best biography history movies

33 Historical Movies You Need to Watch at Least Once in Your Life

From Apollo 13 to Dunkirk , these popular award-winning films are beloved for a good reason.

Whether you're looking for a history-based movie to watch with the kids or are just looking for something you haven't seen yet, our list of the best historical movies offers well-reviewed picks that cover everything from the reign of the ever-extravagant Marie Antoinette to The Boston Globe newspaper team who broke the Catholic Church abuse scandal. Some of these movies are definitely more serious than light-hearted, so make sure to take that into account if you're watching with young teens or children.

Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk tells the true story of a group of World War II British soldiers who got stranded during a German ambush for six weeks alongside Belgian and French soldiers. In the film, Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), a British private, must work together with soldiers Alex (Harry Styles) and Gibson (Aneurin Barnard) to stay alive until British forces are able to rescue them. You can expect to see some additional familiar faces like Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine and Jack Lowden.

Harriet (2019)

A deeply moving and inspiring biographical film that tells the story of Harriet Tubman, an enslaved activist who freed herself and then helped hundreds of others escape from the South in the 1850s. Cynthia Erivo stars as Harriet, with a supporting cast including Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn and Janelle Monáe.

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Gladiator (2000)

When Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) is betrayed by the corrupt son of the emperor (Joaquin Phoenix), he becomes a gladiator and fights through the ranks to ultimately avenge the murders of his family. This action-packed film, inspired loosely by real events that occurred within the Roman Empire back in the 2nd century, is full of epic fights and themes of love, dedication, perseverance and family loyalty.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13 tells the story of Jim Lovell ( Tom Hanks ), Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) — the three astronauts who commanded the Apollo 13 mission to land on the moon in 1970. When the spacecraft suffered an explosion during takeoff, the astronauts were forced to figure out a way to land safely in their return back to Earth. It's a knuckle-clenching film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The Sound of Music (1965)

In one of her most memorable roles, Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a not-so-typical nun in Austria. When Maria is sent to work as a nanny for a family of eight, led by retired naval officer and widower Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), what ensues is a musical adventure and romantic love story, all happening during the harrowing Nazi invasion in World War II.

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RELATED : 40 Rare and Vintage Photos of Julie Andrews Through the Years

The Revenant (2015)

A fur trapper ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) is in the fight of his life after being mauled by a bear while on a hunting expedition. Although surviving the attack, he now must try to stay alive and find his way back to his traveling companions with only the help of Mother Nature's resources. Based on real-life frontiersman Hugh Glass, there's a reason Leonardo won his first Oscar with this role. The cast also includes Tom Hardy, Will Poulter and Domnhall Gleeson.

Spencer (2021)

You know all about Princess Diana ... but do you really ? This riveting biopic which stars Kristen Stewart as Diana and Jack Farthing as Prince Charles starts off with the couple's marriage already strained and follows Diana during the public downfall of their marriage and later divorce.

RELATED : The Many Ways Princess Diana Broke Royal Protocol

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Before she was a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a first-year law student. Felicity Jones plays a young RBG in this movie where we see the sexism she faced and how hard she fought to change not only the preconceived notions of what certain genders could do, but also change the laws to reflect that. Starring alongside Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston and Kathy Bates, this movie perfectly encapsulates the lasting legacy of RBG long after her death.

RELATED : 15 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Most Iconic Quotes

Schindler's List (1993)

Based on the 1982 non-fiction novel Schindler's Ark , this heartbreaking film follows Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German factory owner who saved over a thousand Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by hiring them as workers in his factory. The movie also stars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davidtz and even the real-life wife of Oskar, Emilie Schindler.

Hidden Figures (2015)

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe play NASA mathematicians and engineers in this film based on the real lives of Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three women who helped NASA win the "Space Race" in a time when sexism and racism kept them segregated from the rest of the team.

Argo (2012)

U.S. CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez ( Ben Affleck ) is put in charge of rescuing six Americans who escape being taken hostage during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. This film tells the true story of how Tony posed as a movie producer and used a fictional film to get the six out of Iran. In addition to Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Tate Donovan star in the film.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Set during World War II, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas shares the stark experiences of two young boys living in Berlin: Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the son of a German SS officer (David Thewlis), and Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a young Jewish boy sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. The film shares a heartbreaking story of friendship, love and loss, as both boys are ultimately forced to face the realities of living in Nazi Germany.

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)

The Butler is loosely based on the real life Eugene Allen (Forest Whitakers), a man who served as a White House butler for over 30 years and for eight different presidents. Starring Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams and many other big stars, this biographical story is an emotional and thought-provoking film like no other.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

After marrying the Dauphin of France (Jason Schwartzman) at age 14, Marie-Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is introduced to a life of luxury, indulgence and excess which plays out in contrast to the poverty-stricken French people and their growing outrage. Throw in secret romances, opulent wealth and some other major stars like Rose Byrne, Molly Shannon, Jamie Dornan and Tom Hardy and you've got a movie you won't be able to stop watching.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

This award-winning film tells the powerful story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a New York-born Black man who was kidnapped from the North and enslaved in 1841. Ejiofor stars alongside a talented cast, including Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt.

I, Tonya (2017)

When people hear the name Tonya Harding, they immediately have strong opinions and remember the real-life figure skater who was linked to an attack on fellow American skater Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Starring Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney, this biographical sports mockumentary touches on that momentous event while also diving into Tonya's past and her skating career before the Olympics. Amazon

Lincoln (2012)

With a talented cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Jeremy Strong and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lincoln focuses on the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln's life, especially focusing on his role during the end of the Civil War, the abolishment of slavery and his assassination.

The Book Thief (2013)

Based on the international best seller of the same name, this 2013 movie is narrated by "Death," who tells the story of Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) during World War II in Germany. In order to cope with the daily horrors she is witnessing, she begins to steal books that local politicians are trying to destroy while also authoring her very own book.

Midway (2019)

This action-packed movie has a memorable cast with faces like Mandy Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Patrick Wilson and Dennis Quaid. In this movie, we see the Battle of Midway, a battle that is known as a major turning point of World War II which took place six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

Unbroken (2014)

A film that is inspiring, emotional and shockingly true, Unbroken shares the story of American Olympian and Army officer Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who, after competing in the 1936 Summer Olympics in the 5,000 meter race, returned to war where his plane was shot down. While he survived stranded at sea for 47 days, he was then captured and held as a prisoner of war for two years.

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100 best biopics of all time

The grand sweep of history is perhaps more easily told through a narrower lens, which is one reason why biopics (biographical pictures)—which can tell the story of a movement, era, or idea through one individual's life—have become so popular in recent years. Filmmakers have increasingly preferred to work in the genre over the past several decades, finding that the unique challenges in condensing a life can embolden creativity and experimentation, resulting in extraordinary movies. Take "Persepolis," for example: The 2007 film explores the Iranian revolution through the life of an ordinary teenage girl via cartoons, weaving snapshots of an ordinary lift in the midst of social upheaval to make one of the most impactful and influential films of the decade.

While the genre has turned out some truly excellent films, not all biopics are created equal. The biggest criticism leveled against them is that they often blend fiction with fact in an irresponsible or misleading manner. J.R.R. Tolkien's estate essentially disowned the 2019 film "Tolkien," feeling the author's character and related facts were misrepresented. Another frequent complaint is that the movies trot out only the best-known facts about an individual's life, failing to offer anything new or revelatory, as with the Grace Kelly biopic "Grace of Monaco." So, which movies in this high-risk, high-reward genre are worth a watch?

Stacker compiled data on biopics to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be listed as "biography" on IMDb and have a Metascore. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Every film on the list has been considered within the context of the history and development of the genre.

Whether it's a gangster epic like "Goodfellas," a royal family drama like "The Queen," or one of the many chronicles of the lives of artists and musicians like "Endless Poetry" or "Amadeus," biopics offer something for everyone. Click through to discover the best cinematic portraits of extraordinary lives.

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

- Director: Mike Newell - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (real name Joseph D. Pistone) infiltrates the legendary Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City in this true crime drama. Starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, the film was based on Pistone's book , "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It's believed that Pistone's long career as an undercover agent generated over 200 indictments and 100 convictions of Mafia members.

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 163 minutes

Bernardo Bertolucci's " The Last Emperor " follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7. The film, shot entirely on location in China and its ancient Forbidden City palace complex, follows a country's move from feudalism through revolution to a peaceful republic, all through the lens of one man's life.

#98. Philomena (2013)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 98 minutes

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) spends 50 years searching for her forcibly adopted son with the help of a journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). The film won four Oscar nominations and took home several trophies at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. While the film is certainly a tearjerker , it is balanced both by comedic moments and the real Ms. Lee's inspirational fortitude in the face of so much loss and grief.

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

- Director: George Miller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 129 minutes

In the 1980s, Augusto and Michaela Odone experience every parent's worst nightmare when their son Lorenzo is diagnosed with an incurable nerve disease that will eventually paralyze and kill him. Failing to receive the help they needed from doctors, the Odones begin a desperate search for a cure themselves, eventually stumbling upon an oil they believe could reverse the most devastating effects of their son's illness. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star in this film about one couple's desperate struggle to save their family.

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 109 minutes

Tom Hanks stars as one of TV's most beloved personalities, Fred Rogers, in this 2019 biopic. Based on a 1998 Esquire article, the film doesn't delve into Roger's life story but rather focuses on the friendship between Rogers and the troubled journalist Tom Junod (renamed Lloyd Vogel in the film). The real-life Mrs. Joanne Rogers makes a brief cameo in the film, and it's a quote from her that reminds viewers that her late husband wasn't a saint, just an ordinary man who tried very, very hard to be better and kind.

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 135 minutes

John Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner, was one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen. He also struggled with schizophrenia. " A Beautiful Mind ," based on an unauthorized biography of the same name written by acclaimed journalist Sylvia Nasar, tells Nash's incredible, inspirational life story. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, the movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and grossed over $313 million at the box office.

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

- Director: Sean Penn - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 73 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 148 minutes

Written, directed, and produced by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a loner who cashed in his law school fund and took off for the Alaskan wilderness in the 1990s. At first charmed by the slower pace of life, McCandless eventually found himself disillusioned with nature and attempted to return to society before making a grave mistake that would cost him everything. The story is based on a nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer, as well as information from McCandless' surviving sister, Carine McCandless.

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

- Director: Alejandro Amenábar - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 126 minutes

A Spanish-language drama, " The Sea Inside " tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in the 1960s and fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life through euthanasia. Javier Bardem stars as Sampedro in an incredibly moving performance that focuses on one individual's definition of dignity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film in 2004.

#92. American Gangster (2007)

- Director: Ridley Scott - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe co-star in " American Gangster ," a film that chronicles the life of Fred Lucas, a gangster who smuggles heroin into the United States, essentially instigating the drug epidemic that swept Harlem and all of New York City in the 1970s. Although the film brought in $266 million at the box office, those who were connected with the case in real life, including Lucas himself , have argued that it takes too many liberties and strays pretty far from the truth.

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 141 minutes

Nominated for seven Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards, " The Killing Fields " tells the story of two journalists, American Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian Dith Pran, who are covering the country's civil war and find themselves trapped when Pol Pot begins his bloody Year Zero cleansing campaign. Critics loved the film, including Adrian Turner from Radio Times , who wrote, "Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically."

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 147 minutes

One of the looser retellings on our list, "Birdman of Alcatraz" is about a man (Burt Lancaster) serving a life sentence for murder who becomes an expert on birds while behind bars. The movie was based on Thomas E. Gaddis' book about Robert Stroud, the titular "birdman," and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The real Stroud died a year after the film was released, without ever seeing it .

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Surrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells his own life story in " Endless Poetry ." The second installment of his cinematic memoir, the film is set in 1940s Chile, when Jodorowsky is a young man just breaking into the country's artistic circles. Very experimental in its form, the film doesn't accommodate casual viewing but offers a fascinating story for those willing to pay close attention.

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

- Director: Jane Campion - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 158 minutes

The story of New Zealand author Janet Frame's life, " An Angel at My Table " is based on Frame's three autobiographies and uses three different actresses to portray her at different points in her life, from her impoverished childhood through her time at a mental institution (wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia) to the beginning of her wildly successful writing career. The film swept awards in New Zealand and won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

- Director: Phillip Noyce - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 94 minutes

From 1910 to 1970, Australia had an official child-removal policy that took biracial Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them in state-run schools and indentured servitude. " Rabbit-Proof Fence " tells the true story of three children from the Stolen Generation who escape their school and walk some 1,500 miles home, all while being pursued by police officers and trackers. Peter Gabriel provided the soundtrack for the heart-wrenching film.

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

- Director: Bill Pohlad - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 121 minutes

For years, Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, struggled with mental illness , even spending a length of time in a controversial 24-hour therapy program. "Love & Mercy" chronicles Wilson's struggles in a way that Wilson himself called "very factual." Paul Dano and John Cusack both play the musician at different points in his life, and Elizabeth Banks gives an inspired performance as Wilson's second wife, Melinda.

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

- Director: George Clooney - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 93 minutes

" Good Night, and Good Luck " demonstrates the immense power for change that journalists are capable of wielding in the United States. Directed by and starring George Clooney, the film is set in the 1950s, when a fear of communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy was sweeping the nation. It tells the story of heroic reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred W. Friendly, who used their news show to stand up to McCarthy and remove his cancerous lies from the public eye. The film and its message remain incredibly relevant to today's political polarization.

#84. Il Divo (2008)

- Director: Paolo Sorrentino - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 110 minutes

"Il Divo" translates to "The Divine Performer," a fitting title for this 2008 film that explores the life of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had alleged ties to the Mafia. The story begins in 1992 as Andreotti is elected for the seventh time, then covers his failed presidency bid and bribe scandal, ultimately ending with his trial in 1995. The Guardian called the movie " a macabre masterpiece ."

#83. The General (1998)

- Director: John Boorman - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Martin Cahill was an Irish criminal who managed to pull off two incredibly daring robberies (totaling about $60 million), a feat that turned him into a bit of a folk hero. " The General " tells the story of his life, including his murder by a member of the Irish Republican Army after he became involved in politics. While Cahill (played by Brendan Gleeson) was far from a good man, the 1998 movie will make you admire the way he stuck to his morals, even when they were questionable.

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Since his death in 2011, there have been several movies and documentaries about Apple co-founder and tech guru Steve Jobs, but this 2015 biopic is among the best . Michael Fassbender brings the turtleneck-loving visionary to life in the film, which covers three different product launches that took place between 1984 and 1998. Unlike many other Jobs films, this movie also focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, whom he had with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and refused to support for many years, despite his massive wealth.

#81. Vincere (2009)

- Director: Marco Bellocchio - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 6.9 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ida Dalser may be, in many ways, one of history's most important women, but her name and memory have largely been forgotten by the general public. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother of his son Benito Albino, Dasler financed a newspaper in which Mussolini shared and expounded on his political views, garnering support for his fascist platform. Although the film occasionally steps away from the facts of the story, it's still a wonderful primer for those who wish to know more about the rise of the politician and those who shaped him.

#80. Rush (2013)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 123 minutes

The first sports film on our list, " Rush " chronicles the 1970s rivalry between two of Formula One's best-known drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The real Lauda has publicly stated that the film holds true to the reality of their lives, in spite of the fact that it omits the close friendship the men shared later in life. It also received accolades for the accuracy with which it portrays F1 racing and culture.

#79. Control (2007)

- Director: Anton Corbijn - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Joy Division's late singer Ian Curtis is the focus of this 2007 biopic co-produced by his widow, Deborah. The film chronicles the rise of the band as well as Ian and Deborah's relationship, his epilepsy diagnosis, and the fallout from his affair with journalist Annik Honore. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie picked up several awards in the festival circuit and took home a British Academy Film Award.

#78. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In September 1973, American journalist Charles Horman disappeared during the Chilean coup that disposed of then-president Salvador Allende. " Missing " recounts the desperate search Charles' father and wife undertook to learn of his fate and their eventual realization that the United States government had not only aided the coup but had washed their hands of Horman. The Academy Award-winning drama stars Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

#77. Selma (2014)

- Director: Ava DuVernay - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ava DuVernay directed this historical film that chronicles the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. Covering a three-month period leading up to the march, the film largely focuses on King's role in the events without discrediting the role the other leaders had in shaping this important piece of American history. The film features the Oscar-winning song "Glory" by John Legend and Common.

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

- Director: James Ponsoldt - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 106 minutes

" The End of the Tour " tells the famous story of Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's five-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace. Based on Lipsky's 2011 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," the movie is set just after the release of Wallace's epic novel "Infinite Jest," when the duo set off on a road trip. Wallace's estate and many of his living friends objected to the film , saying that it didn't capture the famous writer as he really was.

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

- Director: Juho Kuosmanen - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 92 minutes

Immensely talented Finnish boxer Olli Maki has a shot at the World Featherweight title in 1962, something he's been training for his entire life. But when the small-town boy falls in love with a local girl named Raija, he begins to question his dedication to the brutal sport. " The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki ," Finland's entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, features a cameo from the retired fighter and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 141 minutes

A runaway commercial success, " Catch Me If You Can " tells the stranger-than-fiction story of con man turned FBI assistant Frank Abagnale. The Steven Spielberg film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the con artist's 1980 book, grossed more than $352 million at the box office. Abagnale himself makes a cameo as the officer who arrests DiCaprio's character on Christmas Eve, 1969.

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kramer - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 128 minutes

While it changes the names of all of the key players, 1960's " Inherit the Wind " is clearly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which argued the legality of teaching evolution over creationism. Based on the play of the same name, the film starred veteran actors Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March. In spite of the fact that the storyline of the film varies substantially from real-life events, it's had an outsized impact on the general public's opinion and beliefs about the case, inspiring debate over a biopic's obligation to stick to the hard facts of its topic.

#72. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 122 minutes

A stalwart of high school history classes, " Glory " tells the story of the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Starring big names like Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, the movie was an instant success with critics despite a middling performance at the box office. Historians agree that the film, which is based on Captain Robert Gould Shaw's personal letters, adheres pretty closely to the historical record.

#71. The Damned United (2009)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 98 minutes

"The Damned United" is another biopic whose adherence to real events is highly questionable . The film is based on a novel loosely inspired by Brian Clough's 44-day tenure as the manager of English football team Leeds United, and the Clough family has alleged that the film bears little resemblance to reality.

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 180 minutes

It's no secret that Wall Street is full of would-be fraudsters and schemers, but few hold a candle to 1990s trader Jordan Belfort, whose company, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in corruption and fraud at never-before-seen levels. Martin Scorsese's smash hit " The Wolf of Wall Street " tells the true story of the unparalleled misconduct laid bare in Belfort's memoir of the same name. An awards season darling, the movie was nominated for five Oscars and won a Golden Globe for star Leonardo DiCaprio.

#69. Pride (2014)

- Director: Matthew Warchus - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 119 minutes

One of history's more unlikely events, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign is chronicled in the British drama " Pride ." In the 1980s, both the U.K.'s LGBTQ+ community and its coal miners were being threatened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party, a fact that inspired them to join together and fight for their rights, an unlikely alliance that paid off for both groups. This film would make an excellent watch for those interested in lesser-known corners of history.

#68. The Fighter (2010)

- Director: David O. Russell - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Junior welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward fights his way out from under the shadow of his older, more successful, and troubled brother Dicky Eklund in the sports drama " The Fighter ." The intense flick contains some extraordinary acting, as Mark Wahlberg shines as Micky, while Christian Bale and Amy Adams give Oscar-winning turns as brother Dicky and girlfriend Charlene, respectively.

#67. Frost/Nixon (2008)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In 1977, three years after he left office, former President Richard Nixon agreed to a single, tell-all interview with British television personality David Frost. It is assumed that Nixon thought he'd be able to outfox the Brit, but he eventually found himself backed into a corner by questions about the Watergate scandal. This 2008 film tells the whole story of the legendary Frost-Nixon interviews and was based on a stage play of the same name, which also starred Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost).

#66. 127 Hours (2010)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle directed "127 Hours," an intense film about a hiker named Aron Ralston who found himself trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Over the course of his ordeal, Ralston examines his life and finds that he is willing to do whatever it takes to escape—even if it means cutting off his own arm. The real-life Ralston (played by James Franco) has said that the movie is incredibly true to his harrowing experience, if a little less gruesome .

#65. First Man (2018)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 141 minutes

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This drama chronicles the decade of Armstrong's life leading to that historical moment, including the loss of his daughter and much of his intense training. Ryan Gosling stars in the film, which was nominated for major awards at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

#64. Before Night Falls (2000)

- Director: Julian Schnabel - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 133 minutes

An episodic look at the life of Cuban poet, novelist, and Castro supporter-turned-critic Reinaldo Arenas, " Before Night Falls " was based on the man's own autobiography. An openly gay man, Arenas spent much of his life under careful watch by the government and did several stints in jail before managing to escape to the United States in 1980, where he'd eventually die of AIDS. Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp both have leading roles in this visually arresting picture.

#63. Il Postino (1994)

- Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 108 minutes

A fictional tale peppered with facts, "Il Postino" follows the friendship that develops between a lowly Italian postman and the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his home country for political reasons. Massimo Troisi, who played the postman, died of a heart attack the day after the film wrapped and was never able to bask in its critical and commercial success. He was, however, awarded a posthumous Oscar for his work.

#62. Hunger (2008)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 96 minutes

A dramatic retelling of the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981, " Hunger " follows the final days and death of Bobby Sands, an IRA member and the first prisoner to die in the strike. By turns unflinching and abstract, the film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Steve McQueen directed the intense, harrowing picture, with Michael Fassbender starring as Sands.

#61. Henry V (1989)

- Director: Kenneth Branagh - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Shakespeare's classic historical play " Henry V '' was brought to the screen in this 1989 film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the king, the movie chronicles the events of the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt, in which the English continued their Hundred Years' War against the French.

#60. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

- Director: Spike Lee - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 135 minutes

In another stranger-than-fiction tale, African American detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s. Wowed by Stallworth's story , Spike Lee set out to bring it to life, casting John David Washington as the young detective, Adam Driver as his Jewish colleague assisting in the sting, and Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke. The finished project was widely praised by critics and won several prestigious awards, including Cannes' Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

#59. Seraphine (2008)

- Director: Martin Provost - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 125 minutes

A self-taught French painter who holds down a day job as a housekeeper and walks the line between genius and mentally ill is the subject of this 2008 French film. Today, Seraphine Louis' works hang in museums around the world, but her life was far from a happy one, and she died in the early 20th century in a mental institution, destitute and alone. This simple, subtle biopic, which stars Yolande Moreau, won seven Cesars (the French equivalent of the Academy Award).

