10 Unbelievable Scenes In Historical Movies That Are Accurate To Real-Life

The most intriguing part of non-fiction movies set in the past, whether they’re war films, action flicks, or sweeping historical dramas, is how accurately they portray certain events. While the most wonderful aspect of going to the movies is the pure escapism you get from being transported to another era, it is also interesting when a film depicts something truly unbelievable that happened for real.

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There are many moments in movies that are so fantastical, they must have been dreamed up to spice up the narrative, and are too shocking to be real. For example, toward the end of Titanic, where the elderly couple embrace when the ship is sinking. It’s a poignant moment in the film that happened. Another example is 127 Hours, particularly the scene where James Franco’s real-life character Aron Ralston cuts off his arm to survive after being trapped between two rocks. This, like many other wild events in historical movies, is a true story.

10 Hidden Figures

“Get The Girl To Check The Numbers”

Hidden Figures is a movie about extraordinary women, and it boasts a cast of excellent female stars who bring the story of an astronaut’s launch into orbit, with great effect. The movie highlights racial and gender discrimination, and one pivotal scene involving the African-American Katherine Johnson is an accurate depiction of people working together.

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There are many memorable quotes in Hidden Figures, but one of the most important moments in the film comes as astronaut John Glenn, played by Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell, embarks on a test mission.

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8/10 Hidden Figures PG-13

Based on the lives of Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, Hidden Figures tells the untold stories of the three African-American mathematicians and their work at NASA during the Space Race of the 1960s. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe star as Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson respectively, with a further cast that includes Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Mahershala Ali.

Director Theodore Melfi Release Date December 25, 2016 Writers Theodore Melfi , Alison Schroeder Cast Taraji P. Henson , Octavia Spencer , Janelle Monae , Jim Parsons , Glen Powell , Kirsten Dunst , Aldis Hodge , Kevin Costner , Mahershala Ali Runtime 127 Minutes

He doesn’t trust the team of male mathematicians, and instead turns to Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, to double-check his trajectory. This happened for real, although it took the real Johnson three days, not 20 seconds, to work out the calculation.

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9 Pearl Harbor

Doris Miller Gunning Down Planes

Michael Bay’s movies are often controversial, but one thing you can never call them is boring. His 2001 movie, Pearl Harbor, which recounts the infamous attack on December 7, 1941, may be overlong, and ridiculous at times. However, it’s an often pulsating action drama that gets some of its historical moments correct.

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Pearl Harbor PG-13

Two best friends and pilots find themselves caught in a love triangle with a dedicated nurse just as the catastrophic attack on Pearl Harbor plunges America into war. The events of December 7 dramatically change their lives, and the film tells a dramatized tale set during the event that marked the United States’ entry into World War II.

Director Michael Bay Release Date May 25, 2001 Writers Randall Wallace Cast Ben Affleck , Josh Hartnett , Kate Beckinsale , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Tom Sizemore , Jon Voight , Colm Feore , Alec Baldwin Runtime 183 minutes

Bay’s war movie may have many inaccuracies, but one moment that features the young Navy recruit, Doris Miller, a Black man from Texas, really happened. When the Japanese launched a surprise attack, Miller helped carry wounded soldiers to safety, then manned his ship’s anti-aircraft gun and shot down at least one plane. The brave sailor was the first black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. The movie accurately shows much of this happening, with Cuba Gooding Jr. playing Miller.

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8 Good Morning, Vietnam

Adrian Cronauer Was A Real Person

The late, great Robin Williams is sorely missed by movie fans across the world, and one of his most memorable, and quoted, movies was Good Morning, Vietnam from 1987. His wise-cracking role as an irreverent DJ called Adrian Cronauer goes down as one of his most iconic roles, and it earned Williams an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor. Furthermore, his performance is based on a real person.

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Good Morning, Vietnam R

Good Morning, Vietnam, directed by Barry Levinson, stars Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer, a radio DJ assigned to the Armed Forces Radio Service in Vietnam. His comedic broadcasts quickly gain popularity among the troops, but his unconventional humor faces pushback from military superiors.

Director Barry Levinson Release Date December 23, 1987 Cast Robin Williams , Forest Whitaker , Tung Thanh Tran , Chintara Sukapatana , Bruno Kirby , Robert Wuhl Runtime 121 Minutes

Adrian Cronauer was an American radio personality and United States Air Force Sergeant, and his experience as an innovative disc jockey on the American Forces Network influenced the movie.

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The movie is loosely based on Cronauer’s life, but there are many wonderful moments, such as the battles with his superiors, that make it a fascinating account of his life.

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Good Morning, Vietnam, like many other Robin Williams movies, has some important lessons about finding humor in the darkest of places. The movie is loosely based on Cronauer’s life, but there are many wonderful moments, such as the battles with his superiors, that make it a fascinating account of his life.

