Ten Films from the 2010s reviewed for accuracy
By: Benjamin Clark
Hollywood has a peerless reputation for production skill, and can replicate time periods like no other. Sometimes the settings and costumes can transport the viewer to another time and place to experience real movie magic. The good news is that the Historical Drama genre has not been ignored in this decade, the 2010s. Historical dramas are a favorite genre of mine, and some excellent films have been reviewed in a previous article. It is time for a sequel.
My criterion for this list is as follows:
The ten films listed here are some of the most ambitious of the last seven years, with collaborations between some of the very best directors, actors, cinematographers, production artists, and costume designers. Mostly the films are built around a story, and rely little on fancy CGI and fireworks. The time periods represented by these movies include Medieval England, Napoleonic Wars, Civil War America, World War 2, and 1960’s America. These ten films are free of any jarring anachronisms, but let’s face it, it is almost impossible to keep some modern values and trends from creeping into the movies. How well, or awful, the filmmakers handle this tricky business is considered in the historical accuracy ranking. These films are not documentaries, so also equally considered in the rankings are production quality, acting and the storytelling skills. Reviews are in order of period setting; beginning in 1215 and then time traveling to 1810, 1860s, 1940s and 1960s.
1. Ironclad 2011 action adventure history
Production quality: A+
Historical accuracy: B STAR power: A Narrative/story: B Medieval England, circa 1215, King John signs and seals a contract that will be forever known as the Magna Carta. It was the first legal document to limit the arbitrary authority of a king or despot, and is still held in great respect to this day. But in 1216 King John reneges on the deal, raises an army to crush the rebellion and here come the swords and battle axes for some good old fashioned Medieval combat – up close, personal, and gruesome. This movie did not win awards, but it delivers a couple hours of escapism with plenty of action and some important history. The production design and acting is far superior to most other medieval sword and shield flicks. The cast includes well known and respected actors, all of whom put on a good show. Paul Giamatti is tasked with playing cruel and nasty King John, and he elevates the character to new levels. With a wild glint in his eye, he rants about the divine right of kings. His angry speech is brimming with raw emotional seldom seen in a motion picture. It is one of Paul’s finest acting performances, right up there, in full force, on the big screen.
2. Lines of Wellington 2012 drama history foreign
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: C STAR power: A+ Narrative/story: D I commend this picture for taking a shot at portraying the largely ignored, but important, Peninsula Campaign (circa 1810) during the Napoleonic wars. This big budget film had everything to be extraordinary, yet is disappointing for a war movie because it does not contain one single impressive battle scene. More importantly, the narrative is flawed - it follows too many characters, most of them of no consequence in the grand scheme. I understand the focus of this movie is on the common folks, but did the bulk of the military history have to be replaced with soap opera? That aside, what really annoyed me was the false way Wellington is presented in this movie. In the first place, he avoided fancy uniforms in the field, preferring a dark greatcoat and a plain cocked hat. As for casting, Wellington was almost twenty years younger than the actor playing the role (American born Malkovich, age 59), so the wild, grey hair-do was ridiculous. And why Wellington is presented as a pompous ass is mind boggling. As can be seen from his portraits, high-born Wellington projects a superior attitude, but he was not silly and frivolous, as depicted in the film. So they got everything horribly wrong about this splendid soldier. One last point - as shown in the film, the French invaders did not seriously attempt to breech the Lines of Torres Vedras, and withdrew back to France. Not mentioned in the film is the fact that the war was far from over. The French army soon returned, and it took three more years of hard fighting to kick them out of Spain and Portugal. Also of interest to film historians are some nude scenes of stunning Portuguese actresses in this movie.