#58. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

- Director: Michael Winterbottom - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 117 minutes

In the 1970s, Tony Wilson established Factory Records , which signed bands like Joy Division and the Happy Mondays and sparked a musical revolution, eventually leading to the development of the legendary Hacienda dance club in Manchester, England. A blend of real events, newsreel footage, urban legends, and completely fictional tidbits, this movie expertly tells the raucous story of a man, city, and movement that made up the rules as they went along.

#57. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy stepped away from her typical comedic roles in " Can You Ever Forgive Me? " She plays Lee Israel, a failing writer who tries to revitalize her career by selling forged letters from dead celebrities. While the movie certainly has funny moments, it's a true crime tale that features an unlikable heroine, a gamble that paid off when McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

#56. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in Victorian London, " The Elephant Man " chronicles the relationship that formed between a surgeon named Dr. Frederick Treves and John Merrick, a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a freak-show performer called the Elephant Man. Adapted from two different books, one written by Treves himself, the story garnered praise for the way it handled disability and difference. It also inspired the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling after industry insiders complained that the film's incredible work wasn't given enough recognition.

#55. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 191 minutes

The life of civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in numerous ways via several media since his death in 1948, but perhaps never as movingly as in this 1982 biopic. The story begins with Gandhi being thrown off a South African train in 1893 and concludes with his assassination some 55 years later. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi and won an Academy Award (one of eight the film took home) for his efforts.

#54. Milk (2008)

- Director: Gus Van Sant - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The life of an openly gay activist who becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California is the subject of " Milk ." Using archival footage of Harvey Milk's life, the movie covers the time period from Milk's 40th birthday until his shocking assassination in 1978. Sean Penn's performance as the title character was awe-inspiring and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

#53. The Long Day Closes (1992)

- Director: Terence Davies - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Terence Davies' autobiographical film follows a boy named Bud as he comes of age in 1950s Liverpool, fearing the ever-present eye of the Catholic Church and realizing both his love for cinema and his homosexuality. The film doesn't follow a straightforward narrative but rather jumps back-and-forth through time, infusing each moment with precisely chosen pieces of popular music and cinema.

#52. Lincoln (2012)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The final four months of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's life are explored in detail in Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical smash "Lincoln." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the gentle, gangly leader, it primarily focuses on Lincoln's determination to abolish slavery and pass the 13th Amendment. Sally Field co-stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 16th president's son, Robert. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

#51. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

- Director: Terry George - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Tackling tough topics like genocide, violence, and political corruption, " Hotel Rwanda " is set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were hunted down and murdered by armed militias. The movie brings to life the true story of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who offers shelter to over 1,000 Tutsis in the Hotel des Mille Collines. While the Academy Award-winning film finishes on a relatively happy note, real life wasn't so kind: In late 2020, the real Rusesabagina was charged with "terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group" by a Rwandan court.

#50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 117 minutes

Ronald Woodroof was a womanizing, drug-using, homophobic electrician from Texas living a carefree life when his doctor announced that he had HIV/AIDS and would likely die in 30 days. After researching his illness, Woodroof uncovered an experimental drug that would potentially prolong his life and established the Dallas Buyers Club, whose mission was to import the drug from Mexico so that it could be easily accessible to everyone who needed it. Along the way, Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey in an Oscar-winning performance) became a compassionate friend and advocate for the legal rights of those with the disease.

#49. Captain Phillips (2013)

- Director: Paul Greengrass - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 134 minutes

In 2009, for the first time in 200 years, a U.S. container ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates some 145 miles off the Somali coast. This thriller, inspired by those events , stars Tom Hanks as the American captain of the ship and chronicles the tense relationship that develops between him and the pirate captain who holds him hostage, played by newcomer Barkhad Abdi. While Hanks' character is hailed as a hero in the film, the real-life crew of the ship argues that this wasn't the case in reality.

#48. Fruitvale Station (2013)

- Director: Ryan Coogler - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 85 minutes

" Fruitvale Station " tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a Bay Area resident and young Black man who was killed by Oakland Police officers on New Year's Eve 2008. His murder would inspire protests and unrest in the California town, events that fall outside the scope of this film but testify to the heated controversy of the incident. Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie, which made its debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and collected a number of prizes there and elsewhere.

#47. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Inspired by the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima , this biopic freely weaves fact, fiction, and portions of Mishima's own writing to create a stunning picture of the artist's life and death. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas worked as executive producers on the film, which earned director Paul Schrader a special prize at Cannes.

#46. The Wind Rises (2013)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 126 minutes

The first animated movie on this list, " The Wind Rises " follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of several of Japan's fighter planes during World War II. The anime film by Studio Ghibli became Japan's highest-grossing film in 2013, bringing in $116.1 million at the domestic box office. It was widely appreciated outside of Japan as well, winning Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other animation prizes.

#45. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

- Director: Kimberly Peirce - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Brandon Teena was a trans man from rural Nebraska who was passionately in pursuit of his true self and true love before becoming the victim of a vicious hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. " Boys Don't Cry " is a harrowing depiction of Teena's fate starring Hillary Swank and featuring Chloe Sevigny as Teena's girlfriend, Lana. While the movie was critically acclaimed, several people with links to the case, including the real Lana (who has been alleged to have been a part of the hate crime) have spoken out against it, saying that the on-screen story doesn't match the facts.

#44. Capote (2005)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman won multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his portrayal of author Truman Capote in this 2005 biopic . The events of the film center around the time period in which Capote was writing "In Cold Blood" and include the friendship he developed with Perry Smith, one of the killers who is on death row. The movie marked Bennet Miller's directorial debut.

#43. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 110 minutes

It is believed that King George III suffered from mental illness, a malady highly misunderstood in 1788 but that drove him to act erratically and rendered him unfit to rule a country. " The Madness of King George " focuses on the monarch's decline as well as the troubled relationship he shared with his son, the Prince of Wales. Rupert Graves and Helen Mirren both lent their talents to the acclaimed British production.

#42. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

- Director: James Mangold - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 152 minutes

In "Ford v Ferrari," American car designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British driver Ken Miles come together under the Ford Motor Company banner with hopes of defeating the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The movie, which tells the twisty story of the most bitter rivalry in auto racing history, stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Shelby and Miles, respectively.

#41. The Insider (1999)

- Director: Michael Mann - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

An industry insider appears on a "60-Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco, risking his own safety as well as the safety of his CBS producer in " The Insider ". Accurate in its broad strokes, the film demonstrates the influence of journalism as well as the power of those who choose to stand up for what's right. Director Michael Mann martialed an abundance of star power for this intense drama, casting Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.

#40. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

- Director: Michael Apted - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Based on country music star Loretta Lynn's biography, " Coal Miner's Daughter " spans from Lynn's birth into poverty and marriage at 13 to her emergence as one of the genre's leading voices. Sissy Spacek, who plays Lynn, accompanied the singer on tour in order to better embody the country queen's mannerisms and demeanor—a move that paid off when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

#39. Richard III (1955)

- Director: Laurence Olivier - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 161 minutes

Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play, " Richard III " famously relates how and why Richard, Duke of Gloucester, stole the crown from his brother, King Edward IV. One of three films directed by Laurence Olivier to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen, the Criterion Collection deems it "ravishing" and "visually inspired."

#38. Mr. Turner (2014)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 6.8 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The story of the last 25 years in the life of the talented, eccentric Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is explored in this drama. The New York Times described Mike Leigh's portrait as "loving" and "unsentimental," one that "patiently and thoroughly demolishes more than a century's worth of mythology about what art is and how artists work."

#37. Argo (2012)

- Director: Ben Affleck - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

No movie emphasizes the power of Hollywood quite like "Argo," which tells the story of a harebrained CIA scheme that sought to rescue six American diplomats from Iran (during the Iran hostage crisis) under the guise of shooting a science fiction movie. Based on the real-life accounts of the CIA operative Tony Mendez in his book "The Master of Disguise," the movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directs. 

#36. Moneyball (2011)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Professional sports are as much games of money as they are of talent, which means that the poorest teams are often the least competitive. One exception is the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. " Moneyball " tells the truly impressive story of A's general manager Billy Beane, who uses statistical data to scout and pick players, creating an aggressively competitive team despite having the lowest salary constraints in Major League Baseball.

#35. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

- Director: Steven Zaillian - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 109 minutes

" Searching for Bobby Fischer " focuses on Josh Waitzkin, a 7-year-old chess prodigy who loses his love for the game under a ruthless and strict coach, then finds it again with a much more relaxed tutor. Based on a book written by Waitzkin's father, the movie struck Roger Ebert as "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight" and was nominated for an Academy Award for its Best Cinematography.

#34. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 151 minutes

Loosely based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein, "Funny Girl" was the highest-grossing film of 1968 . Barbra Streisand, in her feature film debut, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brice.  

#33. The Tale (2018)

- Director: Jennifer Fox - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Jennifer Fox's semiautobiographical " The Tale " explores long-buried, darker aspects of her relationships with two of her childhood coaches, which came to light as she worked on a documentary about child rape victims. Laura Dern stars as Fox in the movie, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wider release on HBO.

#32. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The musical " Topsy-Turvy " depicts the relationship between Victorian-era theatrical partners Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. After their show "Princess Ida" flops, the duo consider going their separate ways but agree to complete at least one more production, "The Mikado," which ends up becoming one of their greatest successes. An unexpectedly delightful period piece, the movie explores the difficult reality of the creative professions.

#31. Downfall (2004)

- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 156 minutes

Set during WWII's Battle of Berlin, " Downfall " recounts Adolf Hitler's final days, spent in a bunker miles below the city. Based on a memoir by Traudl Junge, a secretary for Hitler, the movie brings Hitler's mental decline, which Junge observed firsthand, to life in a way few others have ever been able to. The movie sparked a serious conversation about the moral and ethical questions involved in portraying Hitler, one of the most monstrous villains in world history, with even a hint of humanity.

#30. The Miracle Worker (1962)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl," manages to teach the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller how to communicate in " The Miracle Worker ." An instant critical success in 1962, both Anne Bancroft, who played Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller, took home Academy Awards for their performances. The movie was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred the same actresses.

#29. All the President's Men (1976)

- Director: Alan J. Pakula - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 138 minutes

The dramatic events surrounding Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unveiling of the Watergate scandal lie at the center of " All the President's Men ." The award-winning political thriller was based on the 1974 book of the same name written by the two journalists, portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively.

#28. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway bring America's most notorious crime couple to life in this 1967 telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story. A landmark film and one of the first of the New Hollywood era, the movie became famous for the groundbreakingly realistic way it depicted violence and sex, something that wasn't done in cinema at the time. Upon its release, Roger Ebert even predicted that it will come to be seen as the "definitive film of the 1960s."

#27. Shine (1996)

- Director: Scott Hicks - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Geoffrey Rush's breakout role was as pianist David Helfgott in the Australian drama "Shine." Rush's depiction of the musician, who was afflicted by schizophrenic disorder and spent years living in institutions, won him an Oscar and launched a successful, decades-long career. While the film was a critical success, Helfgott's real-life siblings were more divided in their reception of it, with one actively campaigning against it and the other two happy with its portrayal of their sibling and his tumultuous family life.

#26. Serpico (1973)

- Director: Sidney Lumet - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 130 minutes

In " Serpico ," a New York City cop blows the whistle on the corruption that runs rampant within the NYPD, which prompts an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico , who in real life experienced ostracization and hate from those both inside and outside the force, and saw his act as shameful rather than heroic.

#25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

- Director: Frank Lloyd - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 132 minutes

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s, " Mutiny on the Bounty " may not be historically accurate, but it sure is fun to watch. The movie retraces the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, whose first mate (played by Clark Gable) launches a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on an 18th-century voyage from Tahiti. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1935.

#24. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A blend of documentary, animation, and live action, as well as fact and fiction, " American Splendor " relays the complicated story of Harvey Pekar, the creator of the titular comic book series. In spite of its complicated-sounding setup, the film is a mesmerizing, absorbing watch full of delightful details. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar and Hope Davis his wife, Joyce—except when the real-life couple steps in for various scenes.

#23. The Queen (2006)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Beginning with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, " The Queen " depicts Elizabeth II's struggle to publicly react to the news appropriately, as she realizes just how drastically the culture of her country has shifted, leaving her without a clear role. Helen Mirren won an Oscar and received exorbitant praise for her performance in the leading role, with the Queen herself praising her work and inviting her to dinner .

#22. In the Name of the Father (1993)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 133 minutes

The Guildford Four were a group of men who were wrongly convicted of the politically motivated 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed several people. " In the Name of the Father " explores this complicated story and the way it impacted the lives of the four men, as well as those of others connected to them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an impressive early performance as one of the accused, Gerry Conlon, whose autobiography " Proved Innocent " provides the basis for the film.

#21. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

- Director: Barbet Schroeder - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 93 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 111 minutes

A courtroom drama, " Reversal of Fortune " follows the real-life case of Claus von Bulow, a wealthy husband accused of trying to murder his socialite wife by giving her an overdose of insulin. Told from the perspective of the husband's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who struggles with his own questions of the husband's innocence, the film's smart script was derived primarily from Dershowitz's memoir. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, and Ron Silver.

#20. Spartacus (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 197 minutes

Hailed as an intellectual epic, " Spartacus " features a hero who is denied a typical victory and is instead consoled with the promise that his ideas will survive in his stead. The down-ending movie is about a Thracian slave who leads a violent revolt against the Roman Empire but ends up paying dearly for his actions. Although a huge moneymaker for Universal Studios and a critical success, director Stanley Kubrick hated the film and never included it in his canon.

#19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Director: Michael Curtiz - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was one of Broadway's biggest stars, a playwright, composer, actor, dancer, and singer who wrote his own shows in the earliest years of the 20th century. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a musical that honors the performer's life, though it strays pretty far from the truth despite Cohan himself briefly serving as a consultant.

#18. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 119 minutes

A multiple award-winner and a box-office smash, "The Favorite" follows the rivalry between two cousins, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham, a lady's maid, who are vying for the position of Queen Anne's court favorite. While some of the film's historical accuracy has been questioned, including the sexual and romantic relationships that exist between the women, the broad strokes of the film are certainly true to life. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone star in the period black comedy.

#17. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

- Director: John Ford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 100 minutes

The second film on the list about Abraham Lincoln, "Young Mr. Lincoln" focuses on the early years of the 16th president's life, rather than his final months. The first collaboration between John Ford and lead Henry Fonda, the movie focuses on a definitive court case (the "Almanac Trial") in which the novice lawyer finds himself wrapped up, laying the groundwork for the philosophy and morality which would guide him as one of American history's most important figures.

#16. Quiz Show (1994)

- Director: Robert Redford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Robert Redford directed the docudrama set in the 1950s about a young lawyer who discovers that quiz shows like "Twenty-One" are being fixed and begins to investigate, focusing on two former contestants, a working-class Jewish man from Queens and a member of one of America's leading literary families. A critical success, the movie was a commercial failure when it was released in 1994.

#15. The King's Speech (2010)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 118 minutes

"The King's Speech" tells the story of the friendship that existed between King George VI and his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter so that he could face his subjects with confidence. Earning nominations for almost every existing award, the star-studded film was far and away one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#14. In Cold Blood (1967)

- Director: Richard Brooks - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Based on Truman Capote's novel of the same name, "In Cold Blood" follows two drifters who murder an entire family in a robbery gone wrong. Described as a filmmaking masterclass, the movie boasts "clinically precise editing," according to the Criterion Collection, as well as evocative black-and-white cinematography and authentic, unshowy performances.

#13. The Pianist (2002)

- Director: Roman Polanski - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 150 minutes

Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer, wrote his life story in "The Pianist," which became the basis for this Roman Polanski film. As the lead in this incredibly intense story, lead actor Adrien Brody said in 2017 that he was still recovering from the emotional toll of the story, 15 years after its release. Still, the award-winning movie is an important watch for those who seek to understand just how much the Holocaust and its aftermath shaped the world.

#12. Persepolis (2007)

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 96 minutes

"Persepolis" is the story of an outspoken teenage girl named Marji who comes of age during the Iranian Revolution. Simple in an elegant way, the film was based on a series of graphic novels Marjane Satrapi wrote about her life. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" was a co-winner of the Jury Prize.

#11. Patton (1970)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 172 minutes

Famous and controversial WWII tank commander Gen. George S. Patton is the subject of this 1970s biopic, which remains among the most iconic movies ever made. George C. Scott took on the role of Patton and won an Academy Award for it (one of seven the picture took home). The film was in the works for several years before production went underway, as the United States Department of Defense was not keen on signing off on the project.

#10. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The premise of "Amadeus" hinges on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Though the beef between the two is contrived, the details of Mozart's life that are woven into the film are, by and large, true. Accuracy aside, the film was quickly regarded as a classic and ended up winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

#9. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" tells the story of prizefighter Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. The athlete's obsessive rage and animalistic appetite led him to incredible victories within the ring but destroyed almost every aspect of his life outside it. While initially a bit of a critical and commercial flop, the movie has come to be considered Scorsese's magnum opus.

#8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

- Directors: Julian Schnabel, Laura Obiols - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, a condition where almost all the muscles in his body are paralyzed except for his left eye. The French film, based on Bauby's memoir, was called "a poignant reflection on what it means to be alive" by Empire's Alan Morrison .

#7. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 95 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Before Facebook became a dominant force in our lives and culture, monitoring our every move, it was a way for college students to connect and make new friends. "The Social Network" tells the story of the platform's early years, including the not-so-honorable moves of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). A critical and commercial success, the film was named one of the best films of 2010.

#6. The Irishman (2019)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 94.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 209 minutes

Scorsese strikes again with "The Irishman," a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about former mafia hitman Frank Sheeran. The film brings together some of the gangster genre's biggest heavyweights—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel—who earned a host of accolades for their collective work. The film was released on Netflix in late 2019.

#5. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 96.2 - Metascore: 97 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Christy Brown was an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and was only able to control a single limb, his left foot. Despite his substantial physical disabilities, Brown learned how to paint and write with his foot, providing an unlikely outlet for his creativity. Daniel Day-Lewis brings the cantankerous artist to life in this Oscar-nominated film based on Brown's memoir.

#4. Goodfellas (1990)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.7 - Runtime: 146 minutes

The final Martin Scorsese picture on our list and one of the best-loved gangster films of all time, "Goodfellas" chronicles the true-life story of Henry Hill, a small-time mobster turned informant. Starring frequent Scorsese collaborator Rober De Niro as well as Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, the movie is based on crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" and is widely considered one of the highest artistic peaks of Scorsese's career.

#3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 96 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Solomon Northup was a New York-born free Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and spent 12 years enslaved on plantations in Louisiana before being released. "12 Years a Slave," a realistic and violent depiction of Northup's experience, was based on his memoirs. The award-winning movie did what many before it failed to do: it demolished, once and for all, the idea that slavery was anything but a horrific, unjust, and unfair practice whose sins remain in America to this day.

#2. Schindler's List (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 8.9 - Runtime: 195 minutes

A success on every level, Steven Spielberg's Holocaust masterpiece "Schindler's List" is, at its heart, two parallel character studies. On the one hand, there's Amon Goeth (played by Ralph Fiennes), a purely evil psychopath, and on the other Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a greedy businessman turned unlikely humanitarian. Haunting and powerful, the film insists that goodness and truth can prevail, even in some of humanity's darkest moments.

#1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- Director: David Lean - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 100 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 228 minutes

The best biopic of all time? This 1962 epic chronicling the life of British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who's tasked with serving as a liaison between Prince Faisal and the British government during their fight against the Turks. Earning 10 Oscar nominations, the movie is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential films in cinematic history . Still, there are always haters: Lawrence's brother A.W. reportedly hated the film so much that he refused to let David Lean use the title of T.E.'s memoir, " Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "

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From 'Malcolm X' to 'Braveheart', these figures have certainly left us with quite an impression.

It's in our nature to show interest in prominent figures who have shaped the world we live in today. Whether those people are world leaders, musical prodigies, boxers, or activists, they have influenced and shaped our world in some way, shape, or form.

RELATED: 10 Best Biopic Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

Over the years, filmmakers have taken a particular interest in retelling the stories of widely-known public figures to those who might not have known about their incredible impact and the stories that lie behind these legends or simply as a tribute to honor them.

‘Amadeus’ (1984) — 8.4/10

Released in 1984, Amadeus is a biographical film loosely based on the life of the Austrian musical prodigy , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . The film focuses on the personal struggles Mozart ( Tom Hulce ) faced in alcoholism, and his marriage, while simultaneously dealing with an envious rival, Antonio Salieri ( F. Murray Abraham ), who wants to destroy him at all costs.

Though there were many dramatized and fictionalized aspects of the film, the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is loosely based on rumors dating back to the 1770s . Throughout the years, however, many published works suggest that historians have not been able to find any evidence of any signs of rivalry. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, of which it won eight, including the highly regarded Best Picture. It also won an additional 32 awards from other associations.

‘Gandhi’ (1982) — 8.1/10

Gandhi is a biographical film based on the events that occurred in the life of the adored Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi (more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi). After spending most of his life experiencing India under British rule, Gandhi ( Ben Kingsley ) tries to stand up for his country. Owing to his extensive accomplishments for India and the world, it's no wonder the film has a longer than average running time of 191 minutes (3 hours and 11 minutes).

His non-violent approach through civil disobedience and efforts against the British eventually led to India’s long-awaited independence and earned him an international reputation as one of the most beloved world leaders today. The film was nominated for numerous awards and won many, including eight wins from the Academy Awards.

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) — 8.3/10

Lawrence of Arabia tells the story of a British Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence ( Peter O’Toole ), who, with extensive knowledge of Bedouin tribes (nomadic Arab tribes), is sent to Arabia to serve as the link between the Arabs and the British in their battle against the Turks. Against the order of his superior officer, Lawrence, along with Sherif Ali ( Omar Sharif ), commences on a long desert journey with the plan of attacking a Turkish port.

With a running time of nearly four hours (3 hours 42 minutes to be exact), most of the general audience would likely not want to commit to watching the film, but the film's commercial success has that proven wrong. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert noted that despite the lengthy running time, Lawrence of Arabia “is not dense with plot details. It is a spare movie in clean, uncluttered lines, and there is never a moment when we doubt the logistical details of the various campaigns.” The film won many accolades, including seven Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and more.