7 The Revenant

Hugh Glass Survives The Bear Attack

The Revenant is one of the most bleak, disturbing, but ultimately fascinating movies in the impressive resume of Leonardo DiCaprio. It also earned the actor his first Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Hugh Glass, an American frontiersman, hunter, and explorer. However, there’s one scene in the movie that is so unbelievable, and shocking, due to it actually happening for real.

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7/10 8.6/10 The Revenant R

Inspired by the true events in the life of Hugh Glass, The Revenant is an action-drama movie that sees Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. Betrayed and left for dead by one of the members of his hunting group, Glass finds himself contending with some of the harshest elements imaginable while tending to his deadly wounds, as his will to carry on and need for revenge push him to carry on in this gripping tale of survival.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu Release Date December 25, 2015 Distributor(s) 20th Century Runtime 156minutes

It’s incredibly hard to discover how much of The Revenant is true because factual records of the time are sparse. However, it is widely accepted that he was attacked by a Grizzly Bear, as the film so violently depicts, but what isn’t clear is exactly what happened shortly after the attack. Glass died years later in an attack by the Arikara, a Native American tribe, but the films’ visceral account of the bear attack was accurate.

6 Gladiator II

The Colosseum Rhino

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When the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated sequel to his 2001 epic, Gladiator, was first released, several moments made people wonder about the accuracy of what they were watching. Gladiator II’s Rhino and Baboons sequences look so fantastical that they must have been fabricated for dramatic effect, and the truth is, in fact, somewhere in the middle.

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8/10 102 7.5/10 Gladiator II RActionDramaEpicHistoryAdventure

Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.

Director Ridley Scott Release Date November 22, 2024 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures , Scott Free Productions , Red Wagon Entertainment Writers David Scarpa , Peter Craig , David Franzoni Cast Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz Runtime 148 minutes Expand

According to historian Lauren D. Ginsberg, one of the wildest moments in the movie, in which a gladiator rides into the arena on the back of a rhinoceros, is accurate to a certain extent. Ginsberg explains in an article for Today that while rhinos would be included in the gladiator games, there’s no real evidence to suggest that gladiators would charge into battle while riding one. It serves as an exciting spectacle in the movie, but they were too valuable to be risked in the battles.

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5 Tombstone

Gunfight At The O.K. Corral

Wyatt Earp was one of the most notorious lawmen to have ever lived, and there have been many movies made about the famous gunslinger. Tombstone from 1957, and its predecessor, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, are two of the best movies that focus on Earp’s life.

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8/10 147 9.4/10 Tombstone RWesternBiographyDrama

Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.

Director George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre Release Date December 25, 1993 Cast Bill Paxton , Charlton Heston , Sam Elliott , Powers Boothe , Val Kilmer , Kurt Russell , Michael Biehn , Jason Priestley Runtime 130 minutes

Tombstone’s popularity has grown over the last 30 years, and one of its key moments is recreated with some accuracy. However, while the movie is based on real events and is historically accurate to a certain degree, the shootout didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral.

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The gunfight that takes place between Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and a group of thieves known as “The Cowboys”, is one of the most iconic in Western movies.

The real location for the skirmish was only six doors down, at C.S. Fly’s photography studio, but the film’s dramatization would not have had the same impact had it been set there.

4 Downfall

Hitler’s Speech

2004’s controversial movie Downfall may have been criticized by some for humanizing Adolph Hitler, but the central performance by Bruno Ganz is one of the reasons why the movie is considered to be one of the most accurate depictions of the Nazi leader ever made. However, the scene in which Hitler has a meltdown with his high-ranking generals in attendance is mostly accurate.

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9/10 Downfall DramaHistoryWar

Downfall is a historical drama depicting the final days of Adolf Hitler in his Berlin bunker during April 1945. The film explores the collapse of the Third Reich as the Russian Army advances, showcasing the tension among Hitler’s inner circle as they face inevitable defeat. Released in 2004, it provides a detailed portrayal of Hitler’s last moments.

Director Oliver Hirschbiegel Release Date September 16, 2004 Cast Alexandra Maria Lara , Bruno Ganz , Corinna Harfouch , Ulrich Matthes , Juliane Köhler , Heino Ferch , Christian Berkel , Thomas Kretschmann , Ulrich Noethen , Birgit Minichmayr , Rolf Kanies , Justus von Dohnányi , Michael Mendl , André Hennicke , Christian Redl , Götz Otto , Thomas Limpinsel , Thomas Thieme , Donevan Gunia , Matthias Habich , Alexander Held , Devid Striesow , Dieter Mann , Bettina Redlich , Heinrich Schmieder Runtime 155 minutes Expand

The scene became so famous that was even turned into a meme, but while the internet has made a joke of Hitler’s rant, during the final days of his power, he was known to be prone to outbursts. The epic tirade can’t be fully authenticated, because some of the first-person accounts contradict one another. However, Hitler’s various rants have been recorded in “The Hitler Book”, which recalls one tirade that is very similar to the scene in Downfall.

