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You know that expression "You can't make this stuff up?" Although countless great fictional, fantastical stories have graced the big screen, there's something special about watching a movie based on a true story. Films about important moments in history have the weight of the past behind them, and as a result, many of them are classic—perhaps even historic—films.
This list of movies based on historical events spans pretty much all of cinema history itself. The oldest film in this selection came out in 1925 — more than 80 years before the 2008 financial crisis, the most recent event that served as the basis for one of these movies. They span genres, too. History is full of drama, romance, thrills, and war, so it's only natural that movies about history would be varied, too.
32. The King's Speech
Year: 2010
Director: Tom Hooper
An entire movie—one that won Best Picture—about a single radio broadcast? In The King's Speech's defense, it was a pretty significant broadcast! Colin Firth stars as King George VI, who, having unexpectedly ascended to the British throne, must guide the nation as World War II breaks out. Unfortunately, he has a stutter, and the movie documents his efforts working with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to ensure the monarch is ready for prime time.
31. Charlie Wilson's War
Year: 2007
Director: Mike Nichols
Americans tend to associate Afghanistan with the War on Terror.. However, Charlie Wilson's War tells the story of what happened before 9/11, when the United States was covertly helping the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War in the '80s. Tom Hanks plays the title character, a lush of a congressman who finds himself working with CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (a scene-stealing Philip Seymour Hoffman) to help the people of Afghanistan (and America's fight against Communism). Told with style and wit, Charlie Wilson's War is a surprisingly fun story about what happened—and what sadly didn't happen once the war was won.
30. The Big Short
Year: 2015
Director: Adam McKay
A movie based on a nonfiction book about a financial crisis should not be this watchable and downright fun, but Adam McKay's star-studded film does an excellent job explaining the arcane financial instruments that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt star as investors who realize something is amiss in the lead-up to the 2007 housing market crash. You're rooting for them as they try to make a buck because they see what nobody else does, though McKay makes sure to ultimately remind the audience how devastating the crisis was not just for the abstracted economy but for countless individuals.
29. Everest
Year: 2015
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
The 1996 Mount Everest disaster is one of the worst tragedies in mountaineering history, and this aptly titled 2015 film documents the climb that left eight people dead on the side of the tallest peak in the world. Initially exciting before it descends into horror and tragedy, Everest probably won't inspire you to tackle any of the eight-thousanders anytime soon. Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robin Wright lead an ensemble cast of stars.
28. Midway
Year: 2019
Director: Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich, a director best known for blockbuster disaster movies like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, might not be who you'd expect to deliver a respectable movie about World War II's Pacific Theater. But if Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor is the competition, Midway is a masterpiece. A brisk, exciting overview of the first six months of the war, starting with the Japanese attack on December 7 and ending with the titular battle that turned the tide in favor of the US, Midway sometimes comes across as an action-packed Wikipedia summary. That's a compliment, to be clear!
27. Chappaquiddick
Year: 2017
Director: John Curran
Jason Clarke stars as Senator Ted Kennedy in this political drama that takes place in the days following the infamous incident on the titular island off of Martha's Vineyard in 1968. When Kennedy is responsible for an automobile accident that claims the life of his passenger, a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne, the Kennedy political machine kicks into gear to protect him. It's a somber look at legacy, abuses of power, and repercussions (or lack thereof).
26. September 5
Year: 2024
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Your mileage may vary on whether it's to September 5's credit or detriment that it does not try to address any of the context that led to the Munich massacre. This thriller doesn't really concern itself with the Israel-Palestine conflict, instead focusing on the ABC Sports news team that had a front-row seat for the hostage-taking that would define the 1972 Olympics. A tense, process-driven thriller about journalism, September 5 is undeniably effective at putting viewers in this historic moment, though they'll need to go elsewhere to learn more.
25. Argentina, 1985
Year: 2022
Director: Santiago Mitre
This Argentinian film is reminiscent of Stephen Spielberg or Aaron Sorkin's work. However, while the Spanish-language legal drama isn't quite to the level of their top work, that's still an extremely flattering comparison. Set in 1985 (as you might have guessed), the movie follows the prosecutors tasked with bringing the military dictatorship that used to run the country to justice for their many crimes. The case that Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín) has to try is a difficult one, but watching Argentina, 1985 is exactly as watchable as you'd hope a courtroom drama would be.