RELATED: Elvis: 6 Best Music Biopics To Watch After Baz Luhrmann’s New Film

‘Schindler’s List’ (1993) — 9.0/10

Steven Spielberg ’s epic historical drama Schindler’s List is set in the Polish city of Kraków during World War II. The film is based on the heroic acts of a German industrialist, Oskar Schindler ( Liam Neeson ), and his vigorous attempts to save more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. When he sees how many refugees are ruthlessly killed by the heartless SS Amon Göth ( Ralph Fiennes ) in Kraków, Schindler begins to employ the Polish-Jewish refugees to work in his factories.

In 2018, The Los Angeles Times published an article titled “Why ‘Schindler’s List’ remains brilliant and troubling 25 years after its release”, noting that despite its brilliance, some were concerned about “whether it’s morally defensible to dramatize unspeakable horror and trauma via the language of mass entertainment.” Many stories, however, are asked to be told in a dramatized way movies are a more approachable and exciting medium for the general population to learn about history.

‘Malcolm X’ (1992) — 7.7/10

Spike Lee ’s self-titled biographical film, Malcolm X , is a tribute to the African-American activist Malcolm X (or Malcolm Little). The film explores X’s ( Denzel Washington ) whole life , from growing up in a poor household in rural Michigan to being arrested for performing robberies alongside his friend Shorty (Spike Lee) and a woman named Peg ( Debi Mazar ). While imprisoned, he meets another convict Baines ( Albert Hall ), who becomes a mentor to him and eventually converts him to Islam and consequentially as a member of the religious and political organization, the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm becomes highly invested in the group and idolizes its lifestyle teachings, such as resenting White people for mistreating his race. After being paroled from prison, Malcolm begins preaching and, years later, becomes the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam. However, after speaking out controversial statements and finding out that the group leader Elijah Muhammad ( Al Freeman Jr. ) is somewhat a hypocrite and has numerous children out of wedlock, he announces his loss of faith in Islam. Malcolm becomes the founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which is an organization that focuses on tolerance instead of racial separation.

‘Raging Bull’ (1980) — 8.2/10

The Hollywood biographical classic Raging Bull follows the story of an Italian-American middleweight boxer, Jake LaMotta ( Robert De Niro ). LaMotta's struggles were reflected in his career as a middleweight boxer. At age nineteen in 1941, he fell in love with a fifteen-year-old girl named Vickie ( Cathy Moriarty ), whom he married four years later in 1945.

LaMotta was always worried that Vickie was sleeping with other men, and this anxiety sent him into a downward spiral because that was the start of his uncontrollable rage. Ultimately, his life crumbles, leaving him with nothing but despair. Raging Bull has often been described as one of director Martin Scorsese ’s best directorial works , and the same goes for Robert DeNiro — one of his best performances as an actor.

RELATED: 10 Best Lookalike Actors In Biopics

‘The King’s Speech’ (2010) — 8.0/10

The King’s Speech is a historical drama film about Prince Albert and his journey to becoming King George VI ( Colin Firth ), who wanted to improve his speech impediment, a stammer. His wife, Queen Elizabeth I ( Helena Bonham Carter ), resorts to an Australian speech and language therapist, Lionel Logue ( Geoffrey Rush ), who she believed was the best person to help her husband.

Throughout the process, many doubted whether anyone would take his throne seriously, but with persistence and trust from the future King and Logue, they defied all odds. The future King finally gave his first radio wartime broadcast speech flawlessly. A first-class script, followed by the strong performances by Firth and Rush, led The King’s Speech to win 70 out of a staggering 185 nominations, including four Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe Award.

‘GoodFellas’ (1990) — 8.7/10

GoodFellas follows the story of a mob associate named Henry Hill ( Ray Liotta ), who, having grown up in an environment amongst the mobs, becomes one himself. He begins working for a member of the Mafia, Paul Cicero ( Paul Sorvino ), along with his associates, Jimmy “the Gent” Conway ( Robert DeNiro ) and Tommy DeVito ( Joe Pesci ). Hill’s upbringing and those around him perhaps blur his moral values, and despite being a man who enjoys his money and the luxuries that come with it, he chooses to ignore the affliction he has caused others.

His morality worsens after struggling with drug addiction, and his carelessness causes him to lose everything he ever knew and had; money, luxury, self-respect, identity, and family. Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas has stood the test of time and earned the reputation of being one of the best gangster films ever made.

‘Braveheart’ (1995) — 8.4/10

The 1995 biographical film, Braveheart , is based on the history behind the late 13th-century Scottish warrior Sir William Wallace ( Mel Gibson ), who led his fellow Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against England’s King Edward I ( Patrick McGoohan ). Wallace’s motivation started from a young age when King Edward I conquered Scotland and treated the Scottish disrespectfully. The English King later also executed Wallace's newly-married wife, Murron MacClannough ( Catherine McCormack ), after threatening to expose his soldiers who raped her.

Wallace’s long-pursued battle for Scottish independence led him to become the historic legend he is today. Braveheart went on to win many prestigious awards, including four Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

RELATED: 10 Best Award-Winning Historical Movies of All Time (in Chronological Order)

‘Patton’ (1970) — 7.9/10

Patton focuses on the life of the controversial American General, George S. Patton ( George C. Scott ). The film explores his accomplishments, starting from his first glory in the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia and subsequently gaining the respect of the army officials and generals. It was his outspokenness and the controversial statements he made, however, which determined the consequential end to his career. He was removed from command for criticizing the US post-war military strategy and further comparing American politics to Nazism.

The epic historical drama became a cinema classic and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in the United States and the Academy Film Archive. Patton was nominated for ten Academy Awards, of which it won an impressive seven, and many more awards from other respected accolade associations.

KEEP READING: 7 Critically-Acclaimed Movies That People Might Not Realize Are Autobiographical

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

The 50 Best Historical Films of the Last 50 Years

As chosen by our team and voted for by you..

History Hit

16 dec 2022.

At History Hit we obviously love all things history and that includes any film that’s based on history which, let’s face it, includes a lot of films. To celebrate the launch of our new Culture section , History Hit gave you the chance to vote for your favourite historical film.

Our team of editorial experts, passionate historians and enthusiasts spent hours assessing our favourite historical films from the last 50 years. We compiled an editorial selection of 50, then handed the final decision on the order of the top 20 over to you. After totting up your votes, the results are in!

Read on to find out which film has been crowned the winner of History Hit’s top historical film.

50. Pearl Harbor  (2001)

As its title suggests, based on the surprise attack Japan made on Hawaii on 7 December, 1941, Pearl Harbor follows Rafe Mcawley (Ben Affleck), Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) and Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale) during the events of World War Two. The two male protagonists are pilots who are at first separated by Affleck’s character going to get real combat experience in Kent fighting the Luftwaffe, whilst Josh Hartnett goes to Hawaii to train at Pearl Harbor . In the middle of the movie, they find each other again, and are also engaged in a love triangle with Kate Beckinsale. They are then assigned on the Doolittle raids to avenge the attacks made by the Japanese. 

With 1 Oscar win amongst 4 nominations for Best Sound Editing, the film uses some famous and reportedly true anecdotes to try to add a sense of truth to what is largely an action-packed, fantasy film. 

49. The Remains of the Day (1993)

This historical film is both a story about unfulfilled love and an examination of 1930s post-war appeasement and the lessening of old values. An adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1989 Booker Prize winning novel, the film stars Anthony Hopkins as the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, Stevens, and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton. The pair brilliantly convey the challenges of a growing romance at work, and the maintenance of stuffy decorum and professionalism in a bygone era.

It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, but won none (it was competing against Schindler’s List , which swept the board). Anthony Hopkins won a BAFTA for Best Actor in a leading role, playing a tragi-comic character utterly unable to express his emotions – leading to a heartbreaking ending that tells of a life and love unfulfilled when work takes priority.

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Image Credit: Columbia Pictures / AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

48. Howards End (1992)

James Ivory’s magnificent adaptation of E. M. Forster’s novel of the same name explores the intricacies of the changing landscape of early 20th century Britain via three families from three different classes. It is a valuable depiction of pre-war attitudes towards class, with snobbish attitudes clashing with the struggles of the emerging middle classes. 

Beneath its comments on class and society, however, is real passion, with strong performances from Emma Thompson, Antony Hopkins, Helena Bonham-Carter and Vanessa Redgrave adding to the powerful elixir of critical acclaim that the film still enjoys. It secured nine Oscar nominations, and won three, including best actress for Emma Thompson. After her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility three years later, she became, and remains, the only person to win Oscars for both writing and acting.

47. Gandhi (1982)

A co-production between India and the United Kingdom, Gandhi has been praised as a masterpiece of historical biography.  Starring Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi, the film is epic in its scope and ambition. It opens with a transformative moment in 1893, when Gandhi was thrown off a South African train for being in a whites-only compartment. The following scenes – marked by epic cinematography – present a sensitive insight into Gandhi’s development, and how he grew to lead the nonviolent non-cooperative Indian independence movement against the British Empire. After 191 minutes, it draws to a dramatic end with Gandhi’s assassination and funeral in 1948. 

The film enjoyed vast critical acclaim. It won eight awards at the 55th Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and – for Ben Kingsley’s masterful performance – Best Actor.

Screenshot from ‘Gandhi’ (1982)

Image Credit: Fair use

46. Dunkirk (2017)

This film is perhaps most notable for its anxiety-inducing soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, and a surprising and very well acted cameo from One Direction star Harry Styles. In terms of building the tension of the Dunkirk evacuation, Christopher Nolan’s film is a remarkable piece of film making. However, the mixture of narratives between land, sea and air, and lack of clear protagonist, can make it a little difficult to follow.

Nonetheless, it was immensely popular amongst the public, and similarly did well at the Oscars, being nominated for 8 and winning three for Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

45. The Pianist (2002)

Perhaps Roman Polanski’s greatest work, The Pianist is a tragic account of the horrors of World War Two. It was based on the autobiography of a Holocaust survivor, titled The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945 , which tells the story of the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman.

The film opens in September 1939 during the Nazi German invasion of Poland. Szpilman is playing live on radio in Warsaw when the station is bombed. The scenes which follow create a harrowing account of the atrocities committed in the Warsaw Ghetto, including Szpilman’s separation from his family during Operation Reinhard. This was particularly pertinent for the director: as a child, Polanski had escaped from the Kraków Ghetto after the death of his mother.

Scene from ‘The Pianist’ (2002)

Image Credit: Maximum Film / Alamy Stock Photo

44. The Revenant (2015)

Loosely based on a true story of survival in nature, grit and vengeance, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s masterpiece follows frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who sustains life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack and is left for dead by his own hunting team whilst exploring the uncharted wilderness in South Dakota, 1823. Nominated in twelve categories at the 88th Academy Awards, the combination of beautiful cinematography, incredible performances from DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, and a perfect score makes The Revenant one of the most iconic historical films ever made. Most notably, the first scene offers perhaps the most realistic depiction of a hostile encounter between indigenous tribes and fur-trapping frontiersmen in early-19th century America on film.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s long wait for an Oscar win finally came to an end as he received the Academy Award for Best Actor. Unsurprisingly, Alejandro González Iñárritu won Best Director and Emmanuel Lubezki won the award for Best Cinematography, however The Revenant was (somewhat controversially) pipped by Spotlight for Best Picture.

43. The Iron Lady (2011)

Phyllida Lloyd’s biographical drama offers a fascinating look into the longest serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century, Margaret Thatcher . The whole movie is dominated by a tour de force performance by Meryl Streep, who received her 17th Academy Award Nomination and third win for Best Actress, once again proving that she is the master of accents. Streep even received praise from then Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Iron Lady explores Thatcher in her prime but also her slow decline into dementia. The movie covers some of the biggest challenges she faced during her premiership, from the Falkland War to the ‘Poll Tax’ riots. 

42. Apocalypse Now (1979)

In Apocalypse Now , Francis Ford Coppola re-framed the American war of attrition in Vietnam as a psychotropic nightmare. In the creative struggle of his life, Coppola sought to rework Heart of Darkness , Joseph Conrad’s 1899 critique of imperialism, into a cinematic epic set during the Vietnam War. It depicts its narrator (Martin Sheen) completing a cruise up a river to confront the rogue soldier Kurtz (Marlon Brando). The production of the film itself was marred with disasters; nonetheless, Apocalypse Now performed well at the box office and went on to win Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

Its depiction of the American war machine is most famously expressed by a helicopter assault on a Viet Cong Village set to Wagner’s The Ride of the Valkyries, cameras tracking explosions and hunched over the shoulders of gunners. The resulting sheer, wanton spectacle is enough to obliterate any irony and commentary on war and empire that Coppola may have intended.

Scene from ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Image Credit: Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

41. The Killing Fields (1984)

This British biographical drama is based upon the real life experience of two journalists, one Cambodian, one American. The famously harrowing film depicts the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rough regime during its rule of the country between 1975 and 1979, immediately following the Cambodian Civil War (1970-1975). The film’s title, The Killing Fields , refers to a number of sites in Cambodia that go by the same name where collectively more than a million people were murdered and buried by the Khmer Rouge.

The profoundly moving film was praised highly by critics and wider audiences alike, garnering seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It won three, including Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had never acted previously. It also won eight BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ngor. The film also frequently features in lists that highlight outstanding British films.

40. Amadeus (1984)

Adapted from the 1979 stage play of the same name, Amadeus is described by writer Peter Shaffer as a ‘fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri’. Set in Vienna during the latter half of the 18th century, the richly-drawn narrative, which focuses on Mozart and Salieri’s rivalry at the court of Emperor Joseph II, naturally features well-placed music by the famed composer throughout. 

A box office and critical hit, the film was nominated for a total of 53 awards, eleven of which were Oscar nominations. Of the eleven, it won eight, including Best Picture. Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham’s performances as Mozart and Salieri respectively were both nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, and Abraham ultimately nabbed the win. In 2019, the film was chosen to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress because it is deemed to be ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.’

Amadeus (1984)

Image Credit: The Saul Zaentz Company / Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

39. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty depicts the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama bin Laden and the crucial role of a dedicated female operative in catching him. It was released in 2012 to great commercial and critical acclaim. Jessica Chastain, who portrayed the CIA intelligence analyst Maya Harris, won a Golden Globe for her stellar performance.

The movie was listed on many critics’ top ten lists, cementing itself as one of the greatest films of the 2010s decade. Zero Dark Thirty  was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Sound Editing.

38. The Elephant Man (1980)

David Lynch’s The Elephant Man is based on the true story of John Merrick (John Hurt), a heavily deformed man from the East End slums of Victorian London. The film follows Merrick’s journey, from travelling as a fairground ‘freak show’ to being rescued by Doctor Treves (Anthony Hopkins) and living at the London Hospital where he is introduced to high society, yet effectively treated with the same perverse fascination. The film is shot in eerie black and white and Victorian London is portrayed as bleak and unsympathetic – a contrast to Merrick’s childlike gentleness and hopeful view of the world, no matter how sorely he experiences abuse. 

This compassionate and tender film was nominated for eight Academy Awards yet won none. After receiving widespread criticism for failing to honour the make-up effects, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was prompted to create the Academy Award for Best Makeup the following year. This powerfully moving film includes the heartbreaking scene in a station where Merrick utters the famous line, “I am not an animal. I am a human being”. It’s harrowing to watch, and a salutary reminder for the onlookers to catch themselves in what they’re doing – forcing audiences to do the same.

37. Mississippi Burning (1988)

This 1988 crime thriller is a fictionalised version of the events surrounding the Ku Klux Klan’s murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner (the ‘Freedom Summer murders’) in Philadelphia, Mississippi in June 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement. In Mississippi Burning , Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe star as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three young civil rights activists in fictional Jessup County. Met with hostility by the town’s residents, local police and the Ku Klux Klan, they must somehow find a way to bring those responsible to justice amidst a tangled web of intimidation and silence.

Named one of the Top 10 Films of 1988 by the US National Board of Review, the film went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. However, it only won one, for Best Cinematography. It had been up against tough competition with Rain Man which won four awards, yet a campaign directed against its director for the alleged imbalance in the film’s treatment of racial issues (giving insufficient emphasis to the African Americans’ role in the civil rights movement) also played a part.

Mississippi Burning (1988)

Image Credit: Orion Pictures / AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

36. The Color Purple (1985)

The story of a young African-American girl named Celie Harris captured American hearts and made Whoopi Goldberg into a bonafide movie star. Oprah Winfrey also delivered a strong performance, gaining a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars. Spielberg’s movie is set in the early 20th century and deals with issues such as domestic violence, poverty and racism. The story was based on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name, which was released three years prior to the movie.

This period drama, directed by legendary Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, was a huge box office and critical success, gathering eleven Academy Award nominations in the process.

35. Chariots of Fire (1981)

Chariots of Fire is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Paris Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian (the son of missionaries in China) who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew (whose father is from Lithuania) who runs to overcome prejudice. Each wrestle with issues of pride and conscience, using running as a means of asserting their dignity and proving themselves and their worth on the track. The film opens with a memorial service for Abrahams in 1979, then flashes back to his time at Cambridge University – showing how these once young, fast and strong men are now seen as figures from the past.

Chariots of Fire also highlights British class distinctions in the years following World War One in which the establishment was regrouping. The film’s spiritual and patriotic themes are reflected in its remarkable Academy Award-winning original soundtrack by Greek composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, particularly the iconic Chariots of Fire title theme. Overall the film was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning 4 including for Best Picture.

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Image Credit: Enigma Productions / Maximum Film / Alamy Stock Photo

34. The Young Victoria (2006)

A far cry from the unamused, mournful image many associate with Queen Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée’s The Young Victoria breathes new life into the story of this famous monarch. Capturing Victoria’s early life in eye-opening detail, we follow a young girl suddenly thrust from her cloistered childhood home at Kensington onto the throne of Great Britain at the age of 18. Pushed and pulled between warring factions, we are reminded that before she was one of history’s most famous and long-ruling monarchs, Victoria too was a young woman learning the ropes.

From her strained relationship with her overbearing mother to her famously deep love for Prince Albert, Emily Blunt plays a convincing Victoria, growing from relative naivety to self-assurance. Though it has been criticised for its somewhat slow pace, it is an undeniably sumptuous watch and unsurprisingly was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Best Costume Design at the 2010 Academy Awards, winning the latter.

33. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

The drama film tells the story of hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana, who provided shelter to more than 1000 refugees fleeing the Rwandan genocide. Directed by Terry George, the film was praised by critics, calling it a sobering tale about the massacres that took place in the African nation. The movie explore genocide, political corruption and the repercussions of violence.

Don Cheadle’s and Sophie Okonedo performances as the hotel owning couple received high praise, securing both an Oscar nomination. Hotel Rwanda  was additionally nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 77th Academy Awards.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Image Credit: United Artists / Cinematic Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

32. Lincoln (2012)

One of Steven Spielberg’s masterpieces, Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this biopic of the 16th United States President, Abraham Lincoln .  Set during some of the most turbulent years of US history, Day-Lewis delivers a witty, dignified portrait of Lincoln in the final months of his life. The film examines the aftermath of his re-election in 1864 as he attempts to pass the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, an alteration which would abolish slavery. It’s a remarkable window into the mind of a determined, skilled politician and his struggles to negotiate with the Confederacy, all while staying true to his principles.  

To complement the work of Spielberg and Day-Lewis, the score was composed by another movie legend, John Williams. With this stellar team, it’s no surprise Lincoln was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards and twelve Oscars, and went on to gross over $275 million at the box office

31. Argo (2012)

Produced and led by Ben Afleck, Argo was adapted from the 1999 book of the same name written by Tony Mendez. Set in the midst of the Iranian revolution, many members of the US embassy are trapped inside their building as Iranian Islamists storm the American Embassy. The Islamists are reacting to the news that the US President, Jimmy Carter, has granted asylum to the Shah. There are sixty six hostages captured, but six survive. Inspired by watching a sci-fi film with his son, Afleck’s character comes up with an elaborate plan to save the six who have found refuge in the Canadian Embassy.

At the 85th Academy Awards, the film received seven nominations and won three, for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

30. Green Book (2018)

Nominated for five Academy Awards and winning Best Picture, Green Book  is a biographical comedy-drama about African-American pianist Don Shirley and Italian-American bouncer and later actor Frank ‘Tony Lip’ Vallelonga. The story was inspired by Shirley’s real life 1962 concert tour of the American Deep South.

Green Book examines racial inequality and the mistreatment of African Americans, while also providing a positive, feel good ending. The name of the movie comes from the The Negro Motorist Green-Book which listed establishments that served black travellers in the segregated South. The movie was well received by audiences and critics alike, with Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of Don Shirley gaining him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

Scene from ‘Green Book’ (2018)

Image Credit: Lifestyle pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

29. Elizabeth (1998)

The movie that made Cate Blanchett a star, ‘Elizabeth’ is a rich and sumptuous biographical period drama about the last Tudor ruler of England. The story begins with the reign of Elizabeth’s sister Queen Mary and her persecution of Protestants. Throughout the movie we see the ‘Virgin Queen’s’ struggles and successes, though the timeframe of events has been considerably condensed and altered to fit the narrative of the film.

Elizabeth was well-received, though it did face criticism regarding historical inaccuracy. Nonetheless, the true standout is Cate Blanchett, who received her first Academy Award nomination for best actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth I. Interestingly she was not the first choice of director Shekhar Kapur, since Emily Watson was originally offered the role. 

28. The Hurt Locker (2008)

Sergeant First Class William James is the new team leader of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in the Iraq War. He takes over from much-loved Sergeant Matthew Thompson who was killed by an explosive device. William James (played by Jeremy Renner) is a divisive character, whose maverick techniques often lead to tensions within his unit. Filled with multiple anxiety-inducing moments, the film captures the stress and tensions between American soldiers and members of the Iraqi public, as well as the everyday struggles of EOD units.

Released in 2008, the film won 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. It was, importantly but not surprisingly, the first Best Picture winner to be directed by a woman.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Image Credit: Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo

27. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Kubrick’s insight into the Vietnam war in Full Metal Jacket conveys the true lunacy of the conflict, uniquely, through the eyes of a military journalist, who, as a conscripted soldier, wishes to come to some kind of understanding as to why the war is happening. From his coarsening training to his movements through US-occupied Vietnam, he witnesses the horrific dehumanisation of young US conscripts, and how this manifests itself into mindlessly violent treatment towards the Vietnamese civilians AND the enemy VC by the US troops.