3 Titanic

The Ship Splitting In Half

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James Cameron’s massively successful Titanic from 1997 is one of the most iconic movies ever made, and it helped to launch the careers of its stars, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet. However, for a movie that is loosely based on real events, it managed to get its history mostly correct. Titanic is a masterpiece, and one of its most dramatic scenes actually happened, albeit in a slightly different way.

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10/10 8.6/10 Titanic PG-13

Titanic is the 1997 blockbuster romantic/disaster epic based on the events surrounding the sinking of the legendary “unsinkable” vessel. Flashing back to the past and forward to the present, the film primarily follows the stories of the well-to-do and somewhat timid Rose and the poor but lively Jack, star-crossed lovers who meet aboard the doomed ship. In addition, the film tells true and fictionalized accounts of the passengers of the RMS Titanic, with an older Rose recounting her tale to the crew of a research ship. 

Director James Cameron Release Date December 19, 1997 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures , 20th Century Writers James Cameron Cast David Warner , Kathy Bates , Billy Zane , Bill Paxton , Bernard Hill , Kate Winslet , Leonardo DiCaprio , Gloria Stuart , Frances Fisher , Victor Garber Runtime 3h 14m Expand

Director James Cameron took many trips to the wreckage of the Titanic, as he was dedicated to getting the facts correct about what actually happened to the boat. In the movie, once the boat hits an iceberg, and eventually starts heading to the bottom of the ocean at a 45-degree angle, it begins to split in half. Experts insist that Cameron’s dramatization isn’t entirely accurate, but after the ship was discovered in pieces in 1980, it was widely accepted that it had broken into two pieces.

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2 Hamburger Hill

Booby Traps

The war genre has produced many wonderful, thrilling movies that accurately depict the horrors of war on screen. 1987’s Hamburger Hill, which holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is not only critically acclaimed but is also one of the most accurate accounts of the Battle of Hamburger Hill during the Vietnam War.

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Hamburger Hill R

Hamburger Hill is an action war-drama film based on the true events surrounding the Battle of Hamburger Hill and was directed by John Irvin. The movie centers on a group of men in the Bravo Company who battle to claim the infamously named hill while trying to keep themselves and each other safe in one of the bloodiest battles in American history.

Director John Irvin Release Date August 28, 1987 Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers James Carabatsos Cast Michael Patrick Boatman , Don Cheadle , Dylan McDermott , Tim Quill , Courtney B. Vance , Steven Weber Runtime 110 Minutes Expand

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Historian Bill Allison, while discussing the movie on Insider’s “How Real Is It?” series, suggests that one of its key depictions of warfare is accurate. In the movie, booby traps are gruesomely used against the American soldiers, and according to Allison, the Viet Cong used them across South Vietnam, where they knew American or ARVN soldiers would be patrolling. The movie is a hard-hitting depiction of the Vietnam War, and it accurately depicts certain aspects of warfare, such as the lethal booby traps.

1 Braveheart

William Wallace’s Execution

The First War of Scottish Independence took place between 1296 and 1328, and Sir William Wallace was one of the most prominent knights who fought during the battles. Mel Gibson’s 1995 film, Braveheart, is an epic, brutal retelling of Wallace’s life, and while it doesn’t get everything correct regarding the conflict, its brutal execution scene is, mostly, accurate.

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7/10 Braveheart R

Mel Gibson directs, produces, and stars in Braveheart as William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads a rebellion against the English monarchy in the 13th century. As his army grows, Wallace becomes a symbol of hope and freedom for his people.

Director Mel Gibson Release Date May 24, 1995 Writers Randall Wallace Cast Mel Gibson , Sophie Marceau , Patrick McGoohan , Angus Macfadyen , james robinson , Sean Lawlor , Sandy Nelson , James Cosmo Runtime 178 Minutes

In the movie, Wallace’s claims that he never swore allegiance to King Edward I are true. However, because the movie would have fallen foul of the censors, what happened to the real William Wallace, and his subsequent death scene, was slightly altered.

The movie shows Wallace being hauled in front of a mob, and hanged, eviscerated, and then decapitated.

However, the most accurate elements of his execution are still hugely disturbing. The movie shows Wallace being hauled in front of a mob, and hanged, eviscerated, and then decapitated. In reality, almost all of this happened, but he was also beaten with sticks, had feces thrown at him, and his intestines were burned in front of him.

Sources: Today, Insider

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