24. The Last Duel
Year: 2021
Director: Ridley Scott
Technically speaking, The Last Duel is a legal drama, though that might not be the first genre that comes to mind when describing this Ridley Scott flick. When noblewoman Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer) accuses squire Jacques le Gris (Adam Driver) of assaulting her in medieval France, her husband Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) challenges his former friend to a duel to the death. Told Rashomon-style, with three vignettes depicting the three characters' accounts of what really happened, The Last Duel ends with an extremely intense fight to the death, delivering what the title promises.
23. Selma
Year: 2014
Director: Ava DuVernay
David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King Jr. in this drama about the Civil Rights Movement, which reaches its climax with the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. Director Ava DuVernay ensures that this event—a staple of every history class—feels real, urgent, and human rather than like homework or a hagiography. It's an important watch and one that fully shows off Oyelowo's talents as a performer. Selma also features John Legend and Common's song "Glory," one of the better tracks to win Best Original Song at the Oscars.
22. Reds
Year: 1981
Director: Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty directed, co-wrote, and starred in this historical epic about John Reed, an American journalist who had a front-row seat to the rise of Communism in Russia in the 1910s, and how his appreciation for the ideology and devotion to the cause impacted the rest of his life—and that of his partner, Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). A sweeping story about the intersection of the individual and the arc of history, Reds is a fascinating portrait of a complex man and a complex time; one that raises lots of questions that don't have easy answers.
21. Judas and the Black Messiah
Year: 2021
Director: Shaka King
A great movie if you want to get really angry, Judas and the Black Messiah documents how the FBI infiltrated the Black Panther movement in the '60s thanks to informant William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield). O'Neal betrays the Panthers' provocative, idealistic leader, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who advocated for Black power and class struggle. With the pacing of a thrilling crime flick, Judas and the Black Messiah is a propulsive look at a sorry chapter in American history.
20 . Braveheart
Year: 1995
Director: Mel Gibson
"FREEEDOOOMMM!" Mel Gibson plays the great warrior and leader William Wallace in his '90s historical epic about the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England (Patrick McGoohan). Violence, kilts, and blue-painted faces abound in this Best Picture winner, which also boasts a love story as Wallace falls for Princess Isabella of France (Sophie Marceau), the wife of the English king's only son and heir. There are some historical inaccuracies, which are to be expected, and a few parts that haven't aged especially well, but Braveheart remains one of the great war films.
19. Zero Dark Thirty
Year: 2012
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
There's one major problem with Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow's story about the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his eventual assassination. A segment in the film makes it seem as though torture was essential to finding out where the 9/11 perpetrator was hiding. In reality, it was not. This regrettable alteration of historical fact aside, Zero Dark Thirty is a wildly engaging thriller, starring Jessica Chastain as a fictionalized version of the CIA agent who spent nearly a decade trying to find Bin Laden. The final sequence of the movie, the nighttime raid of Bin Laden's compound, is one of the greatest and perfectly executed action scenes of all time.
18. JFK
Year: 1991
Director: Oliver Stone
Olivier Stone's conspiracy theory epic about the assassination of John F. Kennedy might be stretching the limits of "based on historical events," as the shadowy series of events the film alleges really happened when the president was shot in Dallas aren't supported by evidence. Still, there's something enthralling about watching New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) working hard to uncover "the truth," raising some valid questions along the way.
17. Tora, Tora, Tora!
Year: 1970
Directors: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, and Kinji Fukasaku
This war epic, an American-Japanese joint production released three decades after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the United States' entry into World War II, is unquestionably the superior cinematic take on the historic event. (Michael Bay has other talents.) Widely praised for its historical accuracy, Tora, Tora, Tora! (which gets its name from the Japanese code word used to signal the attack), shows how leaders on both sides of the Pacific acted in the lead-up to the fateful attack, one that awoke a sleeping giant.
