Latest Breaking News Online News Portal
The appetite for war films is ever-increasing, and lovers of the genre have a plethora of discussion boards online ranking their favourite flicks. From Saving Private Ryan to lesser-known classics, the demand for military movies is ever-growing. While often not for the faint-hearted, war films often capture a moment in history that takes into account humanity, where evil is conquered and freedom can reign.
However, as realistic as battle scenes are portrayed on screen, critics often question their historical accuracy. Are the characters real? Are these the exact replicas of their costumes? Were the strategies really used on the battlefield? Express Online have collated the top 10 best war films as ranked by fans for their historical accuracy, including ratings on Rotten Tomatoes to insights from historians.
10. Braveheart – The Battle of Stirling Bridge (1297)
Braveheart is about the 13th-century Scottish warrior William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, who leads a rebellion against King Edward I of England to free his country from English rule during the First War of Scottish Independence. After suffering a personal loss, Wallace rallies his countrymen to fight for Scotland’s freedom from English occupation.
The movie: During the film, Gibson, with his face painted blue, puts on a kilt, as the Scottish and English forces run at each other during the battle. While Braveheart depicts the Battle of Stirling Bridge, there are some historical inaccuracies, most notably leaving out the bridge itself.
Battlefield: Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, explained, “That’s not how medieval battles would have been carried out. What you’d need is discipline and coordinated movements.” He also suggested kilts would not have been a choice of battle gear, adding to The Telegraph. “We have no evidence of tartan existing at the time and face paint is nonsense.”
Rating: Fans have praised Gibson’s Oscar-winning film with many describing the movie as a “cinematic masterpiece”. It also received a solid score of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Image: Rex)
9. The Last of the Mohicans – The Siege & Massacre at Fort William Henry (1757)
Set during the French and Indian War in 1757, last members of a dying Native American tribe, the Mohicans – Uncas (Eric Schweig), his father Chingachgook (Russell Means), and his adopted half-white brother Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) — live in peace alongside British colonists. But when the daughters (Madeleine Stowe, Jodhi May) of a British colonel are kidnapped, Hawkeye and Uncas attempt to rescue them during the gruesome military conflict.
History: It takes place one year into what became known as the Seven Years’ War, a colonialist struggle between France and Great Britain for control of the North American continent. The closest it comes to an actual historical event is the siege of Fort William Henry, which did take place between two commanders named Munro and Montcalm. The rest of the movie is almost entirely fictional and it also depicts a romance between Hawkeye and the colonel’s daughter.
Battlefield: While the seige is depicted accurately, the massacre was a “one-sided attack, the British prisoners had no weapons,” Dr David R. Starbuck, a historical archeologist at Plymouth State University stated. The Natives had brutally killed and scalped many of the British soldiers. Dr Starbuck also brands a scene in which a Huron warrior tears out the British colonel’s heart “absolutely ludicrous”.
Rating: Viewers are still praising the film 30 years after its release which has scored an impressive 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. One fan gushed: “Timeless classic – the actors, the heroism, romanticism, the spatial soundtrack are tasty treat to eyes and ears.”
(Image: Morgan Creek)
8. All Quiet on the Western Front – Hundred Days Offensive (1918)
All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Fueled by patriotism, the soldiers become disillusioned by the horrors of trench warfare during the war. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
History: The film depicts the Hundred Days Offensive, a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. It consisted of attacks along the length of the Western Front, which drove the Imperial German Army out of occupied France and Germany.
Battlefield: The film presents a dramatised version of the Hundreds Days Offensive fighting where there is blood and carnage erected on screens. Dr Jonathan Boff, history lecturer at the University of Birmingham said, “But the way the film represents the war as series of blind bayonet charges against machine guns, backwards and forwards across No Man’s Land, may reflect the war as it had been fought in 1915, but not as it was in 1918.” He added, “By then, everyone had learnt how lethal the battlefield could be and developed tactics to avoid pitting flesh against steel in that way.”
Rating: The 2022 Netflix film has received an impressive 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes with fans branding the latest offering as the “new golden standard of dark and depressing war movies”. But the 1979 version has been lauded as a “masterpiece” with a perfect score of 100%.
(Image: Netflix)
7. Battle of Britain (1940)
Britain fears an impending German invasion directed by Adolf Hitler. Goering is confident his Luftwaffe will pave the way for that. It falls to brave squadrons of fighter pilots to fend off the attack from the air. The 1969 film stars Michael Caine as Squadron Leader Canfield, Christopher Plummer and Lawrence Olivier.
History: After Hitler invaded France, he turned his attention to Britain. In 1940, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) fights a desperate battle to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible Axis invasion of the UK.
Battlefield: The Battle of Britain was an aerial battle fought between the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the German Luftwaffe during World War II, from July 10 to October 31, 1940. The sequence of events are depicted accurately, with Luftwaffe first attacking airfields, communication centres, and then bombing London which proved to be a tactical error. Meanwhile, real pilots from the battle helped to stage the dogfights during the film’s production. “British aircraft used were by and large actual Spitfires and Hurricanes,” says historian Delaney. “The German planes you see in the movie are not actual Messerschmitts. They’re Spanish built lookalikes – almost the same but not quite.”
Rating: The Battle of Britain only received a score of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes but it has received a higher placement on the list due to its historical accuracy.
(Image: BBC)