Much like our main character, by the end of the film we too are left with no greater understanding as to why this war is taking place. No justification for the lives lost. No sense of reason for the monstrosities we witness. The Oscar nominated film accurately conveys many veterans’ reflection on the war they fought in.

26. War Horse (2011)

Based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved 1982 novel of the same name, Steven Spielberg’s film War Horse captures the horrors of World War One through the eyes of Joey, a young horse raised in the Devon countryside by teenager Albert Naracott. To Albert’s despair, Joey is sold into the army at the outbreak of the conflict, throughout which we see the horse struggle against unimaginable hardship. As Joey’s journey intertwines with the stories of many others caught up in the often senseless violence, we follow the agonising path of the young Albert as he enlists in the British Army, intent on finding his beloved horse.

Enhanced by a stellar cast (Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson to name a few), War Horse was also the feature film debut of Jeremy Irvine, whose moving performance as Albert seems to capture the quintessential spirit of the young British Tommy. Nominated for a host of prestigious awards, including Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards, it was also named as one of the top films of the year by several critics.

Scene from ‘War Horse’ (2011)

Image Credit: Cinematic Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

25. 1917 (2019)

Director and Producer Sam Mendes’ epic war film was partly inspired by stories his grandfather told him about his service during World War One . The exhilarating story of two British soldiers (played with gravitas and urgency by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) trying to deliver a message to call off a doomed offensive manages to capture the sheer, bloody terror that soldiers felt while charging through the horrific wasteland of No Man’s Land.

In addition to the star-studded supporting cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Colin Firth and Claire Duburcq, the film was likely so well received because of its emotional poignancy, rather than relying upon action alone to bolster its popularity. Most strikingly, the film was stitched together to appear as if it had been shot in two continuous takes. It cleaned up at the Oscars, being nominated for ten, including best picture, and winning three for sound mixing, cinematography and visual effects. This one’s truly an epic if there ever was one.

24. JFK (1991)

Released under the subtitle The Story That Won’t Go Away, JFK is an American epic political thriller film that explores the events leading up to former US President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. Crucial to the plot is also the examination of the alleged cover-up through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. Lee Harvey Oswald being found guilty by the Warren Commission is also depicted in detail. Interestingly – and controversially – writer and director Oliver Stone boldly described the film as a ‘counter-myth’ to the Warren Commission’s ‘fictional myth’.

In spite of the controversy, the film was critically well-received, and went on to do well at the box office. It was also nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, and won for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

23. Good Morning Vietnam (1987)

Written by Mitch Markowitz, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams, this film is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Williams plays DJ Adrian Cronauer, whose  real life experiences are based on the film. Working for Armed Forces Radio, Cronauer’s show always starts with “ Good Morning, Vietnam!” . His irreverent humour and mix of Rock n Roll are a constant source of annoyance to his superior. A friendship, love interest and a rebellious broadcast see Cronauer facing a variety of troubles. 

Robin Williams won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Robin Williams in ‘Good Morning Vietnam’

Image Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

22. Hidden Figures (2016)

Hidden Figures tells the true stories of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson (played by Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe respectively) – a trio of brilliant female African-American mathematicians who played a crucial role at NASA as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit and his safe return, helping turnaround the Space Race. The film celebrates the overlooked yet vital contribution these women made, and follows their rise through the NASA ranks as ‘human computers’ whilst crossing race, gender and professional lines with determination and perseverance to prove themselves.

Although containing a few historical inaccuracies (e.g. when boss Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) smashes the ‘Coloured Ladies Room’ sign – in real life Katherine Johnson refused to walk the extra distance to use the ‘colored bathroom’ and ‘just went to the white one’), the film exposes the everyday racism experienced by the women in a world where inequality was the norm. Despite 3 Oscar nominations, the film left empty-handed, yet its wider impact is of more value. Charities and institutions aiming to improve youth awareness in STEM fields organised free screenings to inspire others, and in 2017 the US Department of State launched an annual ‘Hidden No More’ exchange program, aiming to empower international women leaders in STEM.

Scene from ‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)

Image Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

21. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Shortly after he helped renew Hollywood’s appetite for historical epics with his performance as a revenging Roman general in Gladiator , Russell Crowe returned to historical film as Jack Aubrey, a Royal Navy captain at the helm of HMS Surprise . Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was a grand endeavour, with filming taking place at sea and on studio-based hulks. Its production designers went to town in pursuit of authenticity, constructing detailed nautical décor in which to wage Napoleonic-era naval combat, and reportedly used 2,000 hats and 1,900 pairs of shoes to outfit its actors.

Its lukewarm performance at the box office forestalled talk of a sequel. But in a year which saw The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King sweeping the Academy Awards, Master and Commander was nevertheless a critical success, winning Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing. It remains the benchmark for gripping (and more-or-less historically sound) naval action in film.

And now for the top 20, in order, as voted by you…

20. milk (2008).

Directed by Gus Van Sant and screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, Milk is an American biographical film based on gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk , the first openly homosexual person to be elected for public office in California. The 2008 movie showcases the issues LGBTQ+ people faced during Milk’s life with his assassination in 1978 being a truly heart-wrenching moment. The film was released to great critical acclaim, with Sean Penn receiving high praise for his performance as the title character.

During the 2009 Academy Awards, the movie received 8 nominations, including Best Picture. Dustin Lance Black won the award for Best Original Screenplay and Sean Penn took home the Best Actor statue. Many publications considered Milk to be one of the best movies of 2008.

19. American Sniper  (2014)

Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film is a biographical war drama film starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle. The film is based on the real life memoirs of the protagonist. Texan born, Chris Kyle signs up to the US Army after the September 11 attacks and is shortly sent to Iraq, but not before marrying his wife, Taya Studebaker. Despite being visibly upset by his first kills (a woman and child attacking US Marine patrols), he goes on to earn the nickname ‘Legend’ for his eagle-eyed shooting and kill count.

The film then follows Kyle as he goes on to kill many famous al-Qaeda leaders, but struggles to come to terms with life back home. American Sniper received 6 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Cooper, ultimately winning one award for Best Sound Editing.

18. The Queen (2006)

Stephen Frears’s biographical drama film is in many ways a perfect award season movie. It delves into one of the most turbulent times of the British Monarchy, exploring Queen Elizabeth II’s actions following Princess Diana’s death. Helen Mirren delivers a stellar performance as the reserved monarch, gaining an Academy Award for her performance in the process. Tony Blair’s character, portrayed by Michael Sheen, is another standout of the movie.

The Queen is considered to be one of the best movies of 2006, which is reflected in award recognition. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars, 10 BAFTAs and 4 Golden Globes.

Scene from ‘The Queen’ (2006)

Image Credit: inematic Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

17. Life is Beautiful  (1997)

This Italian speaking film is best enjoyed with subtitles on. Set in 1939, it follows a young Italian Jewish couple who fall in love and have a child but are swept up by the occupation of Northern Italy. Guido, Dora and their child Giosue are taken to a concentration camp. They are separated due to their gender, meaning Giosue and Guido remain together whilst Dora goes elsewhere. Determined to stay connected to his wife, Guido pulls off various secretive stunts to communicate with Dora that he and their son are safe. To keep his son from being too scared, he tells him the camp is a game they must win. 

Treating a truly traumatic subject matter with comedy is no easy feat. However, the film managed to navigate it with beauty and grace. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning Best Actor, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Dramatic Score.

16. The Right Stuff (1983)

Based on Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, The Right Stuff tells the story of the US space program’s development, from the breaking of the sound barrier to the selection of the pioneering Mercury 7 astronauts – the first human spaceflight by America. It follows the US Navy and Air Force test pilots involved in aeronautical research at California’s Edwards Air Force Base (including intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager – generally acknowledged as the best test pilot ever) with their more gung-ho approach than the program’s more cautious engineers would have preferred.

Written and directed by Philip Kaufman, at over 3 hours long, The Right Stuff is partly a grim reminder of the cost of sending humans into space, yet also chronicles the courage and sacrifice it took for the space race to transform from a secret military program into a public relations triumph for the US. The film was a surprising flop at the box office, yet despite this, received widespread critical acclaim. With a cast including Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid and Fred War, the film won 4 Oscars, and in 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

15. Titanic (1997)

Following scooping 11 Oscar wins in 1998, including Best Picture and Best Director, James Cameron’s triumphant cry during his speech that he was ‘the king of the world’, was perceived as either egoistical or defensible. Titanic had emerged triumphant from a production beleaguered by chaotic logistics, spiralling costs, and an often openly outraged cast and crew. It scooped the largest clutch of Academy Awards since Ben Hur and was the first film to make $1 billion dollars at the box office. The reason for the latter achievement is widely accepted to be the astonishing amount of repeat viewings, the author of this piece being amongst those who viewed the film at the cinema multiple (seven) times. 

It all begs the question: where did it all go right? From a purely technical perspective, Titanic is an incredible achievement (textbook Cameron), but over and above the visual spectacle, the film manages to empathetically tell the story of the real life disaster through two fantastically cast leads and an accomplished supporting cast. It’s an emotional triumph as much as it is a technical one, which honours the real life victims and (in the author’s humble opinion) deserves many more rewatches yet.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic

Image Credit: AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

14. Dances with Wolves (1990)

Kevin Costner’s 1991 masterpiece about the end of the American frontier won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner, the latter whom also stars in the eponymous role. It is one of only three Western films to have won Best Picture, and is widely cited as having revitalised the genre. 

After initiating a near-suicidal action that leads to a Union victory in the American Civil War, Lieutenant Dunbar takes a posting as far away from the action as he can be – the Wild Western frontier. When no additional support arrives, he lives a hermit-like lifestyle until he begins communicating with a local Native American tribe. As he integrates himself into tribal society, he forgets his previous life as John Dunbar and takes the name of ‘Dances with Wolves’. The story has much to say on the human experience – and questions the morality of military and industrial-led expansion into the American wilderness. The landscape is beautifully shot and has a wonderful score – both of which led to further Oscar wins. 

13. Platoon (1986)

The year is 1967, and the Vietnam war has been raging for 12 years. Set in South Vietnam near the Cambodian border, 21-year-old Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) has enlisted in the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War after dropping out of college. It’s not long before Taylor and his comrades, including Sgt. Elias (Willem Defoe), Big Harold (Forest Whittaker) and Lerner (Johnny Depp), realise that moral compromises must be made to facilitate warfare.

Director Oliver Stone draws on his own experience as a veteran of the Vietnam war , which can be keenly felt throughout the film. The movie is less about providing a coherent plot with rising and falling action, and more about highlighting the chaotic pandemonium that is war, from the very bottom ranks to the highest in the platoon. It feels more like a memory than a message, and its story and characters are intentionally disoriented, meaning its audience is too. It was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 4, including Best Picture and Best Director.

12. Forrest Gump (1994)

This heartwarming and incredibly touching film encompasses multiple historical events including the presidencies of JFK and Johnson, the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal – all of which are narrated from Forrest Gump’s perspective as they unfold. It is through Gump’s personal story and agenda that the audience is captivated, in part because, as a man from Alabama with an IQ of 75, his perspective is frequently refreshingly innocent and empathetic. In addition, the historical events he innocently stumbles through are merely incidental accompaniments to his main desire to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart Jenny.

Tom Hanks captivates audiences in his transformative and dignified performance as Forrest Gump, with his delicate balancing act between comedy and sadness rightly winning him the 1994 Best Actor Oscar – just one year after winning the same award for his role in Philadelphia. The film won six Academy Awards in total, including for Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Visual Effects, with its ingenious placing of Gump in historic situations seemingly interacting with the actual people of the time. Alan Silvestri’s beautiful Oscar-nominated musical score adds even more charm to this touching and magical film that is sure to bring both laughter – and a tear – to your eye.

11. Braveheart (1995)

This 3 hour medieval epic tells of the insurrection of Scotland’s William Wallace against the English in the age of Edward I. It swept the Academy Awards in 1995, winning Best Picture and Best Director for Mel Gibson, who also stars as the hero. 

While the cinematography and (often gory) battle sequences have aged well, Braveheart is well known for playing quite footloose with the history. Wallace himself was a knight, rather than a commoner, and he certainly didn’t have an affair with Isabella of France. That said, it’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking, and really plays on the historical heartstrings through its raw emotion and an Oscar winning bagpipe soundtrack. FREEDOM!

Scene from ‘Braveheart’ (1995)

10. All the President’s Men (1976)

This intelligent political journalism thriller stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the famous Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who, in the early 1970s, uncover the Watergate scandal – a conspiracy to cover up abuses of power leading all the way to the Oval Office and eventually to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Hoffman and Redford are said to have visited The Washington Post ‘s offices for months, attending news conferences and conducting research for their roles.

All the President’s Men won four Academy Awards from its eight nominations, including for Jason Robards as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for screenwriter William Goldman who brilliantly adapted the bestselling exposé book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward themselves. Despite director Alan Pakula’s film losing out on the Best Picture award to Rocky , in 2010 it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant’.

9. The Imitation Game  (2014)

Along with The Theory of Everything, this was one of the most talked-about films of 2014, both because of its subject matter – cracking German World War Two intelligence messages at Bletchley Park – and its stellar leading performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the brilliant but troubled cryptanalyst Alan Turing . The film’s title quotes the name of the game Turing proposed for answering the famous question, ‘Can machines think?’ in his significant 1950 paper ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence’.

The film also delves into Turing’s personal life with a particular focus on his struggles with his homosexuality and hormone ‘therapy’ treatment he was subjected to a result. Supported by cast members such as Keira Knightley, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance and Matthew Goode, the film became the highest grossing independent film of 2014, some $233 million, and garnered eight Oscar nominations, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay.

8. Darkest Hour  (2017)

Gary Oldman stars as Winston Churchill in May 1940, when Britain was very much on the brink of defeat by Nazi Germany. Oldman, who won an Oscar for the role, is barely recognisable as the chaotic and eccentric war leader who drinks champagne at breakfast. However, as the plot moves on, it’s clear Churchill has the true grit to defeat Hitler, and his rousing emotive speech ‘We Will Fight Them on the Beaches’ comes right at the end. 

The film was both critically and commercially successful, garnering 6 Oscar nominations and winning 2.

Screenshot from ‘Darkest Hour’ (2017)

Image Credit: Fair use, Perfect World/Pictures Working Title Films

7. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Difficult to watch a times, the sense of despair and feeling of anguish emoted in this biographical drama, based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, is testament to the genius of director Steve McQueen and the performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor along side an all-star cast. Northup, an African-American man who is kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and subsequently sold into slavery, endures unspeakable cruelty at the hands of a malevolent plantation owner (Michael Fassbender) alongside unexpected kindness in his struggle not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity.

Shocking, thought-provoking, educational and gripping, 12 Years A Slave depicts the horrific truth of slavery during the 19th century in a purposefully slow and brutal light. The film earned over $187 million on a production budget of $22 million and received nine Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ridley, and Best Supporting Actress. It was also awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture as well as the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Best Actor for Ejiofor.

6. The King’s Speech (2010)

Colin Firth won an Oscar for his portrayal of Prince Albert, the future King George VI who, to overcome his stammer, reluctantly seeks help from unconventional Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. The men form an unlikely friendship as they work together, aware of the increasing importance of the wireless to the royal family combined with Bertie’s brother David’s increasing neglect of his responsibilities. Following his impromptu ascension to the throne in 1936 because of his brother’s abdication, and against the backdrop of looming war, King George VI relies on Logue to help him make his first wartime radio broadcast after Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939.

Based on true events and featuring an all-star cast, Tom Hooper’s 2011 feel-good film was a major box office and critical success. It was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning 4 overall, including Best Director and the much-coveted Best Picture.

Colin Firth in the King’s Speech

5. Apollo 13 (1995)

This epic film tells the incredible true story of the 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. En-route to the moon, an on-board explosion deprives the spacecraft of much of its oxygen supply and electrical power, aborting the Moon landing mission. Uttering the immortal line, “Houston, we have a problem”, Commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his fellow astronauts Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) must then trust in the improvised scientific and mechanical solutions NASA’s flight controllers and astronauts create to try and help return Apollo 13 to Earth safely. It’s a remarkable insight into what America’s space program achieved with the technology it had available.

The film contains incredible special effects, and its zero-gravity scenes are extremely convincing – because they’re real. The film’s director, Ron Howard, convinced NASA to let him film scenes of weightlessness on its reduced-gravity aircraft, and also went to great lengths to ensure technical accuracy, gaining NASA’s assistance in astronaut and flight-controller training. Featuring an all-star cast that also includes Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz and Gary Sinise as astronaut Ken Mattingly, Apollo 13 was nominated for 9 Oscars, yet surprisingly won only 2 (for Best Film Editing and Best Sound). Nevertheless, and despite knowing the outcome, it’s a compelling watch.

4. Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Daniel Day-Lewis spent time living as an 18th Century indigenous American in preparation for his starring role in this epic drama set amidst the Seven Years War , or French Indian War. His meticulous preparation pays off as he delivers an astonishingly visceral performance as a frontiersman, adopted into a Mohican family, who is caught up in the savage fighting between Britain, France and indigenous groups, as they struggle for domination of the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes. 

The story of individuals making their way through the complicated mosaic of war and settlement is compelling, the action is balletic, but in many ways the star is the massive landscape, beautiful yet neutral, dwarfing the intense yet petty human drama that plays along its meadows, mountain paths and rivers.  How multiple Academy Award winner Day-Lewis did not pick up another one for this movie remains a mystery. 

3. Gladiator (2000)

The film that made Russell Crowe into a superstar (and a Best Actor Oscar winner) has possibly the best revenge line in cinema history: ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.’

Even if the evil Emperor Commodus did really exist, the plot borders on fantasy . However, the film opens with one of the finest ancient battles ever seen on film, and progresses with a series of spectacular and very violent gladiatorial contests amongst constant political intrigue. It’s a tear jerking epic of doggedly setting the world back to rights – one fight at a time. It was nominated for a staggering 12 Oscars, and won five, including Best Picture and a Best Actor win for Russell Crowe.

Russell Crowe played Maximus Decimus Meridius, A Hispano-Roman legatus forced into becoming a slave. Screenshot from the movie

Image Credit: Fair use, DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures

2. Saving Private Ryan  (1998)

An incredible  D-Day  opening sequence sees American troops landing to stiff resistance on Omaha Beach, which has been cited as one of the most terrifyingly realistic World War Two battle scenes in cinema . What follows is a mildly implausible plot of a group of men being sent to find one Private Ryan, whose brothers had died on D-Day. The film ends with a remarkable set piece battle amongst a ruined French town – including multiple tanks.

The film was a commercial and critical success, being nominated for 11 Oscars and winning 5, including Best Director for Steven Spielberg, and today is heralded as a classic.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Image Credit: Album / Alamy Stock Photo

1. Schindler’s List (1993)

1993’s Best Picture Academy Award winner – and the winner of History Hit’s best historical film of the last 50 years – tells the story of Oskar Schindler , an industrialist and war profiteer who staffs his Krakow factory with Jews, thus protecting more than 1,000 people from almost certain death in Auschwitz. By the middle of the film, Nazi oppression evolves into the horror of the Final Solution, with a central performance from Ralph Fiennes, who co-stars as the utterly inhuman SS Officer Amon Göth, being particularly notable.

Liam Neeson stars as Schindler himself, portraying him as a morally complex character, both charismatic and womanising. He was duly Oscar nominated for his performance. The film is shot in black and white, except for the famous red jacket of a little 3-year-old girl, which helped it nab a win for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards. In addition, Steven Spielberg was awarded Best Director.

‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)

Explore more history through the arts in our Culture section

Contributors: James Carson, Celeste Neill, Lucy Davidson, Teet Odin, Alex Spencer, Kyle Hoekstra, Amy Irvine, Carly Clark, Elena Guthrie, Luke Tomes, Drew Sheldon, Lily Johnson, Annie Coloe, Dan Snow.

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The 18 Best Historical Films to Dive Into

Powerful stories, reimagined.

Sometimes, the best (and most exciting) way to learn about history isn't in a classroom—it's through watching a beautifully shot, creatively reimagined depiction of historical events. From musicals that shed new light on old stories (here's looking at you, Hamilton ) to moving films that give unsung heroes the credit they deserve, the best historical films are both faithful retellings of major moments in history and a new way to look at the famous figures and events we thought we knew. For next time you're in the mood for both a dose of history and a new favorite film, allow us to present: The best historical movies ever.

'Dreamgirls'

If you haven't seen Jennifer Hudson's Oscar-winning turn as Effie White, watch  Dreamgirls  immediately! The film is set in the Motown era and is inspired by the story of The Supremes. Plus, you get to watch Anika Noni Rose  and  Beyoncé alongside Hudson.

'Hidden Figures'

If Hamilton's life story showed us anything, it’s that the most important and prolific people are often forgotten by history. Much like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson getting the lion’s share of attention, the astronauts at NASA may have gotten the glory of going into space, but they wouldn’t have made it there without the brilliant work of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, as shown in  Hidden Figures .

'Hairspray'

Sure, Tracy Turnblad is a fictional dancing queen, but no matter if you watch the non-musical John Waters film starring a young Ricki Lake or the musical version, they both tackle a lot of hot topics of the '60s that are still relevant today from fighting against racial injustice to body positivity. Both versions are available on  Amazon Prime .

'On the Basis of Sex'

Want more stories about strong women fighting for equality in a man's world? This Felicity Blunt-led film spotlights the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight for women's rights.

Everyone learned in school that Amelia Earhart was a female pilot and disappeared mysteriously, but that's not where her story ended. In this movie directed by Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, you'll get more insight on Earhart's struggles to become a female pilot in a male-dominated world.

If you want more singing about the American Revolution, look to this classic musical. It stars William Daniels (a.k.a. Mr. Feeny from  Boy Meets World ) as John Adams and Blythe Danner, who steals the show as Martha Jefferson.

'Betty and Coretta'

If you loved the passionate way Eliza fought to keep Alexander Hamilton's memory alive, you'll enjoy this film about Dr. Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King. This film was made for Lifetime, but Mary J. Blige and Angela Bassett bring to life the lesser-told stories of the widows of Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. after their husbands were assassinated.

'Suffragette'

If you're interested in the history of women's rights, you need to watch  Suffragette , which centers on the plight of female foot soldiers advocating for their right to vote during the turn of the century in the U.K.

'Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap'

If you love a good musical-slash-history film, check out this documentary directed by Ice-T as he interviews legendary rappers about their experiences.

'The Patriot'

A lot of war movies can be a little on the dull side, but  The Patriot  has some redeeming qualities. This Revolutionary War tale stars Mel Gibson who's out for revenge on the British solider who killed his son. It also features a very dapper Heath Ledger.