3. Free State of Jones 2016 drama biopic
Production quality: A+
Historical accuracy: C- STAR power: B Narrative/story: C Even if you have limited interest in the American Civil War, this movie is worth viewing for Matthew McConaughey’s underrated (Oscar-worthy?) performance as Newton Knight. He carries the film and makes it exciting despite a very weak supporting cast, and an awkward narrative style that injects a lame, uninteresting side story. The movie is based on a true story but includes some fairy tale history. Fact – By late 1863, military desertion became a serious problem for the Confederate States of America (CSA). Fact - Newton and a band of fellow Rebel deserters camped in Jones County, Mississippi (due north of Hattiesburg) Fact - Newton Knight led a brief armed rebellion against the CSA. Fact - A Confederate regiment was dispatched to Jones County in 1864 where they used hound dogs to find Newts hideouts and quickly crushed the rebellion. The rest of the story is a Hollywood invention portraying Newt as a White Messiah and his followers as pro-Union heroes. Most historians consider them either war weary deserters, or mere bandits. A key fact overlooked by the movie was that Newt volunteered for the CSA in 1861 (8th Mississippi Infantry Regiment). He was not a pro-Union man in 1861. There were several pro-Union strongholds in Old Dixie in 1861, with western Virginia being the most significant. When New Virginia (present day West Virginia) refused to join the Confederacy, it was a major coup for Abe Lincoln and Union. Scott County, Tennessee was another important anti-succession stronghold with 95% of the vote against leaving the Union. These two pro-Union areas provided thousands of soldiers to the Northern armies, but due to myth and legend Jones County gets the silver screen treatment.
4. Lincoln 2012 drama history
Production quality: C
Historical accuracy: D STAR power: B Narrative/story: B The film begins with a heavy-handed, politically correct theme that attempts to cloud the truth about the American Civil War. We are shown scene after scene of black Union combat troops, WAIT A MINUTE, the vast majority of the fighting and dying was by white soldiers. And the opening scene, with four soldiers reciting the Gettysburg address to Abe, is played by white and black soldiers as though the military was magically integrated back in 1864. The dreadful scene plays so stagey, contrived and fake that I cringed. And for all I admire Abe, he was not as saintly as the film suggests. In fact, Lincoln doubted that blacks could fit into white society, and was a gung-ho supporter of shipping the freed slaves to Africa and the Caribbean islands. The slave relocation plan was a failure, and was not even briefly mentioned in this movie. Abe Lincoln has been elevated to a national deity, so an honest examination of him is no longer possible. The only saving grace in this overrated movie is the solid acting by Daniel Day Lewis.
5. Dunkirk 2017 drama action war history
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: A STAR power: C Narrative/story: B This WW2 film takes us back to May 1940 to portray the logistical nightmare that was Dunkirk. The movie begins with the British army beaten, trapped and forced to evacuate off the beaches of Dunkirk, France. The film skims right over how this disaster occurred. The movie has no exposition, minimal dialogue, no historical back story, no maps or VIP monologues. This is essentially a film about blind chance and surviving a catastrophe. The point of view is entirely from the British side using a trilogy of air/sea/and land stories. Contrary to the current (lame) trend to humanize both sides of a conflict, the Director does not even bother to mention the Germans (the enemy) by name. The Germans are faceless, relentless killers with a particularly sadistic talent for adding a touch of horror to their weapons – from the silent, unseen killer U-boats to the ear piercing whistles on the Stuka dive bombers. The movie has a high degree of historical accuracy and realism, especially the aircraft – those are real Spitfires and Me-109s. The aerial combat scenes are a visual wonder, and thrilling to watch. I have not seen solo air combat scenes like this since The Blue Max. Watch this film on the biggest screen possible.
6. Anthropoid 2016 drama war thriller
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: A STAR power: C Narrative/story: C The odd movie title is the code name for the 1942 secret WW2 mission to kill the notorious Nazi big shot Reinhard Heydrich (aka the Butcher of Prague). The movie gets off to a slow start. A team of Allied commandos parachute into the Czech countryside and sneak into Prague for meetings with the Czech resistance leaders. They talk and talk and argue about whether to go through with the hit on Heydrich. This delay does allow time for the filmmakers to insert a couple of romances to spice up the story. The Czechs living in Prague have had a taste of Nazi reprisals and know that killing Heydrich will trigger a Czech slaughter house. The plot thickens when the commandos learn of Heydrich’s pending reassignment to Paris. Time is running out to complete the mission. The second half of the movie deals with the hit on Heydrich and the bloody aftermath. The movie glorifies the bravery of the Czech resistance (thank you), but leaves this viewer questioning the effectiveness of civilian resistance against a totally ruthless, powerful force like the German army, Gestapo and SS police. The film ends with a touching, emotional tribute to the thousands of innocent Czechs and Slovaks that were butchered by the Germans during the war.