16. The Passion of Joan of Arc
Year: 1928
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
A classic and influential work of the silent era, The Passion of Joan of Arc is based on actual records of the 15th-century trial of the iconic teenage French military leader during the Hundred Years' War. Starring Renée Jeanne Falconetti as the title character, the movie follows the 19-year-old's final days as an English captive, dramatizing her trial and the agonizing choice she must make between being true to her country and her faith or burning at the stake. In addition to being a work about history, The Passion of Joan of Arc is itself historical, as Dreyer's cinematography and use of close-ups were groundbreaking
15. All the President's Men
Year: 1976
Director: Alan J. Pakula
If there's one knock against All the President's Men, a half-century or so after its release, it's that the movie assumes the audience has deep knowledge of the details of the Watergate Scandal—something that was probably true in 1976 and is less so today. But, even if you don't instantly recognize every name or development in this story of journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, and the story that would lead to President Richard Nixon's resignation, it's still a profoundly engrossing political thriller and journalism movie, boasting fantastic performances from Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the two reporters.
14. The Right Stuff
Year: 1983
Director: Philip Kaufman
Despite being more than three hours long, The Right Stuff moves pretty fast, though not nearly as fast as Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) and the other test pilots who broke the sound barrier and eventually helped the United States reach outer space. A sweeping epic that spans from 1947, when Yeager achieved this historic first, to the late '60s and completion of the Mercury program, The Right Stuff is a thrilling look at the daring men who put their lives on the line in pursuit of speed—and something greater.
13. I'm Still Here
Year: 2024
Director: Walter Salles
Fernanda Torres stars in this Brazilian film that gained some surprising—but totally earned—recognition at the 97th Academy Awards. Torres plays Eunice Paiva, the wife of politician Ruben Paiva (Selton Mello), who was forcibly disappeared by the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil in the '70s. A troubling examination of how life goes on (until it doesn't) under fascism, I'm Still Here is essential viewing, made exceptional by Torres's raw, brave performance as a woman who is both vulnerable and a testament to the endurance of the human spirit.
12. Lincoln
Year: 2012
Director: Steven Spielberg
What makes Lincoln so great is how in the weeds it gets about the political process while still remaining extremely entertaining to watch. (Steven Spielberg's pretty dang good at directing movies, it turns out!) Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Abraham Lincoln, and the film takes place in the wake of the Civil War as Lincoln attempts to ensure passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Day-Lewis's brilliant performance showcases Lincoln's political genius in this film that takes a famous moment in history and does the work of showing how the sausage was actually made.
11. The Death of Stalin
Year: 2017
Director: Armando Iannucci
When Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died unexpectedly in March 1953, it created a power vacuum that was as important as it was petty and, at times, stupid. Veep-creator Armando Iannucci's black comedy about the moment stars Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor, and more as various members of the Soviet leadership who are all vying for power, willing to stab each other in the back to save their own hides (or trip over their feet in the process). The Death of Stalin is refreshing—essential, even—in how it shows that serious world events are sometimes deeply unserious.
10. Miracle
Year: 2004
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Do you believe in miracles? One of the greatest moments in sports history (one that wasn't without some geopolitical significance) gets the stirring sports drama adaptation it deserves in Miracle. Kurt Russell stars as Herb Brooks, the coach who led a group of scrappy underdog American hockey players to victory when they defeated the heavily favored Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Even though the outcome of this game is so famous, Miracle still has you on the edge of your seat.
9. Oppenheimer
Year: 2023
Director: Christopher Nolan
"Barbenheimer" was indeed a historical event for the box office in 2023, but only one of the two movies released that weekend was actually based on history. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which won Best Picture at the Oscars, stars Cillian Murphy as the theoretical physicist responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb. A three-hour historical epic, Oppenheimer is propulsive and fun in the first half as it gears up to the Trinity Test. But, after that thrilling scene, the second half of the film deals with the fallout (pun not intended), and the grave implications of what Oppenheimer wrought.