'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'

Hedwig and the Angry Inch  isn't actually based on a real person, but this rock musical captures the 1970s glam rock era perfectly, and is a great option for people who don't typically like "musicals." It also stars John Cameron Mitchell (who wrote and created the show) as a transgender punk performer who had her songs stolen by a former lover.

There is a lot more to Frida Kahlo's story than just her famous self-portraits and unibrow. Learn about her challenging life, her tumultuous relationship with her husband, and her creative masterpieces in this film.

'We Are Freestyle Love Supreme'

This original Hulu documentary film chronicles the reunion of Freestyle Love Supreme, an improv hip-hop show. If you need more  Hamilton  in your life, this is probably the closest thing, though you might also want to consider watching  Moana  (yes, the animated Disney movie, available on Disney+) to hear more tracks written and performed by Miranda.

If you're up for another film about American history, this drama follows the story of interracial couple Mildred (Ruth Negga) and Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton). After they're arrested for being married in 1960s Virginia, the couple enters a legal battle that ends with the landmark Supreme Court case that made interracial marriage legal in all 50 states.

'West Side Story'

Before you watch the new version of West Side Story, check out the original film adaptation of this Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale, starring Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno, before the remake comes out this Christmas.

If you haven't already watched it in history class, this Civil War film is definitely worth a watch. Based on the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Glory follows Col. Robert Gould Shaw as he leads an all-Black volunteer regiment, showing how Black soldiers faced prejudice from both the Union and Confederate armies.

One of the most notable Black women in U.S. history, Harriet Tubman, got the silver-screen treatment in this biopic, starring Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo as the abolitionist, Underground Railroad "conductor," and Union Army solider and spy.

'In the Heights'

This film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical, starring Hamilton cast member Anthony Ramos, is a fun love letter to his NYC neighborhood of Washington Heights, featuring an infectious rap and Latin-infused score. Bonus: If you love the soundtrack, there are even more great songs on the original Broadway album.

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20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time

Hollywood and other film industries have always been fascinated with the lives of famous people. That’s why we have so many biopics made right since the beginning of cinema. Not all of them are great, but we certainly have seen a fair share of really good biopic movies. From Gandhi to Zuckerberg, Hollywood has tried its hand on making biopics on people from all strata of life. Now, let’s look at the list of top biopic movies of all time. You can watch several of these best biopic movies on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

20. Nixon (1995)

Hopkins had quite a run after he won the Academy Awards for ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), but the boldest work of his career was as President Richard Nixon in this outstanding bio from Oliver Stone . As one of the most polarizing figures of the seventies, Nixon was a true statesman, but a flawed and paranoid man, doomed as a world leader. He captures the wounded soul of the disgraced President in every way. Looking nothing like him, he instead captures his essence and speech pattern and becomes Nixon before our very eyes.

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19. Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty was always an interesting actor, but with his work here as murderous gangster Benjamin Siegel, he proved he was a great one. With movie star good looks, Siegel landed in Hollywood and quickly took over all gangland related activities and when visiting the desert, he had a vision of what became Las Vegas. Obsessed with his Flamingo Hotel in the desert, he failed to see his girlfriend was stealing from the mob, which brought Siegel down. Beatty is terrifying in his rages, deluded in his belief he can kill Mussolini, yet gentle and kind with his family and friend Meyer Lansky.

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18. Chaplin (1992)

A brilliant actor ready for the performance of his lifetime, stuck with a weak script, a cowardly director not willing to show his subject warts and all, Robert Downey Jr. still gave one of the great performances of all time, beautifully capturing Chaplin and his artistry. Sadly neither the director nor script took advantage of Downey being so far into character; the actor was gone, Chaplin remained. With an edgy actor such as Downey, why explore the more controversial aspects of his life? They had an actor ready to cut loose and they failed him.

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17. Downfall (2005)

Is it possible to humanize Hitler, possibly the most hated and evil man to ever exist? Bruno Ganz did that very thing in the superb German film ‘Downfall’, which explores the last days Hitler was alive in his bunker, the Soviets not far from the heart of the city. Hands shaking, frail, obviously drugged heavily, he knows the end is near and what is coming; he knows what the reaction will be to his Death Camps. Often gentle and kind with those around him, other time he flies into a rage when his orders are not followed. In the end, the monster was all too human, just a man. An astounding, brave performance.

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16. Lincoln (2012)

The moment we laid eyes on him in the opening moments of the film, and he spoke in that surprising high reedy voice, audiences felt they were encountering Abraham Lincoln, possibly the greatest American who ever lived. Daniel Day-Lewis poured over books, found descriptions of his voice, his gait, the manner in which he spoke and the deep melancholy he carried with him and brought it with him to his performance. His co-stars claimed they never met Day-Lewis until the film’s premiere; they knew only President Lincoln. This profoundly fine performance won the actor his third Academy Awards for Best Actor.

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15. The Aviator (2004)

As the young Howard Hughes during his Hollywood years, before the madness set in, Leonardo DiCaprio is truly outstanding. Blessed with a brilliant, inquisitive mind, he is always looking to the skies, even in his first film, ‘Hells Angels’ (1930), which he re-shot after the advent of sound. Fascinated with aviation, he built planes, making them bigger and faster, crashing one of them in downtown LA, forever damaging himself. It is a bold, outstanding performance that beautifully explores a troubled mind. The genuine fear in his eyes when he has one of his spells is truly frightening because he is never really sure if he can snap out of it.

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14. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

In portraying the purely evil yet charismatic Idi Amin Dada, actor Forest Whitaker gave a performance for the ages, winning every single award available to him that year. As self appointed President, actually dictator of Uganda, he takes a young Scottish doctor under his wing and it is through that man’s eyes we see the monster appear. Whitaker is brilliant, seething with anger and contempt for those who defy him, believing himself to be a God. Terrifying.

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13. Patton (1970)

As one of the greatest warriors in the history of the United States military, General George S. Patton did as he pleased often defying his superiors’ orders. George C. Scott is magnificent as Patton, one of the screen’s greatest performances and refused the Oscar he won for Best Actor. That iconic image that opens the film — Scott dwarfed by a massive flag — once seen can never be forgotten.

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12. My Left Foot (1989)

On the rise as an actor when he made this lovely, gritty film about Irish artist/writer Cristy Brown, afflicted with cerebral palsy since birth, Day-Lewis won the Academy Award and several other awards in announcing himself as a major new acting force. His eyes ablaze with intellect and purpose; his body betraying him with constant shaking, twitching, everything out of control except his left foot. The actor brings us the fierce mind that was trapped in that wretched body. Despite his affliction, he was gifted, horny and a heavy drinker. Day-Lewis is a miracle in the film.

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11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

As stock swindler Jordan Belfort, who became obscenely wealthy before the FBI brought him down, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance – the best of his career. The young actor brings a furious energy to the performance and brash confidence, moving through the film like a young rock star. Whether stoned on drugs , smashed out of his mind, or arguing with his gorgeous wife, the actor is a revelation and force of nature. He is electrifying from beginning to end, always in motion, scheming, descending slowly into his own hell.

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10. The Social Network

Made at a time when Facebook had reached meteoric height’s, ‘The Social Network’ works as a powerful commentary on modern times and feels utterly fresh, even after six years. It deserves a place on every such list because of the treatment by David Fincher . Led by powerful performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield , it is a deeply personal tale which works on so many levels, and is a study on the nature of friendship , ambition and power.

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Helmed by Bennett Miller (who also directed ‘Foxcatcher’), ‘Capote’ chronicles the life of Truman Capote during the period when he was writing his non-fiction novel, ‘In Cold Blood’. Superbly constructed, the film feels bleak and sublime at the same time, as it tries to convey the horrors of the killings. But the movie stands out chiefly because of the honest and riveting performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman , which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. It is sad that we’ve lost a truly great artist.

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8. Malcolm X

At a run time of 200 minutes, ‘Malcolm X’ is a long movie. But it never seems long, thanks to a phenomenal performance by Denzel Washington , and nuanced direction by Spike Lee . The film dramatizes chief events of the life of African American activist Malcolm X. The film received much skepticism and criticism even before it actually hit the screen, mainly because of the sensitive nature of the subject. But it received overwhelming critical acclaim upon release. Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his standout performance, but lost out to Al Pacino , which many think was unfair on the Academy’s part.

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7. The Pianist

Roman Polanski is a director known for his technical prowess, edgy direction and excellence in handling the noir genre of cinema. But in ‘The Pianist’ , the visionary director takes his skills and gives us a devastating biographical drama. ‘The Pianist’ is the moving life-story of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish pianist and composer, portrayed by Adrien Brody , who loses his family during the Holocaust. Polanski paints a bleak, harrowing landscape – drawing from his own experiences of the war – and gives us a terrifying, yet human tale of hope and survival .

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Richard Attenborough’s enduring masterpiece ‘Gandhi’ is still fresh in the hearts of the millions of Indians who watched it at the time when it was released. Made on a very large-scale and featuring actors from both Hollywood and Bollywood, this biographical drama feels fiercely authentic. The direction is quite traditional, and is exactly what a biopic of this scale needed; after all, it was about an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Sir Ben Kingsley’s commanding presence as Mahatma Gandhi is one of the pioneering examples of biopic performances.

5. The Elephant Man

David Lynch is a master of his craft, and is a tough director to watch. His body of work – original and largely cerebral – proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. But in ‘The Elephant Man’, the visionary director outdoes himself and shows us an intensely moving tale about a disfigured man trying to find his place in society. It is based on the life of Joseph Marrick, a man suffering from severe deformity. The film depicts his life in a Victorian freak show and his relation with Dr. Frederick Treves, who tends to him later, and provides him shelter. Technically brilliant, and at times quite bleak – considering the nature of the subject – the film is especially noted for the make-up done on John Hurt for him to look the part. It is historically quite significant because the Academy was criticized for failing to recognize the efforts gone in the make-up process, and only after this film was the category for Best Make-up introduced.

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4. Raging Bull

There are boxing movies and then there is ‘Raging Bull’ . This Martin Scorsese gem is the biographical account of the boxer Jake LaMotta, his rise to fame and his personal struggles. Scorcese pours his heart out in this picture, which is so perfectly crafted that it works both as a sports movie , and as a tragic drama. Robert De Niro gave an explosive and riveting performance as Jake LaMotta, rightfully taking home the Best Actor Oscar for this role. Shot entirely in Black and White , the movie came out in the same year as ‘The Elephant Man’, competing for the Best Picture award. Unfortunately, neither of the two won the award, which went to ‘Ordinary People’.

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3. Goodfellas

Hailed by many as the second best gangster movie ever, (first being ‘The Godfather’ ) ‘Goodfellas’ is a riveting crime drama based on a non fictional book Wiseguy, chronicling the rise and fall Henry Hill, a crime family associate. Plumbing the obscene depths of crime, ‘Goodfellas’ is an enduring tale about loyalty, betrayal and the corrupting nature of power. Martin Scorsese delivers perfection in this ageless film, which boasts of marvelous performances by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and the swashbuckling Joe Pesci (who took home the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance.)

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2. Schindler’s List

I won’t say much about ‘Schindler’s List’ here. Widely regarded as one of the best pictures in the history of cinema, ‘Schindler’s List’ is Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, and is truly a work of art. With the Second World war as the backdrop, with the Nazi terror achieving terrible heights, ‘Schindler’s List’ is a moving tale about one man’s change of heart, and how he becomes a messiah. But, oh, it still doesn’t occupy the top spot on this list. Wonder why? Well, scroll down to find out which film holds that honor.

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1. Lawrence of Arabia

A film so grand and epic in scope that it commands multiple viewings. Really, get a Blu-ray and watch it on a big screen TV. Made in 1962, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ is David Lean’s magnum opus. It is a riveting saga about the life of British archaeologist T.E Lawrence and the role he played during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Everything about this movie is beautiful in a terrific, haunting way, crafted by a film-maker at the peak of his powers. The melodious score by Maurice Jarre, the authentic, breathtaking cinematography by F.A Young (the desert never looked so mesmerizing ), and a powerful performance by the-then newcomer Peter O’ Toole , make this movie one of the greatest films of all time . Its influence can still be felt in modern biopics.

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57 Best Historical Movies, from Romances to Biographical Dramas

We'll admit, Hollywood isn't the best place to turn to for history lessons—especially when it comes to films like Gladiator and Braveheart . But even so, we’ve found that there are many instances where Hollywood delivered quality entertainment and got the facts (mostly) right. From intense historical thrillers to biographical dramas (with a side of romance) , here are 57 of the best historical movies you can stream right now.

1. Frida (2002)

• Cast: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush

This movie tells the captivating life story of surrealist Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. After suffering a traumatic accident, Kahlo suffers a number of complications, but with the encouragement of her father, she begins to paint as she recovers, eventually deciding to pursue a career as an artist.

2. The Woman King (2022)

• Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch
• Rating: PG-13

Viola Davis stars as Nanisca, the leader of an all-female military regime called the Dahomey Amazons. When European imperialists try to take their land, she must rise to the challenge. While most literature on the group tells their story from colonists’ perspective, this movie stands out for turning to research and journals to view the world through the Dahomey people’s lens.

3. Blonde (2022)

• Cast: Ana de Armas, Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody
• Rating: NC-17

Adapted from the namesake historical novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde is a reimagination of Marilyn Monroe’s complicated life. The film chronicles her rise to fame, her career and—of course—her demise.

4. Apollo 13 (1995)

• Cast: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton

Adapted by the 1994 book, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, Apollo 13 recounts the events of a famous mission to the Moon that went haywire. While three astronauts (Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise) are still en route, an oxygen tank explodes, forcing NASA to cancel the mission to get the men home alive.

5. RRR (2022)

• Cast: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan Teja, Ajay Devgn
• Rating: TV-MA

The film tells the story of two freedom fighters—Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju—who embark on a long journey before fighting against British colonialists.

6. Hamilton (2020)

• Cast: Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr.

Written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical film is based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton . The critically acclaimed motion picture details the politician's personal and professional life, complete with stunning performances and addictive musical numbers.

7. Hidden Figures (2016)

• Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe

You'll enjoy this inspiring tale, which centers on three brilliant Black women at NASA (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson) who wind up being the masterminds behind astronaut John Glenn’s launch into orbit.

8. Elvis (2022)

• Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge

The movie takes place over the course of 20 years and highlights the dynamic relationship between Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. And yes, it also chronicles the singer’s romance with Priscilla.

9. Citizen Kane (1941)

• Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins

Not only was it was nominated for nine Academy Awards, but Citizen Kane is also considered by several critics to be the greatest film of all time. The quasi-biographical film follows the life of Charles Foster Kane, a character who is based on newspaper publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. American businessmen Samuel Insull and Harold McCormick also helped inspire the character.

10. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

• Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer

The  Oscar-nominated film  is based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel of the same name. The story is told through the lens of a young German soldier who’s eager to fight for his country during World War I.

11. Dark Waters (2019)

• Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber

Ruffalo shines as Robert Bilott, an environmental attorney who filed a lawsuit against DuPont in 2001 on behalf of more than 70,000 people after the company contaminated their water supply. The movie was inspired by Nathaniel Rich’s 2016 New York Times Magazine piece, "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare."

12. The Revenant (2015)

• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson

The Oscar-winner is partially based on Michael Punke's novel of the same name , which tells about the famous story of American frontiersman Hugh Glass. In the film, which is set in 1823, DiCaprio portrays Glass, who gets mauled by a bear while hunting and is left for dead by his crew.

13. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

• Cast: Maxwell Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aïssa Maïga, Lily Banda

Based on Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba's memoir of the same name, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the story of how he built a windmill in 2001 to help save his village from a drought at just 13 years old.

14. Marie Antoinette (1938)

• Cast: Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, John Barrymore, Robert Morley

Based on Stefan Zweig's biography, Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman , the movie follows the young queen before her execution in 1793.

15. First They Killed My Father (2017)

• Cast: Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Socheta Sveng

Based on Loung Ung's memoir of the same name , the Cambodian-American film tells the powerful story of 5-year-old Ung's survival during the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Khmer Rouge in 1975. The film, which was directed by Angelina Jolie, details the separation of her family and her training as a child soldier.

16. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

• Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o

Based on Solomon Northup’s 1853 slave memoir, Twelve Years a Slave , the movie follows Solomon Northup, a free African American man who gets kidnapped by two conmen and sold into slavery in 1841.

17. Loving (2016)

• Cast: Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Marton Csokas

The film is based on the historic 1967 Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, where an interracial couple (Mildred and Richard Loving) fought against Virginia state laws that prohibit interracial marriage.

18. The Elephant Man (1980)

• Cast: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

The British-American film is based on the life of Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man who became well-known in 19th century London. After being used as a Circus attraction, Merrick is given the opportunity to live in peace and with dignity. The screenplay was adapted from Frederick Treves's The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences and Ashley Montagu's The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity .

19. The Iron Lady (2011)

• Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Iain Glen

This movie looks into the life of the inspiring British politician, Margaret Thatcher, who became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979.

20. Selma (2014)

• Cast: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo, Common

Ava DuVernay directed the historical drama, which is based on the Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights in 1965. The movement was organized by James Bevel and led by activist Martin Luther King Jr.

21. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

• Cast: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara

The Oscar-winning film, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, depicts the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima through the eyes of Japanese soldiers. It was filmed as a companion Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers , which covers the same events but from the perspective of Americans.

22. Tess (1979)

• Cast: Nastassia Kinski, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson

The movie, which takes place in South Wessex during the 1880s, centers on Tess Durbeyfield, who is sent to live with her rich relatives by her alcoholic father. When she gets seduced by her cousin, Alec, she gets pregnant and loses the child. But then, Tess appears to find true love with a kind farmer. The movie was inspired by Thomas Hardy's book, Tess of the d'Urbervilles , which examines the story of the real-life Tess .

23. The Queen (2006)

• Cast: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell

If you’re a fan of The Crown then you’ll enjoy this drama. In the wake of Princess Diana’s unfortunate death in 1997, the queen labels the incident a private affair, rather than an official royal death. As you might remember, the royal family’s response to the tragedy leads to major controversy.

24. The Impossible (2012)

• Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland

Based on the experience of María Belón and her family during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the movie follows a family of five whose holiday trip to Thailand turns into a complete disaster after a major tsunami hits.

25. Malcolm X (1992)

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Angela Bassett

The Spike Lee-directed film follows the life of the iconic activist Malcolm X, highlighting a number of key moments, from his incarceration and conversion to Islam to his pilgrimage to Mecca.

26. The Big Short (2015)

• Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt

Directed by Adam McKay, this comedy-drama is based on Michael Lewis’s book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine . Set during the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, the movie focuses on four men who were able to predict the housing market crash and make a profit.

27. Trumbo (2015)

• Cast: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Elle Fanning

Breaking Bad actor Cranston stars as Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in the film, which was inspired by the 1977 biography, Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Alexander Cook. The movie addresses how he went from being among the most elite writers to being blacklisted by Hollywood for his beliefs.

28. Elisa & Marcela (2019)

• Cast: Natalia de Molina, Greta Fernández, Sara Casasnovas

The Spanish romantic drama chronicles the story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas. In 1901, the two women made history as the first same-sex couple to be legally married in Spain after passing as heterosexual partners.

29. Lincoln (2012)

• Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Gloria Reuben, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Loosely based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln , the movie highlights the final four months of President Lincoln's life in 1865. During this period, Lincoln tries to abolish slavery by passing the 13th Amendment.

30. The Great Debaters (2007)

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett

The inspirational film was directed by Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey. It’s based on an old article about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman, which was published in American Legacy in 1997. And throughout the film, a debate coach from a historically Black college works hard to transform his group of students into a powerful debate team.

31. 1917 (2019)

• Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch

According to director Sam Mendes, the movie was inspired by the stories of his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes, who spoke about his time serving in World War I. Set during Operation Alberich in 1917, the movie follows two British soldiers who have to deliver a crucial message in order to prevent a deadly attack.

32. Munich (2005)

• Cast: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Sam Feuer, Ciarán Hinds

Based on George Jonas’s 1984 book, Vengeance , the Steven Spielberg film details the events of Operation Wrath of God, where Mossad (the national intelligence agency of Israel) led a covert operation to assassinate those who were involved in the 1972 Munich massacre.

33. Effie Gray (2014)

• Cast: Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, David Suchet

Effie Gray, which was written by Emma Thompson and directed by Richard Laxton, is based on the real-life marriage of English art critic John Ruskin and the Scottish painter, Euphemia Gray. The film chronicles how their relationship fell apart, after Gray fell in love with painter John Everett Millais.

34. Race (2016)

• Cast: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt

The movie chronicles the story of the legendary runner, Jesse Owens, who made history in 1936 after winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympic Games. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.

35. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

• Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood
• Rating: TV-14

Set in 16th-century India, the historical romance centers on the relationship between Mughal Emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar and Rajput Princess Jodhaa Bai. What starts as a formal alliance turns into a genuine romance.

36. The Founder (2016)

• Cast: Laura Dern, B.J. Novak, Patrick Wilson

The next time you enjoy your order of fries and Chicken McNuggets, you’ll know how one of the biggest fast food chains in the world got its start. In the film, Ray Kroc, a determined businessman, goes from being a milkshake machine salesman to becoming the owner of McDonald’s, turning it into a global franchise.

37. The Post (2017)

• Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk

The movie follows the life of Katharine Graham, who not only made history as the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, but also presided over the publication during the Watergate conspiracy. Set in 1971, it tells the true story of how journalists at The Washington Post attempted to publish the content of the Pentagon Papers.

38. All the President’s Men (1976)

• Cast: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam

Just two years after journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward published a book about their groundbreaking investigation into the Watergate scandal, Warner Bros. made it into a movie that would receive multiple Oscar nominations. After covering a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972, Woodward discovers that it's actually part of a much bigger scandal, which ultimately leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

39. Amelia (2009)

• Cast: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor

With a series of flashbacks, this film details the life and accomplishments of aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart, before her mysterious disappearance in 1937.

40. Elizabeth (1998)

• Cast: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Kathy Burke, Christopher Eccleston

In 1558, after her sister, Queen Mary, dies from a tumor, Elizabeth I inherits the throne and becomes the queen of England. The Oscar-winning film chronicles the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign, which prove to be extremely challenging.

41. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

• Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Jim Parsons

Set in 1969, Efron plays charming law student Ted Bundy. But after he strikes up a relationship with a secretary named Elizabeth, news gets out that he secretly abused, kidnapped and murdered multiple women. The movie is based on The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy , a memoir by Bundy's former girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall.

42. The Theory of Everything (2014)

• Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox

Adapted from Jane Hawking’s memoir, Travelling to Infinity , the biographical film centers on her former relationship with her ex-husband, Stephen Hawking, as well as his rise to fame as his experience with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

43. Rustom (2016)

• Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Arjan Bajwa

The Indian crime thriller is loosely based on the K. M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra court case, where a Naval Commander was tried for the murder of his wife’s lover in 1959. In the film, Naval Officer Rustom Pavri learns about the affair after he discovers love letters from his friend, Vikram. And when Vikram is killed shortly after, everyone suspects that Rustom is behind it.

44. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

• Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell

Saving Mr. Banks is set in 1961 and it uncovers the true story behind the iconic 1964 film, Mary Poppins . Hanks stars as film producer Walt Disney, who spends 20 years pursuing the film rights to P.L. Travers’s Mary Poppins children’s books.

45. The Duchess (2008)

• Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling

Knightley stars as the 18th-century aristocrat, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, in the British drama. Based on the book Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, A World on Fire by Amanda Foreman, the movie revolves around her troubled marriage and her love affair with a young politician.

46. Schindler's List (1993)

• Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

Inspired by Thomas Keneally’s non-fiction novel, Schindler's Ark , the historical drama focuses on German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories.

47. Cadillac Records (2008)

• Cast: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Beyoncé Knowles

The film dives into the history of Chess Records, a popular, Chicago-based record company that was founded by Leonard Chess in 1950. It not only brought blues to the spotlight, but it also introduced musical legends like Etta James and Muddy Waters.

48. Jackie (2016)

• Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig

We follow First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the wake of her husband, John F. Kennedy’s, sudden assassination.

49. The King’s Speech (2010)

• Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

The King’s Speech centers on King George VI, who teams up with a speech therapist to reduce his stammer and prepare for a crucial announcement: Britain officially declaring war on Germany in 1939.

50. The Finest Hours (2016)

• Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger

The action film is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. It tells of the historic United States Coast Guard rescue of the crew of SS Pendleton in 1952. After the ship gets caught in a dangerous storm in New England, it splits into two, forcing several men to grapple with the fact that they might not survive.

51. On the Basis of Sex (2019)

• Cast: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates

Jones stars as the iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The film details her earlier years as a student, as well as her groundbreaking tax law case that formed the foundation of her later arguments against sex-based discrimination.

52. Apocalypse Now (1979)

• Cast: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford

The psychological war film is loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness , which tells the true story of Conrad's journey up the Congo River. In the film, however, the setting was switched from late 19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. It centers on Captain Benjamin L. Willard's river journey from South Vietnam to Cambodia, where he plans to assassinate an Army Special Forces officer.

53. Unbroken (2014)

• Cast: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund

Throughout the film, we follow the incredible story of former Olympian and veteran, Louis Zamperini, who survived in a raft for 47 days after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during World War II.

54. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

• Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton

The film follows the Chicago Seven, a group of seven Vietnam War protesters who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and attempting to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

55. Suffragette (2015)

• Cast: Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson

Set in 20th-century Britain, the movie covers the suffragette protests in 1912. When a laundry worker named Maud Watts is inspired to join in the fight for equality, she's faced with a number of challenges that could put her life and family at risk.

56. Till (2022)

• Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Kevin Carroll

Based on true events, the biographical drama follows Mamie Till-Bradley, an educator and activist who sought justice after her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, was lynched in 1955. Deadwyler's raw performance makes her an easy scene-stealer.

57. Emancipation (2022)

• Cast: Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa

Smith delivers an unforgettable performance as "Whipped Peter," a runaway slave who escapes from the Lyons plantation in Louisiana and flees over 40 miles, evading slave catchers. Fair warning, this isn't an easy watch.

14 Period Dramas to Add to Your Watch List

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

20 Best Movies About The Roman Empire For History Lovers

Some of the earliest films in cinematic history have been grand epics, many set during the height of the Roman Empire. A time that has long fascinated us for its excitement, this era was rife with war, adventure, scandal, and political intrigue. It was also a heavily documented point in history, leaving scholars with contemporary accounts of some of the empires' most fascinating events, from government corruption to military campaigns and assassination plots. As a result, pop culture is also gifted with a great number of compelling real-life figures to draw upon for dramatic retellings.

Ancient Rome also happens to be the setting for the greatest religious stories, as Jesus Christ was born and killed during the reign of the Caesars. As the group that sent Jesus of Nazareth to crucifixion and blamed Christians for the burning of Rome, the ancient Romans became the greatest villains in history, and the antagonists in the most widely read book in history. From the swift rise of the Roman Empire to its devastating fall, there are countless dramatic stories to be told, and Hollywood has chronicled many of them across several genres, including action-adventures, dramatic personal journeys, light-hearted comedies, and, of course, sweeping epics. Here's a look at the 20 best movies set in the Roman Empire, ranked. Will Judah Ben-Hur, Jesus Christ, or Spartacus come out on top? Read on to find out.

20. Caesar and Cleopatra

Historical epics set in ancient Rome were popular in the early days of cinema, and as the industry evolved, productions got bigger and bigger. One of the early color films set in the period is "Caesar and Cleopatra," starring two of Tinseltown's biggest stars at the time in Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. According to some accounts , the film was one of the biggest movies ever produced in England at the time, with massive, jaw-dropping sets that included a specially constructed replica of the Sphinx, while the Egyptian government reportedly called in thousands of troops to take part in the expansive battle scenes. 

The film chronicles a latter-day version of Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Rains) as he hopes to ease tensions with neighboring young Egyptian queen Cleopatra (Leigh). The newly-installed beauty is dealing with troubles internally however as she and her brother Ptolemy — who she has awkwardly married by custom — fight for control of their kingdom and are resentful to be forced to rule side by side. Caesar becomes a mentor to the young queen, advising her on how to be an effective politician, sway public affairs to her own benefit, and exert control over her brother.  

A lavish production, "Caesar and Cleopatra" explores the complicated relationship between the two ruling ancient monarchs, and received strong reviews for its star performers and somewhat more philosophical look at the politics of ancient Rome and Egypt.

19. Centurion

The 2010 action drama "Centurion" is inspired by the story of Legio IX Hispana , a Roman legion that disappeared in Caledonia in the 2nd century CE. Though historical records give no explanation, the film fictionalizes what really happened, providing a fascinating possibility to account for one of Rome's greatest unexplained events. The movie stars Dominic West ( "The Wire" ) as Titus Flavius Virilus, the legion's commander, and Michael Fassbender ("X-Men: First Class") as one of his soldiers, Quintus Dias. Olga Kurylenko ( "Black Widow" ) also stars as Etain, a Celtic Brigantian warrior who guides the Roman regiment through the Scottish Highlands on a quest to eliminate the leader of the Picts, a tribe who has successfully fought off the Roman Empire at every turn.

But when Etain betrays the legion — revealing that her entire family had been murdered at the hands of cold-blooded Romans — most of the soldiers are slaughtered, and Virilus is captured and taken to Pict King Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen), who has his own score to settle. Now Dias and the surviving legionnaires must race back to their own territory, pursued by a group of Pict warriors led by Etain, who seek vengeance for the killing of King Gorlacon's son. But Roman leaders fear that their rivals might be emboldened if they learn of Virilus' defeat, and may not welcome Dias home with open arms. 

This action-packed film offers an interesting theory on an ancient mystery from history.

18. Augustus: The First Emperor

One of a series of multi-part television films in the early 2000s exploring many of Rome's greatest leaders, "Augustus: The First Emperor" was a three-hour epic film that included a few big names in its cast, such as Peter O'Toole and Charlotte Rampling. Mostly told in flashback, the movie picks up late in the life of Augustus Caesar (O'Toole), as the aging Roman ruler recounts the events of his life to his daughter Julia (Vittoria Belvedere), following the unexpected death of her husband, Marcus Agrippa (Ken Duken).  

We then see Augustus' earlier days as he allies himself with Marc Antony in the wake of Julius Caesar's death. While Caesar's murder leads to chaos in the kingdom, with Brutus and his cohorts executed and a spate of callous executions sweeping through the city, Augustus and Antony consolidate their power and reorganize the Roman political structure, with Antony leaving to take control of Egypt. But when Antony becomes the lover of Egypt's queen Cleopatra, he turns his back on Augustus and declares war on Rome. After conquering Egypt, repeated scandals rock Augustus' court, all culminating in the expulsion of his daughter Julia, who is ultimately exiled for adultery and treason. 

Though it takes some creative liberties with the historical accounts, the film is a solid mix of Roman adventure and soap opera drama, not unlike BBC's classic "I, Claudius."

17. The Robe

Several films on this list focus on the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, but 1953 film "The Robe" is unique in that it focuses on the Roman legion responsible for carrying out his execution. Richard Burton ( "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" ) stars in the pic as Marcellus Gallio, a Roman soldier banished from the kingdom and sent to Jerusalem by Caligula (Jay Robinson). Hoping to earn his way back into Rome's good graces, Marcellus calls in favors and is given a task by Emperor Tiberius to oversee the crucifixion of the proclaimed messiah, who history would eventually come to know as Jesus Christ. Marcellus and his right-hand man — the loyal Greek slave Demetrius — soon become converts to Jesus' teachings and begin to question their role in Rome's quest to quell his rise. 

Though criticized by some as "overblown melodramatic biblical nonsense," the film is a fascinating look at the religious icon from the Roman perspective, even if it is an overly fictionalized, Hollywood idealization of what might have occurred. "The Robe" also has the distinction of being the first film released in widescreen Cinemascope , helping it become a hit on its release. Thanks to a successful box office take , a sequel was even produced a year later titled "Demetrius And The Gladiators," which moved the focus to Demetrius and his army, removed much of the Biblical context, and delved further into Roman politics.

Before he was a household name, "Moon Knight" star Oscar Isaac appeared in the 2009 drama "Agora" opposite Rachel Weisz ("Black Widow"), set in ancient Rome in the 4th century BC. In the film, Weisz portrays philosopher, astronomer, and intellectual Hypatia, who resided in Alexandria , Egypt, which was then part of the Roman Empire. Isaac plays her student, and later ruler of Alexandria, Orestes. During a time of great upheaval in the Roman Empire, Hypatia works to poke holes in the prevailing belief in the Ptolemaic system that posits that the Earth is the center of the universe. Her investigations lead her to challenge the system and reasoned that the Earth may be a sphere — a shocking upending of established doctrine that results in accusations of heresy.

While social and political shifts sweep the region, including the rise of Christianity, her student Orestes is elevated to prefect. Still enamored and in love with his former mentor who has now been labeled a heretic, their relationship and her scientific theories begin to cause problems for them both, imperiling the fate of Alexandria itself. As the city is threatened, Hypatia must go beyond her mere duties as a scientist and fight to preserve ancient knowledge from being destroyed as religious fanatics attempt to take the city. 

Though the film oversimplifies some elements, it was given good marks for historical accuracy , and it tells an otherwise overlooked part of Roman history and one if its most fascinating figures.

15. The Sign of the Cross

"The Sign of the Cross" is an early cinematic epic that predates the Hollywood Hays Code  and comes from two of the biggest names of their time: director Cecil B. DeMille and actor Fredric March. DeMille, of course, already did a number of religious epics, including "King Of Kings" and "The Ten Commandments," while March had already won an Academy Award for his performance in "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde" just a year before this one. The film, set during Nero's reign as emperor, chronicles the empire's fall and how he scapegoated Christians for its destruction. But Roman prefect Marcus Superbus defies the emperor by showing mercy to the emerging religious sect.

Desperate to project strength and hide his failures, Nero has Christians arrested for the burning of Rome. His forces clash with Marcus, who wants to be seen as a benevolent prefect in the hopes of attracting the young and beautiful Mercia (Elissa Landi), whose father has been persecuted for his Christian faith. But when Empress Poppaea (Claudette Colbert) learns of Marcus' attempt to woo Mercia, she looks to have her sentenced to death so she can have Superbus to herself. Amid the turmoil of religious persecution, Marcus and Mercia must fight for true love. 

An old Hollywood classic, "The Sign of the Cross" was the subject of pre-code censorship due to several risqué scenes including nudity and erotic elements that would be viewed as rather tame today. However, it is now widely considered one of the most significant historical films of all time.

Based on William Shakespeare's tragedy "Titus Andronicus," the 1999 film "Titus" is unique among this list of movies set in ancient Rome, as its the only one you'll find characters wearing three piece suits and speaking into electric microphones. Set in an imaginary fantasy world that mixes elements from different time periods, "Titus" stars Anthony Hopkins, Alan Cumming, and Jessica Lange, and was directed by Julie Taymor (Broadway's "The Lion King"). The film follows the titular Roman general Titus Andronicus (Hopkins), who is forced to kill the son of his greatest rival, Goth leader Tamora (Lange). The Goth queen begs him to reconsider but is rebuffed, and she sets out to get her revenge on the vicious and cruel Titus, sparking a bitter and bloody war between their families and empires.

An unrelenting, violent film that borders on a slasher flick with heaping amounts of Hollywood gore, "Titus" is a brutal Shakespearean tragedy in every sense, amped up for the big screen. And like another anachronistic take on a Shakespearean classics — 1996's  "Romeo + Juliet" — "Titus" deftly mixes disparate elements to create something truly unique and special, with a dreamlike tone all its own. Don't expect to find anyone to root for, though, as "Titus" provides no such heroes; instead, it offers a simple revenge story between despicable characters, resulting in a beautiful and lyrical rampage in blood.

13. Fellini Satyricon

Loosely based on the contemporary Roman fiction work "Satyricon" written by Gaius Petronius in the late first century AD, "Fellini Satyricon" is so named for its writer and director Federico Fellini . The Italian film is a true work of art, a stunning masterpiece of visual storytelling, full of striking sets, vivid colors, and intense performances. It tells the story of Encolpio (Martin Potter), left alone and heartbroken when his lover Gitón (Max Born) leaves him for another man. Though he is distraught, disaster strikes Rome during Nero's time as emperor, and, while drifting from place to place in the aftermath, Encolpio finds himself on a journey of self discovery and encounters a number of unusual scenes on his way to enlightenment. Encolpio visits a bizarre theater production, is taken prisoner by pirates, escapes marauding soldiers, and gets lost in a labyrinth. 

A controversial film, it's full of scandalous subject matter and unsettling imagery, becoming a nearly avant-garde film — something to be expected if you're familiar with Fellini, who made a career mixing fantasy and reality. But as an insight into the creative work generated by ancient Roman authors and of '60s cinema, too, it's one movie not to be missed by film buffs and lovers of Roman history alike.

12. The Passion of the Christ

Mel Gibson's third directorial effort — and his first in nearly a decade since "Braveheart" in 1995 — "The Passion of the Christ" is the first film he helmed but did not star in. Instead, actor Jim Caviezel ("Frequency") took on the role of Jesus Christ, the persecuted Jewish preacher who sought to impart a new philosophy to the people. Sentenced to a gruesome death by crucifixion by the Roman Empire, the film follows the final day before his death, dramatizing several key moments depicted in the Bible. This includes portraying biblical events such as the Agony in the Garden and the Scourging at the Pillar. In its graphic depiction of events, we also see Jesus recalling the Last Supper , the betrayal of Judas, and the Sermon on the Mount .

A blockbuster at the box office, "The Passion of the Christ" set a number of records at the ticket counter . Lauded for its realistic portrayal of the Biblical narrative, it shows Jesus as a humble man willing to suffer for what he believes to be the greater good. But be warned, "The Passion of the Christ" is an emotional gut-punch, and not the feel-good, inspirational movie one might expect (as  the New York Times ' review put it, the film "is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it"). So, prepare for some brutality with this pic.

11. Cleopatra

Perhaps the most beloved film to chronicle the life of the Egyptian queen, the 1963 film "Cleopatra" features a parade of classic Hollywood all-stars. Hollywood royalty Elizabeth Taylor filled the title role, while the cast was brimming with other big names like Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Hume Cronyn, Roddy McDowall, and Martin Landau. Like many other epics on this list, it was a major studio undertaking with massive sets and elaborate costumes, with a budget so sky high that it was a flop despite drawing crowds, effectively ending big-budget blockbusters for years. 

Still, the budget was used to good effect, and the movie is an extravagant retelling of the life of the famous Egyptian beauty as she struggled to resist pressure from Rome. Drawn into a love triangle, as both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony vied for her affections while slyly attempting a takeover of her kingdom, Cleopatra had to fend off advances both personal and political. The film is a fascinating watch for more reasons than one, and an added layer of intrigue comes from the notorious affair between Taylor and Burton that was sparked during production.

Ultimately though, Cleopatra is all about what's on screen, a gorgeously produced — if not entirely accurate — dramatic retelling of the ancient world's most famous woman. After its release, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards , including Best Picture, and took home four trophies in technical categories for art direction, costuming, visual effects, and cinematography.

10. Quo Vadis

Another Roman epic set during the final years of Emperor Nero's reign, "Quo Vadis" is a 1951 film starring Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, and Peter Ustinov. The film centers on Roman military commander named Marcus Vinicius, the legate of the XIV Gemina. Following an extended campaign in Gaul, Vinicius journeys back to Rome to discover that Christianity is quickly sweeping through the empire and threatens to become the dominant religion. On his return, he meets and falls in love with Lygia, who has been taken in by the fledgling faith. As he courts Lygia, who is apprehensive due to their clashing beliefs, the emperor begins to crack down on the Christians he has scapegoated for the destruction of Rome.

Once again, we see Nero ordering arrests and executions, while political turmoil grips his own court within as Poppaea — the emperor's wife — plots to kill Lygia over Marcus rejecting her. Now with a personal stake, Marcus must save his lover and expose Nero as the leader that doomed Rome. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, "Quo Vadis" was  a hit at the box office  and popular with critics , who gave it high marks for its strong cast, expansive scope, and the opulence of its production.

9. Gladiator

Sweeping Roman epics weren't seen as a blockbuster fare by the 1990s, but all that changed as the calendar rolled over to the new millennium. Acclaimed director Ridley Scott ("Alien") took the helm of a dramatic Roman adventure, starring emerging Aussie star Russell Crowe, and delivered audiences an action-adventure set at the height of the Roman Empire. "Gladiator" proved to be a barn burner as one of the biggest movies of the year.

The film tells the story of Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe), who is anointed heir to the empire just before the emperor's wayward son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) rebels and seizes the throne. Forcing Maximus to become a slave, the disgraced general fights for his life in the gladiatorial arena. As the situation in Rome deteriorates, though, Maximus sparks an uprising and leads a massive slave revolt to depose Commodus.

Sadly, co-star Oliver Reed, who played Maximus' mentor, didn't live to complete his role, with some of his scenes having to be finished using CGI . Also starring Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, and Djimon Hounsou, the movie became the second-highest grossing film of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Picture , also netting Russell Crowe his first Oscar for Best Actor. It even ignited a resurgence of the "sword-and-sandal" genre, with movies like "Troy" and "Kingdom Of Heaven" and TV shows like "Rome" and "Spartacus" following in its seismic wake.

8. The Last Temptation of Christ

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese ("Taxi Driver"), "The Last Temptation of Christ" was released in 1988 and starred Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. The groundbreaking biblical epic wasn't just a triumph of cinema, it was a controversial film whose release led to widespread protests, death threats , national bans, and even violence . Accused of sacrilege, the film dramatically retold the life and death of Jesus Christ much like "Passion of the Christ," but it greatly departed from the biblical narrative to give the story a more balanced tone. Many religious organizations felt the movie was blasphemous thanks to a scene of romance involving Jesus and Mary Magdalene, along with depictions of Christ as a doubting man who suffered not just for mankind's sins but from inner turmoil, anger, and lust, eventually renouncing his place as the son of God. 

However one might feel about historical accuracy or its faithfulness to the Christian gospel, there's no doubting its quality as a deep and dramatic exploration of the man and his struggle to follow his faith in grand design. As loved as it was by some audiences and reviewers , and as much as it was reviled by its worst critics, the film netted Scorsese an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. 

7. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Directed by Richard Lester (who would go on to replace Richard Donner for "Superman II"), the 1966 historical musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was adapted from the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway play of the same name, with music and lyrics by the renowned Steven Sondheim . Zero Mostel, who won the Tony for Best Actor in a Leading Role, along with his original co-star Jack Gilford, returned to reprise their roles from the stage. They were also joined by stars Phil Silvers, Roy Kinnear, Jon Pertwee, and Buster Keaton in his final theatrical film role before his death. An homage to classical Roman farces, the movie (like the play) focuses on a slovenly Roman slave named Pseudolus (Mostel), who dreams of freedom. 

When Pseudolus learns that his master's son has fallen hopelessly in love with the seemingly unattainable Philia from the nearby house of Marcus Lycus, he strikes a bargain: he will help his master's son win Philia's heart and in exchange he'll be granted his freedom from bondage. What follows is a madcap slapstick romp set against the backdrop of the ancient Roman Empire, and a delightful comedy that carried over many of the musical numbers from the play. Popular with critics and audiences , its success helped to inspire the British TV series "Up, Pompeii!"  just a few years later.

6. The Fall Of The Roman Empire

Another old Hollywood epic, "The Fall of the Roman Empire" does not depict the final end of the ancient empire, instead chronicling the developments that would ultimately lead to its downfall in the centuries to follow: corruption, decadence, imperial hubris, and territorial over-expansion. The film also has one of the most impressive casts of any film on this list, with Stephen Boyd and Sophia Loren leading a marquee that also features Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, and Omar Sharif. Like Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" that tells a similar story, the film once again opens with progressive Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Guinness) struggling to find a successor to the throne. After discounting his more tyrannical son Commodus, he leans towards picking Livius, a respected soldier and lover to his daughter Lucilla (Loren). 

However, when Aurelius is poisoned before he can put his plans in place, his son Commodus takes the throne instead and proceeds to retract all of the liberal policies his father had put in place. With the new emperor seeking to enrich himself and his friends at the expense of the people, Livius soon sees how Commodus' corruption and depravity could be the start of the empire's end, even if he is loyalty-bound to support him. Things then change when Commodus plots to assassinate his sister, forcing Livius to step up and oppose the corrupt Roman ruler. 

"The Fall of the Roman Empire" received high marks from critics and even inspired a novelization. 

