beautiful declared the film was 88.8% accurate, summarizing it as "pretty damn truthful, reflecting a general trend in Hollywood towards more historically accurate tales".
Kingdom of Heaven
Like any film which tries to depict a religious conflict, Ridley Scott’s "Kingdom of Heaven" was controversial from day one, and that controversy also applied to the film’s historical accuracy. The film tells the story of Balian of Ibelin who travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades and ends up becoming the city’s defender.
Despite a few dramatizations, many of the characters in the film are based on actual historical figures, and events, such as the Battle of Hattin, are shown accurately. The film succeeds in the portrayal of the battles and helps explain the decline and fall of the First Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Spotlight
The film "Spotlight" from 2015, centers around the Boston Globe’s investigative journalism team of the same name. The film centers on their investigation into the systemic sexual abuse of children by numerous Roman Catholic priests in the Boston area.
The reports on which the film is based earned the paper a Pulitzer Prize and the story and performances in the film earned the filmmakers an Academy Award for Best Picture. According to the website, Information is Beautiful, the movie was rated 76.2 percent accurate when compared to the actual events.