7. Hacksaw Ridge 2016 drama war biopic
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: A STAR power: B Narrative/story: C This autobiography film is based on the true story of US Army medic Desmond Doss, a religious conscientious objector, who was awarded the Medal of Honor. The movie can be neatly divided into two parts; at home and at war in the WW2 Pacific Theater. The initial scenes are devoted to Doss and his religious beliefs, life of a typical country boy, and his puppy dog romance. When America goes to war, Doss gets drafted and the movie gets more interesting. Doss tangles with the army brass and a tough drill sergeant played by Vince Vaughn. Vince plays against type and delivers a terrific performance. After the obligatory conflicts during basic training, his unit is sent to the hell on earth that was the Battle of Okinawa. The battle is the highlight of film, and features some of the most realistic and grim combat scenes I have seen on the silver screen. American battlefield losses on Okinawa were alarming and made casualty projections for a full scale invasion of Japan unacceptable. The fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was decided by the inferno at Okinawa.
8. Emperor 2012 drama history
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: A STAR power: B Narrative/story: C This is a movie for people who appreciate truthful historical dramas with attention to detail, and good acting. Do not expect a war movie. This is a legal drama about the fate of Emperor Hirohito. Sure, we know the outcome, but it is interesting to see how real history takes shape. The cast, especially the Japanese actors, expertly capture the complexity of the battered culture and psyche of Japan during post WWII reconstruction. Tommy Lee Jones does an excellent portrayal of Douglas MacArthur, copying the style and mannerisms that we have seen in 1940s news reels. He could have easily overacted the part, but stayed low key and perfect. In typical Hollywood fashion, a romance story is shoehorned into the movie to double the target audience. So between the awkward love story and the legal drudgery, the pace drags a bit, but does not fall into potholes of fake history. Most historians give General MacArthur credit for leadership of the peaceful occupation, reform and rebuilding of post war Japan. The US foreign policy hasn’t been that successful since. Due to the modern trend of revisionist history, MacArthur is largely unknown in Japan today.
9. Parkland 2013 drama history
Production quality: B
Historical accuracy: C STAR power: C+ Narrative/story: A This film does not dive into the details or controversies of the JFK murder, so it is not beloved by the conspiracy fans. On the other hand, this is a well done historical snapshot of three tragic days in 1963 with plenty of melodrama and 60s nostalgia. The movie has several unusual POVs; doctors and nurses of Parkland Hospital, Oswald’s brother and mother, a Secret Service boss, and Abraham Zapruder. Surprisingly missing in the starring roles are the usual cast of government VIPs. You see them mostly in actual newsreels interspersed effectively in the initial scenes. A well-acted, solid movie based on a very sad story.
10. The Founder 2016 biopic drama
Production quality: A
Historical accuracy: B STAR power: B Narrative/story: A Gents, I’ll bet you a cold beer; and Ladies, I’ll bet you one nude massage that you cannot gas up twice on an American interstate highway without seeing at least one sign with the Golden Arches. This film chronicles the birth and expansion of the fast food business in America, with Ray Kroc and the McDonalds brothers in the lead. Rather than serving up a Happy Meal movie, the film instead provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake mixer salesman, managed to outfox the McDonalds brothers to gain control of the McDonalds brand and franchise operations. The film raises some valid questions about business ethics, and also does a good job of capturing the 50’s and 60’s era. The early McDonalds locations are beautifully and realistically replicated to provide a nice touch of nostalgia. This is the best Michael Keaton performance since his hit comedy Mr. Mom (1983), and makes up for his painful, plodding Birdman fiasco.
***Bonus Section – Five more WW2 era historical dramas***
Recommended with reservations. The five films below are major productions based on fictional stories.