5. Barabbas

Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, and Jack Palance star in the 1961 film "Barabbas," focusing on the eponymous Roman criminal (Quinn), who appears in some biblical and historical accounts . An unrepentant sinner, Barabbas — who many believe to be a real figure who appears in some historical accounts — is sentenced to death by the empire alongside Jesus of Nazareth. But when Pontius Pilate allows a cheering crowd to vote to set one of the two men free, the brutish Barabbas is allowed to walk away, while the high-minded Jesus Christ is sent for crucifixion. Now a free man, Barabbas is rejected by his Christian lover and returns to his old life as a thief. But his old ways lead to his downfall again, and he is sentenced to a lifetime of slavery after being caught robbing a caravan. The film then follows his life over the decades as he later is anointed the favorite slave of the regional prefect before becoming a winning gladiator. He is eventually set free by Nero just as Rome begins to burn. 

A unique brand of biblical epic, "Barabbas" presents a compelling central character, a criminal seeking salvation. His story is used as an example to force us to examine the nature of Jesus' act of sacrifice, as Barabbas himself was a man for who Jesus died for quite literally. It has become a favorite in the year's since it's release, with retro reviews dubbing it an underrated epic.

4. Julius Caesar

Perhaps the greatest big screen portrayal of the legendary Roman emperor that Hollywood has ever produced can be found in the 1953 film "Julius Caesar," an adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare. In just his third feature film, screen icon Marlon Brando played Marc Antony and would receive his third career Academy Award nomination for his effort. In a rare move, the film is a near literal translation of Shakespeare's play, with very little deviation from page to screen. Like the original work, the story — despite its title — focuses more on those around the emperor than Caesar himself, as Brutus plots to assassinate Rome's ruler, clashing with Antony in the process. 

The literal adaptation also gives Brando some of the best and most well-written dialog to chew on and provides the film with one of the most indelible and impeccably performed soliloquies in cinema history. Brando's turn as Antony remains one of the actor's most widely-respected film performances despite his long and varied career. Well received on its release, critics lauded it for its production and performances, with Variety praising the film for its restraint while applauding the cast by noting, "Every performance is a tour de force ." 

3. Monty Python's Life of Brian

Following the overwhelming success they had with "The Holy Grail," British comic troupe Monty Python set their next historical comedy in ancient Rome, in "Life of Brian." The film tells the story of Brian, a man who was born next-door to Jesus Christ and is a simple, bumbling, ordinary everyman far from the highly respected and revered religious leader. Set in the Roman-ruled region of Judea, the movie is a razor-sharp comedy, thumbing its nose at government oppression and providing incisive commentary on cult-like religious fervor. The story begins with Brian falling head over heels for a young and beautiful woman named Judith, and joining her group of freedom fighters, who seek to fight back against the Roman Empire's tyrannical regime. In a whirlwind of classic comedy, Brian's attempts to impress her get him in trouble with the Roman authorities, mistaken for a new messiah, and eventually persecuted and crucified. 

While "The Holy Grail" was, in many ways, a series of skits strung together with a loose story, "Life Of Brian" is a truly singular narrative. Mining jokes from politics, religion, and relationships alike, the movie is a biting political satire but also a slapstick sex comedy and a farcical morality play. It has been praised for more than just its side-splitting laughs, though, as some have noted the film for being one of the most realistic depictions of life during biblical times.

What might just be the most famous film in Hollywood history to be set in ancient Rome, the 1959 classic "Ben-Hur" stars Charlton Heston in what was the largest and most expensive production in Hollywood history at the time. Not the first big-screen version of the story (the 1915 silent film was also the most expensive movie ever made in its day), the remake again recounted the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur, a distinguished and wealthy Jewish nobleman who clashes with a former friend who has since become a powerful Roman commander named Messala. When Ben-Hur refuses to turn over suspected Jewish rebels to the state, Messala has him arrested and enslaved.

The once-aristocratic Ben-Hur witnesses first-hand the persecution perpetuated by the Romans and vows vengeance. He eventually earns his freedom and becomes a charioteer, finally getting a chance for payback against his old friend when he is invited to race against Messala, the man who had stolen his life. Winner of a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (William Wyler), "Ben-Hur" has been considered among the greatest films ever made . And it wasn't just critically beloved; it was also a blockbuster in the truest sense, topping the box office in 1959 .

1. Spartacus

In 1960, celebrated director Stanley Kubrick was brought onboard a new epic historical adventure after its original director left the project a week into shooting. Reuniting him with Kirk Douglas, who had starred in his previous film "Paths of Glory," the behind-the-scenes turmoil clearly didn't hurt the picture, as it collected four Academy Awards . In what would eventually be his most famous role, Douglas plays the title character Spartacus, a stalwart slave warrior owned by a well-respected member of Rome's upper class. Becoming a famed and feared gladiatorial competitor, Spartacus distinguishes himself with his nearly obsessive drive to win, endless determination, and fearless brutality. But as he racks up wins in the arena, he rallies his fellow slaves and sparks a revolt against his masters and the empire itself. 

Written by Dalton Trumbo — who had previously been embroiled in a blacklisting scandal  but was hired specifically by Douglas for the film — and co-starring Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, and Jean Simmons, "Spartacus" has become one of the most famed Roman movies in Hollywood history. Full of iconic moments, quote-worthy dialogue, and indelible imagery, it has become seared into the minds of movie buffs for its stylish production, a powerful performance from Douglas, and timeless storytelling.

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The 15 Best Movies About Inventions and Discoveries

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A good chunk of human history was spent living in caves, foraging for wild food, and fighting each other with sticks and stones. But when we developed science and technology, we evolved rapidly.

Our path through history has been mapped by inventors and discoverers, to whom we owe all kinds of thanks. One way to recognize and appreciate them? Telling their stories through cinema.

From forgotten geniuses to social media founders, here are my picks for the best movies about inventions and discoveries that explore the difficulties and ramifications of bringing forth something new.

15. Tesla (2020)

Directed by Michael Almereyda

Starring Ethan Hawke, Eve Hewson, Eli A. Smith

Biography, Drama (1h 42m)

5.1 on IMDb — 58% on RT

It's a shame that the name Nikola Tesla is nowhere near as ubiquitous as, say, Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein.

Nikola Tesla basically invented wireless electricity and cemented his status as one of the most heralded scientists in all of history.

Not only does his famous Tesla Coil looks immensely cool, it was Tesla's work that paved the way for things like radio, television, Wi-Fi, and more—all from his harnessing of electrical currents.

Sadly, like many historical figures, the Serbian-American scientist died penniless and alone in a tiny hotel room. His story is explored in Michael Almereyda's Tesla where he's brought to life by Ethan Hawke.

14. Joy (2015)

Directed by David O. Russell

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper

Biography, Drama (2h 4m)

6.6 on IMDb — 60% on RT

Joy Mangano shows us the meaning of a strong independent woman, fiercely portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. She's a real-life entrepreneur who got rich off mops. Specifically, the Miracle Mop.

Most millionaires are born to other millionaires, only able to succeed by being spoon-fed handouts from their parents. Joy isn't like them. She knows that the world doesn't owe her anything—that it's up to her to go and get it. So, that's exactly what she does.

If you look past the uneven pacing, Joy is a sparky and inspiring biopic studded with comedy. David O. Russell directs the Hollywood cast list, which includes the likes of Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper.

13. Radioactive (2019)

Directed by Marjane Satrapi

Starring Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Anya Taylor-Joy

Biography, Drama, Romance (1h 49m)

6.3 on IMDb — 63% on RT

Until recently, most industries have been dominated by men—and that includes all the various scientific fields. For a long time, women weren't even allowed access to laboratories or education, so it was always men winning the Nobel Prizes.

The first woman to win a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie, but it didn't come without a fight. It's hard to say whether her fiery attitude helped or hindered, but it's one she shared with husband Pierre Curie.

Marie Curie discovered polonium, radium, and radioactivity. Her research went on to save lives (with radiation therapy) and take lives (with nuclear bombs). Together, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, even if it was mainly Marie who did the work.

Marie herself died of radiation at age 66, and Rosamund Pike retells her life story in Marjane Satrapi's sincere period drama Radioactive .

12. Little Joe (2019)

Directed by Jessica Hausner

Starring Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox

Drama, Horror, Mystery (1h 45m)

5.8 on IMDb — 67% on RT

This one's geared towards the indie kids who aren't averse to a touch of horror. Little Joe is more creepy than scary, luring viewers in with a minimalist arthouse look that cinephiles often adore.

Jessica Hausner's international drama is about an invention-gone-wrong, centering on a plant breeder who creates a flower that's better than any antidepressant.

The more you care for this plant, the more it cares for you, pollinating the air with happy chemicals that soon turn into angry ones.

Alice (played by Emily Beecham) comes to regret smuggling one of these "Little Joe" plants home for her son, who slowly turns against her. Ben Whishaw also stars in this nuanced horror that was good enough to compete for the Palme d'Or.

11. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Directed by Joe Johnston

Starring Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman

Adventure, Comedy, Family (1h 33m)

6.4 on IMDb — 76% on RT

The tone of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is perfectly encapsulated by its title. But this silly film has more heart to it than you'd expect!

Wayne Szalinski (played by Rick Moranis) is your stereotypical eccentric scientist. He's a lot like Dr. Frankenstein, except he lives in a suburban family home and isn't surrounded by all the usual horrors.

When Wayne's son and the neighbor's kid enter the attic to retrieve a baseball, Wayne's latest ray gun accidentally shrinks the both of them. As you can imagine, a whole range of funny stuff can be made from this basic plotline, including giant killer ants.

Joe Johnston's wholesome sci-fi flick is filled with family fun, equally enjoyable by kids and adults. It's nostalgic, it's original, and it was followed by a sequel ( Honey, I Blew Up the Kid ) in 1992.

10. Primer (2004)

Directed by Shane Carruth

Starring Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden

Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller (1h 17m)

6.8 on IMDb — 73% on RT

Time travel has been tackled many different ways throughout cinema. I could have easily put The Time Machine on this list, but I'm giving the spot to a lesser-known indie movie that'll warp your mind.

Shane Carruth wrote, directed, produced, and starred in his psychological sci-fi flick where two engineers accidentally discover time travel.

This little time machine of theirs ends up putting them in a pickle as they face the issues that arise when interfering with the historical timeline.

Carruth explores the outlandish idea of time travel in a grounded way, hence two guys in a dingy room with shirts on. The science behind it is surprisingly solid, adding layers to Carruth's realist slice of sci-fi.

9. The Professor and the Madman (2019)

Directed by P. B. Shemran

Starring Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Eddie Marsan

Biography, Drama, History (2h 4m)

7.2 on IMDb — 41% on RT

Everything had to come from somewhere, and that includes the dictionary. What you might not know is that the first English dictionary took 70 years to write, much of which was done by a schizophrenic murderer in a prison cell. At least, that's how everyone saw him.

Dr. William Chester Minor was actually a troubled genius hell-bent on atoning for his sins. Sean Penn portrays the "madman" with grit and honor, encapsulating his guilt at having killed a man out of delusion.

Eventually, the guards at Broadmoor come to respect William, as does the linguistics professor he converses with.

James Murray (played by Mel Gibson) took lead of the Oxford English Dictionary project when everything came to a halt, and he took on the dual challenge of publishing it and setting William free.

8. The Current War (2017)

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Oliver Powell, Sophia Ally

Biography, Drama, History (1h 42m)

6.5 on IMDb — 61% on RT

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse are two huge names in history—both inventors, businessmen, and electrical pioneers. Edison is particularly famous for giving us the lightbulb, and then cinema itself with the first motion picture camera!

But whereas Edison promoted the Direct Current to be used across America, engineer/entrepreneur Westinghouse believed it should be the Alternating Current. Thus, their famous conflict began.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon star as the feuding men, alongside Nicholas Hoult who makes an appearance as Nikola Tesla. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directs this crowd-pleasing period drama that boasts a cast list as dazzling as their characters' inventions.

7. Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau

Biography, Comedy, Drama (1h 50m)

6.9 on IMDb — 81% on RT

In Tucker: The Man and His Dream , Francis Ford Coppola delights us with a kitschy, all-American historical comedy about Preston Tucker, the automobile man who released the Tucker 48 sedan in 1948.

The charismatic innovator only saw 51 models hit the ground before he declared bankruptcy. As loved as he was, Tucker was also a bit of a sleaze—and after manufacturing problems, he faced fraud accusations.

Coppola takes us through a whirlwind of scandals and corruption until Tucker is eventually acquitted, but dies of cancer not long after his trial.

Many features of the Tucker 48 are now found in modern cars, so we have a lot to thank him for! Coppola's biopic is condensed but keeps with the spirit of Tucker, vividly portrayed by Jeff Bridges.

6. Steve Jobs (2015)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen

Biography, Drama (2h 2m)

7.2 on IMDb — 85% on RT

"You can't write code. You're not an engineer. You're not a designer. You can't put a hammer to a nail." Steve Wozniak to Steve Jobs

Co-founder Steve Wozniak was the brain behind Apple, which is now the biggest tech company on Earth. So, why does Jobs get all the credit?

Danny Boyle exposes Jobs for having less to do with the making of Apple than many think he did. However, when Mac was in trouble, it was Jobs who returned as CEO to save the company and subsequently launch it into domination.

Boyle's slick biopic shows us a 14-year chunk of Jobs's life. The notoriously spearheaded business tycoon is perfectly embodied by Michael Fassbender—cold to the touch and sometimes a little cruel.

5. Back to the Future (1985)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi (1h 56m)

8.5 on IMDb — 93% on RT

Doc Brown didn't just invent a time machine—he made one out of a DeLorean! The gull-winged sportscar was a famously terrible vehicle, but the Back to the Future trilogy gave it a new legacy.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a skateboarding teen who's friends with the crazy local scientist Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd).

Nobody approves of this friendship—and if Marty listened to them, he wouldn't end up fighting the space-time continuum across timelines!

In the first film, Marty is sent back to 1955, where his mother accidentally falls in love with him. A bit disturbing, but Back to the Future is actually a heartwarming 80s classic, forever referenced in pop culture.

4. The Imitation Game (2014)

Directed by Morten Tyldum

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

Biography, Drama, Thriller (1h 54m)

8.0 on IMDb — 90% on RT

The Imitation Game managed to take one of the most important but overlooked figures in modern history and make him known by the public.

Alan Turing's Enigma machine didn't just help defeat the Nazis and win the Second World War—it was a prototype for the first computer!

Sadly, Turing was treated poorly during his short life. He was a homosexual (illegal at the time) who had undiagnosed autism, plus all his heroism was kept secret by the government.

After he was arrested and forced into hormonal therapy, Alan Turing eventually committed suicide at age 41.

Benedict Cumberbatch was perfectly cast to play the misunderstood genius. Morten Tyldum's very British biopic has us alternate between marveling and crying, told with sympathy and prestige.

3. The Aviator (2004)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale

Biography, Drama (2h 50m)

7.5 on IMDb — 86% on RT

Howard Hughes showed a knack for engineering at a young age, and he used it to become one of the richest people in the world.

Hughes's biggest interests were in the film and aviation industries. Not only did he make the most expensive film ever made (at the time), he helped build the H-4 Hercules airlift flying boat.

The Aviator shows us just how finnicky Hughes was—a perfectionist who spent three years directing Hell's Angels and didn't actually complete the H-4 Hercules until after the war was over.

Leonardo DiCaprio gives a stunning performance as the headstrong magnate whose mind gradually unravels. The Aviator is one of the best films by Martin Scorsese, who color grades the biopic with only the shades that were available back in the 1930s.

2. The Prestige (2006)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi (2h 10m)

8.5 on IMDb — 76% on RT

Nikola Tesla makes another appearance on this list—albeit a relatively small one—in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige .

Played by glam rock icon David Bowie, Tesla helps a magician build a teleportation device. Annoyingly for him, it doesn't actually transport objects (or people) away. Instead, it doubles them.

The Prestige is centered on a feud between two rival magicians in Edwardian London, who compete to perform the ultimate trick. And with Nolan being Nolan, the movie itself turns out to be a trick.

1. The Social Network (2010)

Directed by David Fincher

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

Biography, Drama (2h)

7.8 on IMDb — 96% on RT

If you aren't a fan of dialogue-heavy drama and prefer action-packed blockbusters, you might disagree with my top pick—but when it comes to movies about inventions, The Social Network is one of the best.

The Social Network is the kind of film where you can really feel the presence of its script. Written by Aaron Sorkin, we're treated to a fast-talking Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, who goes on to invent Facebook and ends up in a big mess afterwards.

Mark Zuckerberg isn't nearly as unlikable as he's depicted to be in The Social Network , as David Fincher leans heavily on artistic license to direct such a masterful, compelling movie. That aside, it's truly one of the best movies about inventions ever made.

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Watch ’20 Days in Mariupol,’ the 2024 best documentary Oscar winner

FILE - An explosion erupts from an apartment building after a Russian army tank fired on it in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 11, 2022. The image is part of the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol.” (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A harrowing first-person account of the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “20 Days in Mariupol” won the best documentary Oscar. The documentary was produced by The Associated Press and PBS’ “Frontline.”

Watch the full film and read AP’s full coverage from Mariupol .

The Oscar, and nomination, was a first for Chernov, a video journalist for the AP, and the 178-year-old news organization. “20 Days in Mariupol” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won an audience award. It went on to best documentary from the Directors Guild and BAFTA.

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A Biography of a Feminist Porn Pioneer Bares All

In “Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution,” the historian Jane Kamensky presents a raw personal — and cultural — history.

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By Rich Juzwiak

Rich Juzwiak co-writes Slate’s love and sex advice column “ How to Do It .”

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CANDIDA ROYALLE AND THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: A History From Below , by Jane Kamensky

The idea on which Candida Royalle’s legend rests was as simple as it was brilliant. In 1984, the porn performer and eventual director-producer co-founded Femme Productions with a single goal: to explore women’s fantasies. The hope of Royalle and partner Lauren Niemi was to change porn “from within,” as Royalle explained on a TV show, via “egalitarian” images portraying “regular, joyful lovemaking.”

Emphasizing foreplay and “afterglow,” and avoiding porn’s penchant for proof of male climax, Femme courted a female audience (a widely ignored demographic at the time), featuring material that was somewhere between R- and X-rated. In “Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution,” Jane Kamensky, a history professor at Harvard, fleshes out the story.

Royalle was born Candice Vadala in 1950, and she came of age during the sexual revolution. She joined the Women’s Liberation Collective of the Bronx Coalition at age 19, and by 1975 (three years after “Deep Throat” had made adult films chic) she was filming porn loops in San Francisco. It was “quick $ so that I can go after what I want,” per one of her diary entries.

She would eventually appear in more than 40 adult films and describe herself as a “porn queen.” In front of the camera and then behind it, her work coincided with the attacks on the industry from both the right wing and radical feminists like Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon. But there was soldarity, too: Royalle and her peers, including the performer Annie Sprinkle and the High Society publisher Gloria Leonard, formed the de facto support group (and eventual performance art collective) Club 90.

In Kamensky’s estimation, Royalle’s was “a profoundly, uniquely 20th-century American life, a life like no other, and also like every other.” Her finger wasn’t merely on the cultural pulse; her body throbbed in sync with the times.

As the title implies, the book interweaves intimate biography and cultural history. Royalle’s life story is culled from interviews and a careful excavation of her papers, housed at Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Kamensky reports that she’s the first person to access the archive.

From the age of 12, Royalle kept a diary, and her self-reporting is at least as intimate as anything she put into the world publicly. There are bouts of gonorrhea, a hepatitis C diagnosis, multiple abortions, prolific drug use (including a debilitating heroin habit), a suicide note. Royalle writes about her father’s abuse of her sister — and her own ensuing despondency. “Why not me?” she wondered.

Kamensky’s ambitious project — in which she moves between this raw portraiture and more formal cultural reporting — is a challenging one; she is at pains to avoid ascribing pat reasons for Royalle’s choices, while still providing ample context. At times the shifting focus can be disorienting. Royalle’s first-grade class picture becomes the jumping-off point for a chapter that touches on the Cold War, Elvis Presley’s momentous appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and the greater culture’s wary regard of teenage girls.

Kamensky’s biography has so many stops and starts that at moments reading it amounts to journeying through a life during rush hour. And though the language remains playful and clear even when saturated with information, the resulting density can nonetheless turn the experience into homework.

But that is likely the author’s point: Her rigor and thoroughness demand that the reader take seriously an underdog who made her name in a stigmatized industry. This book is a labor of empathy that refuses to simplify or valorize its subject. Included are examples of Royalle’s immature homophobic and antisemitic comments, vainglorious declarations (“I am an innovator. I have changed the world!”), a lot of hand-wringing over ever getting involved in porn in the first place and a nearly lifelong fixation on men’s attention.

Though Femme did command a fair amount of (mostly adult) press, and Royalle became a TV and lecture-circuit fixture for her ability to articulate alternate methods within the world of pornographic film, her movie revenue was far from blockbuster, and by her mid-40s she was, in her own words, “a single woman alone who owns no property, no investments, nothing of any real value.” She died of ovarian cancer at 64.

But Kamensky asserts Royalle’s importance. Her revolution never fully revolutionized porn — which in many ways has become more intense and less sensitive — but she left in her wake the opportunity for women to be taken seriously behind the camera; six out of 10 nominees of this year’s AVN Award — porn’s Oscars — for “Outstanding Directing” are women. And Royalle’s outspokenness helped normalize the concept of feminist porn.

In a 1981 pitch to several magazines and newspapers, Royalle wrote that women in the industry had “long been misunderstood” and “put down,” adding, “I would like to help change that.” Kamensky not only lays bare her subject’s M.O., she aids in its realization. What’s more, “Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution” is a fulfillment of one of Royalle’s unmet goals: to tell her life story in a book.

CANDIDA ROYALLE AND THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION : A History From Below | By Jane Kamensky | Norton | 512 pp. | $35

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Everything to Know About Best Actor Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy

A nticipation was high for the 2024 Oscars, which took place Sunday, March 10—especially for the prospects of the most nominated film, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer , and its lead, Cillian Murphy.

After sweeping up a number of awards this season, Murphy won Best Actor for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb. The role has vaulted 47-year-old Murphy, a fixture in Nolan films and a household name in the U.K. and his native Ireland, into Hollywood stardom.

Here’s how Murphy got there and everything you need to know about the Oscar winner.

What is Cillian Murphy’s background?

Murphy was born in Douglas , a suburb of the city of Cork, Ireland, as the eldest of four. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a French teacher. 

