We Ranked These Biopics From Least To Most Accurate
As it turns out, not every biopic is that biographical after all. There are times when Hollywood’s creative license can be taken too far! But in other instances, filmmakers have done their due diligence to portray people and events as accurately as possible. So, using a scale drawn up by data journalist David McCandless, we’ve ranked the following biopics from least to most accurate.
15. The Imitation Game (2014)
Accuracy score: 42.3 percent
The Imitation Game tells the story of Alan Turing, a famous World War II codebreaker. Specifically, it focuses on his attempts to beat Germany’s Enigma code and his personal life at the time. The film boasts a pretty stacked cast, with Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the lead role. The star earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. But how accurate was the biopic?
Numerous deviations
Well, despite winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, the movie plays fast and loose with the truth. According to McCandless’ calculations on the Information Is Beautiful website, its accuracy sits not much higher than 42 percent. There are several deviations, ranging from Turing’s characterization to his relationships with certain characters. “[It] just rips the historical records to shreds,” McCandless noted.
14. American Sniper (2014)
Accuracy score: 56.9 percent
Directed by Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, American Sniper details Chris Kyle’s trials and tribulations as a Navy S.E.A.L. sharpshooter, alongside his troubles at home. Bradley Cooper was handed the part, and bagged an Oscar nomination for his efforts. It’s a powerful performance in an equally powerful film, but how true to life was it? Let’s find out...
A key change
As per McCandless’ data scale, American Sniper has an accuracy of over 56 percent. There’s a lot that it gets right, yet one deviation stands out from the rest. In the film, Kyle’s first kills are a mom and a kid, leaving him distraught. In reality, though, he only shot the woman — the sniper didn’t kill any children on his tours. Plus, he wasn’t deeply affected by the event.
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