Allied 2016 drama romance war
There’s a lot to like about this WW2 era movie featuring spies and counter spies. The visual impact is strong as the movie jumps from exotic locales in North Africa to WWII London. The production values are first class with sets, scenery and costumes that evoke the 1940’s. There are some thrilling action scenes that are pure Hollywood fantasy, but nobody claimed this is an accurate historical film. The movie is a costume romance. Marion Cotillard is always worth watching and she delivers a nuanced and deeply felt turn, nothing short of sensational. Mr. Pitt does a good job as the soldier/spy/husband trapped in an impossible situation. Contrary to the negative reviews, I thought there was plenty of chemistry between the two leads to make the story work. Keep in mind that the historical accuracy of the film is weak: rather than execute German spies, the British were masters at turning Nazi spies into double agents; thereby, feeding a constant stream of misinformation to Berlin. The German spymasters never really had a clue.
Fury 2014 drama War
This war flick has first class set design and high technical merit for using authentic WWII weaponry; although surprisingly for a flick about a tank outfit, it has only one tank vs tank combat scene. The movie is at its best when it salutes the valor of American WW2 tank crews. Without getting too technical, suffice to say that the German 88mm anti-tank cannons and the Tiger tanks were more than a match for the Shermans. As seen in the film, the Americans were forced to adapt combat tactics to offset the superior firepower of the German weapons. My problem with this movie is the shocking overacting by Hollywood Heavyweight Brad Pitt. He plays a psychotic sergeant, nicknamed Wardaddy, who reminds me of "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos" comic books. In real life, Wardaddy would have been given a Section 8, or a quick court martial. Spoiler Alert! In the final scene, the survival of the lone, immobile Sherman tank would have been about two minutes – in 1945, German infantrymen were outstanding at killing tanks at close range with Panzerfausts, especially if the tanks had no infantry support. Totally unbelievable final scene was jarring and belonged in a Rambo flick.
Spies of Warsaw 2013 drama war romance
This well done BBC mystery-suspense is the only TV mini-series on the list. Based on a novel by Alan Furst, the story takes place in pre-WW2 Europe, circa 1937. The main character, Jean Mercier, is a French spy based in Warsaw, Poland. Jean works together with Polish allies to keep a close eye on the Nazis in Germany. Some dark, sinister secrets are revealed which confirms hostile intentions by Hitler. The three episodes are rich with ambiguous characters, dark secrets, the looming threat of violence, and some romance. The war tension in Poland was not shared by all the allies, so Poland got a head start spying on Germany. It was a matter of survival. The Poles got their hands on an actual German enigma machine and started the tedious code breaking effort. After the German-Russo invasion in 1939, the enigma project was transferred to the UK and shared with the British. The series pays a long overdue tribute to Poland’s contributions to the secret war in WW2.
Shanghai 2010 mystery romance
This movie makes the Japanese rampage across Asia in WW2 to be the sexiest thing ever to happen in China. Spies chase after pretty skirts and snoop for secrets in bedrooms. This is pure fiction and does little to explain how the Japanese Navy caught America looking the wrong way at Pearl Harbor. On a positive note this film was a visual feast with a talented cast of international stars. Too bad they were working with a plodding, overlong storyline. I stayed for the credits, and was astonished to count fourteen people listed with Producer in their title. Somebody in that mob of producers should have taken a hard look at the script and kicked it back to the screenwriters with a red pen to cut out about thirty to forty minutes of fluff. By the way, Shanghai was filmed in Thailand.
The Exception 2016
Being a Christopher Plummer fan of the first chop, I gave the DVD a spin. This is one of the most enjoyable, captivating historical dramas of the year with more acting talent than three or four typical Hollywood movies. The key role in the film is that of Kaiser Wilhelm II, played brilliantly by Christopher Plummer. He makes the role of the old Kaiser come alive on the scene and actually brings a touch of sympathy for a hated, disposed king in exile. We are shown the softer side of the old Prussian Junker and it makes the movie work. The sexy spy story and the visit by SS Reichsführer Himmler are clever plot inventions, yet there is enough true history and real characters in the story to make it believable, or at least suspend disbelief. Janet McTeer is remarkable playing the Kaiser's wife, Princess Hermine. She is willing to dance with the devil himself in order to restore the German monarchy. The dinner party with Himmler is one of the most memorable, and frightening scenes I have seen in some time.This is a much underrated movie with a whale of a great story.
Additional Historical Dramas from the 2010s decade previously reviewed on House Clark.
Deepwater Horizon 13 Hours in Benghazi The Bridge of Spies |
AuthorWritten by Ben Clark. Copyright 2016-2023. All rights reserved.
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