8. Spartacus
Year: 1960
Director: Stanley Kubrick
"I am Spartacus!" Kirk Douglas stars in the title role, the gladiator who led a slave rebellion in ancient Rome that led to the Third Servile War in 73 BC. If you have never seen Spartacus, you'll be shocked by how many scenes feel familiar, as this action epic is a template for so many films that have come after it and tried to emulate what Douglas and director Stanley Kubrick achieved. Sweeping in scope and dazzling in scale, Spartacus is an action-packed triumph of cinema.
7. Battleship Potemkin
Year: 1925
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
This century-old silent film was intended to be propaganda by its Soviet director, so take its depiction of the mutiny on the titular dreadnought that occurred during the Russian Revolution of 1905 with a grain of salt. What a depiction it is though! Battleship Potemkin is undeniably one of the most important and influential movies in the history of cinema, one that pioneered new ways of visual and emotional storytelling. The famed sequence on the Odessa Steps, when Cossacks start firing on a mass of unarmed civilians, is stunning filmmaking that hits as hard today as it did 100 years ago.
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
Year: 2023
Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese's gripping historical crime drama documents the systematic murders of the Osage Indians in the 1920s when white men were marrying the oil-rich Native Americans and killing them to obtain lucrative oil rights. Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone star in what could be called a twisted love story, with Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons supporting. A huge, weighty movie, Killers of the Flower Moon is a devastating indictment of America's original sin and ongoing rot.
5. The Zone of Interest
Year: 2023
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer forces the audience to look at—and, perhaps more importantly, listen to—what the banality of evil looks like in practice in his acclaimed Holocaust drama. The film follows Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife (Sandra Hüller) as they live out their days in an idyllic home that's just on the other side of the wall from the infamous Nazi death camp. The contrast between the homemaking and the horrors, unseen but always vaguely heard and definitely felt, on the other side of the wall is breathtakingly effective.
4. The Last Emperor
Year: 1987
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
One of the great biopics, Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor chronicles the life of Puyi, the last emperor of China. The epic follows Puyi from his time as a sheltered, pampered toddler in the Forbidden City (Bertolucci was the first Westerner permitted to film in the imperial palace) to his struggles as an adult (now played by John Lone) when the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and he eventually found himself a prisoner in a Communist re-education camp. Visually astounding and beautifully nuanced, The Last Emperor is an unparalleled examination of the sweeping forces of history and their effect on a flawed—but—very—human individual.
3. Titanic
Year: 1997
Director: James Cameron
The protagonists of Titanic, which at one point was the highest-grossing film of all time, are fictional. Jack and Rose (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) weren't real, but pretty much everything outside of their earnestly moving tragic love story is a faithful depiction of the sinking of the iconic ocean liner. James Cameron's Best Picture-winning epic reaches soaring heights and travels to the deepest depths of the Atlantic. Romance, action, tragedy—Titanic truly has it all.
2. Apollo 13
Year: 1995
Director: Ron Howard
One of the very few changes Ron Howard's movie makes in telling the story of NASA's most successful failure happens to be the most iconic line. Commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) actually said "Houston, we've had a problem" when there was an explosion in the service module that imperiled the mission to the moon. In the film, he says, "Houston, we have a problem," a subtle change that makes it clear that the problem isn't over, and indeed, the rest of the movie will be spent trying to fix it. That Apollo 13 doesn't otherwise do much bending of history is telling, because the real-life story of what happened out in space and at Mission Control in 1970 is so astounding that the movie doesn't need to embellish to be one of the greats.
1. Lawrence of Arabia
Year: 1962
Director: David Lean
Perhaps no other movie has earned the descriptor "epic" more rightly than David Lean's telling of the life of T. E. Lawrence, the British officer who played a key part in the Arab Revolt of World War I. Starring Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia's desert cinematography is impossibly gorgeous to behold, the action scenes are an astounding recreation of war, and its examination of its title character with all his complications (for good and ill) is arguably unmatched in the annals of cinema. At four hours long, watching Lawrence of Arabia is an immense undertaking, but one that any lover of history or movies should do. They'll be rewarded with a masterpiece.