Murphy attended an all-boys private school then enrolled at University College Cork to study law, but failed his first year exams, because, as he said, “I had no ambitions to do it,” Irish national broadcaster RTE reported. 

Does Cillian Murphy have a wife and family?

Murphy has been married since 2004 to Irish visual artist Yvonne McGuinness. They met at one of his former band ’s shows in 1996. Murphy played guitar in a Frank Zappa-inspired acid jazz band, “ The Sons of Mr Green Genes .” The couple has two teenage sons, and moved the family after 14 years in London back to Ireland in 2015.

“We wanted the kids to be Irish, and they were sort of at that age where they were preteens and they had very posh English accents and I wasn’t appreciating that too much,” Murphy teased during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast . 

Elsewhere, Murphy told GQ that a work-life balance “is hard. I have an amazing wife and I couldn't do this without her and her understanding. But it is a struggle. I think it is for any dad whose work takes him away, which it generally does, and which consumes him, which my work does.”

Cillian Murphy has an impressive TV and movies roster

After music didn’t work out for him, Murphy pursued acting. In 1996, when 19, the then-unknown actor was cast as the co-lead in a play by Irish playwright Enda Walsh called Disco Pigs . The show was a touring success and led to a movie adaptation in 2001, with the story becoming a local coming-of-age classic. 

Murphy got his big screen break in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, a 2002 British zombie thriller that was a surprise success. The role is what led to Nolan noticing Murphy, GQ reported.

Nolan told Deadline that he first spotted Murphy in a newspaper photo for his role in 28 Days Later —and was struck by Murphy’s arresting bright blue eyes and presence. Nolan said he then watched the film and invited Murphy to audition for Batman in 2005's Batman Begins. The role ultimately went to Christian Bale, but Murphy instead scored the part of the villain Dr. Jonathan Crane, the “Scarecrow.”

Murphy went on to join Nolan for two more Batman films, along with Inception, Dunkirk and finally Oppenheimer. 

Murphy’s most famous role in the U.K. and Ireland was as gangster Tommy Shelby on the TV series Peaky Blinders , which was originated by the BBC and then acquired by Netflix. The show ran from 2013 to 2022. Murphy won multiple awards in the U.K. and Ireland for his performance.

How much was Cillian Murphy paid for Oppenheimer?

Multiple reports say Murphy made $10 million from the film, although that amount is unconfirmed. Murphy told GQ in 2019 that he is uncomfortable with the scale of his pay as an actor.

“I'm really lucky. I feel embarrassed by it sometimes,” he said. “I struggle with that. I mean, actors are overpaid, you know? It's nice when you get paid, when you're young, and you've gone from having no money, but the Catholic guilt kicks in immediately, and I’m like—it's all going to go wrong. You don't deserve this. And I don’t.”

He is known to shun the limelight

Murphy has spoken about how he doesn’t relish the attention that comes with stardom.  

“Fame is like commuting,” he told Rolling Stone . “You have to commute to get to your destination.”  

“I don’t go out. I’m just at home mostly, or with my friends, unless I have a film to promote. I don’t like being photographed by people. I find that offensive,” he said. 

Cillian Murphy has pursued Irish passion projects and has a love of the stage

Murphy has acted in smaller films along the way, including starring in and producing 2024’s Small Things Like These , an adaption of an Irish novella that sheds light on the Magdalene Laundries —workhouses for unwed mothers and other vulnerable women run by four Catholic orders in Ireland until 1996. The film reunited Murphy with his Disco Pigs co-star, Irish actor Eileen Walsh.

Ever since his stage debut as a teenager, Murphy has continued to act in theater. In 2019, he starred in Grief Is the Thing With Feathers , the adaptation of a novel by the same playwright who wrote the show where he got his start. 

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Quentin tarantino's next movie being his last seems way less likely now.

Though The Movie Critic being Quentin Tarantino's tenth movie suggests it'll be his last film, his name could still continue to grace the big screen.

• Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film, The Movie Critic, may not be his last as hinted by his ten-movie rule.
• A new graphic biography on Tarantino explores his writing talents and potential to continue producing films.
• The book also proves that a biopic on Tarantino's intriguing life could provide a future project related to him after The Movie Critic.

While Quentin Tarantino ’s ten-movie rule suggests that The Movie Critic will be the last film he makes, a new book about the filmmaker’s life makes this less likely to be the case. For several years now, Tarantino has stuck by his decision to retire after directing ten movies , having previously cited his disappointment in how many great directors fail to improve upon or maintain their quality of films after a certain point in time . After Once Upon a Time in Hollywood marked Quentin Tarantino’s ninth movie, his upcoming film The Movie Critic is positioned to be his final directed feature.

Very little is known about the plot of Quentin Tarantino’s The Movie Critic other than that it follows a film critic based on a real person, with Brad Pitt now attached to star. The Movie Critic seemingly being Tarantino’s last film has led to more retrospective looks at his life and career, including the 2024 release of an unofficial, semi-fictionalized graphic novel biography by Michele Botton titled Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography . The book utilizes fictional conversations with Tarantino and his collaborators like Leonardo DiCaprio to reflect on his career and upbringing, highlighting a key way that Tarantino can still grace the big screen after ten movies.

Quentin Tarantino Movies Ranked, Worst To Best

Quentin tarantino can still write screenplays & produce films after the movie critic, cut print tarantino's career beyond "the movie critic".

Botton’s graphic novel Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography grants plenty of focus to the filmmaker’s exploits outside the directing realm, emphasizing how his writing talents are crucial to his overall success. Tarantino has written every movie that he’s directed, but he also famously penned two screenplays for movies he ultimately didn’t direct in the 1990s : True Romance (1993), directed by Tony Scott , and From Dusk till Dawn (1996), directed by his frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez. Consequently, this could provide a way for Tarantino to continue making movies after The Movie Critic , though without the “director” label.

Tarantino is in far more of a position to find the director he personally wants to adapt his screenplays.

However, after the issues with Tarantino’s original screenplay for Natural Born Killers being heavily revised after Oliver Stone became the 1994 film’s director, it would make sense if he wanted to avoid writing screenplays for other filmmakers. The difference today, on the other hand, is that Tarantino is in far more of a position to find the director he personally wants to adapt his screenplays, and could still be an executive producer with more creative control over the final product. This situation could be similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas , in which Tim Burton memorably created the story and characters and served as an executive producer, but didn’t direct.

Tarantino also produced Robert Rodriguez's 2007 film Planet Terror , which was originally presented in the Grindhouse double feature with his own movie, Death Proof .

Quentin Tarantino's New Biography Also Makes The Case For A Future Biopic About Him

From page to screen.

Tarantino has a fascinating, movie-obsessed upbringing that could make for a thrilling biopic, as emphasized by the entertaining looks at his childhood and employment at Video Archives in Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography . Considering the quick rise that Tarantino had in Hollywood throughout the 1990s and his continued auteur acclaim through the 2020s, a look back at his life in a biopic could work in the future, especially if it integrated his own film trademarks. Though Quentin Tarantino often cameos in his own movies , a biopic with other actors portraying him could be the perfect way to bring his name back on screen after The Movie Critic .

The Movie Critic

The Movie Critic is a new film by writer/director Quentin Tarantino. No information on the film has been unveiled yet.

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12 of the best chase scenes in movie history.

Put your pedal to the metal: Here's a handful of the most heart-racing, mind-bending, edge-of-your-seat chase scenes in film history.

By Zoe G Phillips , Carolyn Giardina March 1, 2024 8:15am

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You know the feeling: Your pulse rises as you lean forward, the hairs on your arms are lifting, and suddenly, you’re holding your breath. A good chase scene will leave you pinned to your seat, unable to look away no matter how many times you’ve seen the movie.

The art of the chase has changed drastically over the course of Hollywood history, shifting as new technologies and styles allowed filmmakers to push the boundaries of what it means for a character to narrowly escape. We’ve highlighted a dozen of the best examples spanning seven decades below, from the steep hills of San Francisco to remote treasure hunts in Egypt, lost cornfields in the middle of the country and high-rise buildings across Europe.

The best chase scenes choreograph high-stakes acting with deft camera work, graceful editing and a score that underlines the sequence perfectly. Watch for the nimble turns of Ansel Elgort’s Baby Driver in Baby Driver , the delightful music from Julian Nott in Wallace and Gromit’s The Wrong Trousers or the beloved fearlessness of Tom Cruise as he performs his own stunts in Mission: Impossible – Fallout .

Of course, a well-executed chase can be an indicator of a film destined for greatness, as many of the films on this list seemed to be. Among the 12 entries, there are a cumulative 24 Academy Awards, and many are single installments in fan-favorite franchises that continue to live on today.

Here are a dozen of the best chase scenes in movie history.

'Raiders of the Lost Ark'

Harrison Ford’s archaeologist Indiana Jones has run from all sorts of dangers across the franchise’s five movies, but the opening scene in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), during which Indy, wearing his signature fedora and jacket, flees a Peruvian temple (and a giant boulder) after taking a valuable idol remains its most iconic.

'The French Connection'

In William Friedkin’s 1971 thriller The French Connection, Gene Hackman’s detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle chases an elevated train by car, in hot pursuit of a hit man aboard the train. Brilliantly lensed by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Owen Roizman on location in Bensonhurt, Brooklyn, the scene is widely considered one of the greatest car chase sequences ever filmed. The French Connection won five Oscars including best picture, director and editing for Gerald Greenberg.

Another sequence widely considered among the greatest car chases is the famous scene in Peter Yates’ 1968 thriller Bullitt . Steve McQueen’s Lt. Frank Bullitt is at the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT for this iconic sequence that was filmed and set in and around San Francisco. Multiple Oscar-nominated cinematographer William A. Fraker lensed the chase, and editor Frank P. Keller won an Academy Award for his work.

'The Bourne Ultimatum'

Paul Greengrass’ The Bourne Ultimatum features Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) chasing a hitman through Tangier, including on a dirt bike and rooftops and after Damon jumps through a window, with hand-to-hand combat. (David Leitch is the stuntman who jumped through the window in the movie, which was lensed by Oliver Wood.) The brilliantly edited sequence and film delivered an Oscar to Christopher Rouse, as well as to the film’s sound editing and mixing teams.

'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'

In 1991, James Cameron released Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the classic sequel to his breakout The Terminator that featured a high-octane scene: A groundbreaking digital T1000 chases a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) who is on a motorcycle with the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent to protect him. The scene ends with the T-1000’s truck engulfed in a fiery explosion. Lensed by Oscar-nominated DP Adam Greenberg at Los Angeles’ Bull Creek, and edited by nominees Conrad Buff IV, Mark Goldblatt and Richard A. Harris, the movie earned four Oscars, for sound, sound effects editing, makeup and VFX.

'North by Northwest'

Cary Grant was at the center of the famous crop duster chase scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959). As Grant’s character Roger Thornhill seeks cover from an unidentified crop duster plane in a cornfield, he runs into the road, halts an oil truck and hides underneath the vehicle. The plane crashes into the truck and promptly explodes as Thornhill and the drivers escape. North by Northwest was nominated for three Oscars at the 32nd Academy awards, and the movie was later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the U.S. Library of Congress.

'Mission: Impossible - Fallout'

2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout was Tom Cruise’s sixth installment in his beloved action franchise, for which he is infamous in doing his own stunts. In one scene, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt jumps from one high-rise building to another while chasing Henry Cavill’s August Walker. Famously, Cruise actually injured himself while filming the leap, breaking his foot when he slipped during the fall and shutting down production for six weeks.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2'

Harry, Ron and Hermione endured their fair share of epic chase scenes across the eight Harry Potter films, but the dragon’s escape from Gringott’s bank in the final movie (released 2011) might be the most fun to watch. After sneaking into the goblin-secured dungeon in pursuit of a horcrux, the trio busts out of the underground chamber by freeing one of the dragons kept captive by the goblins. The creature bursts through the bank’s lobby, which fans first saw way back in the first film, before flying high above London and carrying the students to safety.

'The Wrong Trousers'

The stop-motion antics of Wallace and Gromit are beloved across their many film and TV iterations, but the train chase climax of 1993’s The Wrong Trousers is particularly impressive. In the film, Wallace and Gromit pursue a criminal penguin on a moving toy train in a sequence that employs a delightful mix of swish-pan and POV shots with a flouncy score from Julian Nott.

'What's Up Doc'

Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal kick off the memorable chase scene in 1972’s What’s Up Doc by hopping aboard a delivery bike in San Francisco, a move that subsequently sets off a chain reaction of events that grow more ridiculous with each cut of the camera. Eventually, Streisand and O’Neal’s Judy and Howard carjack a Volkswagen Beetle in a sequence that actually damaged San Francisco’s Alta Plaza Park staircase (fans can still see chips in the steps’ cement where the car fell). The film was directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

'Baby Driver'

There are few better examples on how to open a movie with a bang than the first scene of 2017’s Baby Driver , directed by Edgar Wright. Set to the the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s 1995 single “Bellbottoms,” Ansel Elgort’s titular getaway driver facilitates the escape of three criminal associates (Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal and Eiza González) after they rob a bank. The car chase that ensues could be considered a short film in its own right.

'Mad Max: Fury Road'

The sandstorm chase scene of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is the film’s most involved VFX sequence, with flurries of sand that whisk vehicles into the sky. As Charlize Theron’s Furiosa drives into the storm, Nicholas Hoult’s Nux continues his pursuit of her with Tom Hardy’s Max tied to the car. The scene climaxes when Nux attempts to sacrifice himself and Furiosa destroys the vehicle. The film won six Academy Awards in 2016, including for costumes, editing, makeup, production design, sound editing and sound mixing.

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Best movies of 2023, according to critics

(STACKER) — Looking back on 2023, it’s fair to say the year was one for the film history books. From the box office-breaking Barbenheimer weekend to the writers’ and actors’ strikes that lasted a large part of the year, countless defining events majorly impacted the industry. Alongside these headline-making moments were 12 months of incredible film releases.

“Maestro” audiences bore witness to a “career-best performance” by Carey Mulligan, with Jeffrey Wright’s jaw-dropping turn in “American Fiction” following suit. There was the buzzy “Saltburn” and “May December,” Greta Gerwig’s flawlessly directed “Barbie,” and the gorgeously shot “Poor Things.” In fact, there were so many good films this year it would be almost impossible to name them all, let alone compile a comprehensive list of the very best — so we’ve left that job up to the critics.

Using Metacritic data, Stacker appraised all the new films released in 2023 and ranked the top 25 by Metascore, with ties broken by the number of reviews and further ties remaining intact. (Data was collected on Dec. 13.) There are sure to be several films you’ll recognize as blockbuster hits, like “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” There are also several lesser-known titles— from “Beyond Utopia” and “The Disappearance of Shere Hite.” Along with some likely Oscar contenders like “The Zone of Interest,” there are also films you may be surprised didn’t make the list.

Read on to see whether your favorite blockbuster is #1 and discover a few hidden gems along the way.

25. ‘Beyond Utopia’

• Director: Madeleine Gavin
• Metascore: 84
• Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes

In this unique documentary, viewers follow several North Koreans as they risk everything to escape their homeland. All the footage in the film is original — none of the harrowing scenes are recreations, and it was all shot by the filmmakers or the film’s subjects themselves. The more tense moments are interspersed with talking-head scenes from other defectors that expound on life under the totalitarian regime. Ben Pearson, writing for /Film, called the movie “intense, thrilling, heartbreaking, and vital.”

23. ’20 Days in Mariupol’ (tie)

• Director: Mstyslav Chernov
• Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Another hard-hitting documentary, “20 Days in Mariupol” follows director Mstyslav Chernov as he navigates the nearly abandoned Ukrainian port city after the invasion of the Russian military. His footage captures fleeing civilians, destroyed hospitals, and people attempting to survive in the hollowed-out city. While the film is far from an easy watch, New York Times critic-at-large Jason Farago wrote that the film is a “truly important documentary,” serving as “a model of how we discover the larger truth of war.”

23. ‘The Eternal Memory’ (tie)

• Director: Maite Alberdi
• Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Shot primarily during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this documentary follows the relationship between famed Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora and his wife, actor and politician Paulina Urrutia, as she cares for him after his devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Writing for The Guardian, Wendy Ide described “The Eternal Memory” as “wrenchingly sad, but also a testament to the love that endures.”

22. ‘Earth Mama’

• Director: Savanah Leaf
• Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes

“Earth Mama” is an A24 drama following a young woman who finds herself leaning heavily on her Bay Area community as she navigates her pregnancy and attempts to reunite with her two older children in foster care. Both subtle and intimate, the film explores the complexities of motherhood, love, and grief. New York Times chief film critic Manohla Dargis called Savanah Leaf’s feature film directorial debut “very moving and adamantly political.”

21. ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’

• Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
• Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes

Based on the classic 1970 coming-of-age novel by Judy Blume, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” follows a middle school-aged girl as she navigates a major move, her interfaith religious identity, and the various trials and tribulations of puberty. In her review, Lauren Mechling, senior editor at The Guardian, called the movie “a stunning evocation of the fear and yearning that come with standing on the precipice of adulthood,” and though it was originally intended for preteens, its subject matter is sure to resonate with viewers of all ages and genders.

20. ‘Tótem’

• Director: Lila Avilés
• Metascore: 85
• Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes

In “Tótem,” a 7-year-old spends the day with her extended family as they gather to celebrate what will probably be her father’s last birthday. The film, told from the point of view of a child who cannot quite decipher the adults around her, is an honest, heartfelt look at the realities of an extended goodbye. Never veering into sentimentality, Variety’s chief film critic, Peter Debruge, called the film “intimate [and] emotionally rich.”

19. ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’

• Director: Nicole Newnham
• Runtime: 1 hour, 56 minutes

Narrated by Dakota Johnson, “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” is a documentary chronicling the life and legacy of feminist and women’s sexuality researcher Shere Hite. Despite Hite’s “The Hite Report” being the 31st bestselling book of all time as of 2021, most would be hard-pressed to give even a basic summary of its contents. The film has, as Monica Castillo writes in her review for Roger Ebert, brought Hite’s important work back into the light. Castillo called the movie especially “poignant at a time when people are losing reproductive rights, and LGBTQ communities are losing their hard-won protections.”

18. ‘May December’

• Director: Todd Haynes
• Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Loosely based on the real-life story of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, “May December” follows a woman whose 23-year relationship began when her partner was just 13, blurring the lines between abuse and romance. Starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, the movie’s thematic content is challenging, to say the least. Still, most critics, like Manohla Dargis in her New York Times rave, agree its disturbing subject matter is delicately dealt with. Its ambiguous ending encourages viewers to even further complicate their perspectives on the family at the heart of the film.

17. ‘Orlando, My Political Biography’

• Director: Paul B. Preciado
• Metascore: 86
• Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes

This uniquely formatted, experimental documentary tells the transition stories of 26 trans and nonbinary individuals, using Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando” as a unifying framework. For Variety, Manuel Betancourt wrote that director Paul B. Preciado created a “towering manifesto” of a film that blurred genre boundaries and blended the political and the personal with humor and self-consciousness.

16. ‘The Delinquents’

• Director: Rodrigo Moreno
• Runtime: 3 hours, 3 minutes

In “The Delinquents,” an overlooked, overworked bank employee plots to steal enough money to live modestly for the rest of his life — and he’ll cut his co-worker in if the other man agrees to hide the cash while he serves his inevitable jail time. However, there’s more to this Argentine film than an action-packed plot; it ruminates on late capitalism and the odd connections between people with quirky humor. Writing for Roger Ebert, Jourdain Searles said the film “plays like a philosophical experiment.”

15. ‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’

• Director: Raven Jackson
• Runtime: 1 hour, 32 minutes

Spanning the course of several decades, “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” follows a Black woman in Mississippi from childhood into her adult years. Raven Jackson’s first film has been highly praised for its composition and, as Richard Brody described in his New Yorker review, the way it “looks at ordinary life with such loving care.” In addition to Brody’s assertion that the film is “the directorial debut of the year,” fellow critics, including Monica Castillo for Roger Ebert, have lauded the film’s subtlety and slow, deliberate pacing.

14. ‘Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé’

• Director: Beyoncé
• Runtime: 2 hours, 50 minutes

A concert documentary film written, directed, and produced by Beyoncé herself, “Renaissance” takes viewers behind the scenes of the titular worldwide tour, giving them a rare look at the development of the epic scale of what can only be called an experience. Writing for Slate, Nadira Goffe, an associate writer of culture, praised how the movie embraced the singer’s imperfections, dispelling the idea that all celebrities are — and should be — perfect. “Renaissance” also offers up a visual feast that NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour called “maximalist excellence.”

13. ‘Anatomy of a Fall’

• Director: Justine Triet
• Runtime: 2 hours, 32 minutes

In this French courtroom drama, a young visually impaired boy struggles with his decision to testify after his mother is accused of murdering his father. “Anatomy of a Fall,” winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, wrestles with the idea of truth and whether it is ever really knowable. Writing for The Guardian, Wendy Ide called the film “electric, restlessly dynamic and compulsively watchable,” neatly stepping around the common pitfalls of legal dramas to create something fresh and complex.

12. ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

• Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
• Runtime: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Following up on the critically acclaimed “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” sees Spideys from the far reaches of the multiverse team up to stop a new threat. Bursting with creative energy and multiple visually arresting animation styles, the film explores what it means to grow up and how much power we have over our own storylines. In his review for The Ringer, Daniel Chin wrote that “Across the Spider-Verse” is “even more ambitious, adventurous, and visually spellbinding than its predecessor — and just as filled with heart.”

11. ‘Mami Wata’

• Director: C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi
• Metascore: 87
• Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes

A black-and-white thriller based on Nigerian folklore, “Mami Wata” deals with the water spirit Mami Wata and one village’s growing discontent with her earthly representative, Mama Efe, who serves as the village’s faith healer. Peter Bradshaw raved about the movie’s striking visuals, urgent storytelling, and stripped-down minimalism in his Guardian review, while RogerEbert.com Editor-at-Large Matt Zoller Seitz wrote, “The film casts a spell, and the spell persists to the end.”

10. ‘Fallen Leaves’

• Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• Runtime: 1 hour, 21 minutes

The only rom-com to make the list, “Fallen Leaves” follows two Finnish people as they attempt to start a relationship despite numerous obstacles that range from lost phone numbers to alcoholism. In her New York Times review, Esther Zuckerman called the film a “brilliant new gem of a comedy” that balances despair and levity to ultimately “life-affirming” effect.

9. ‘Poor Things’

• Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
• Runtime: 2 hours, 21 minutes

Based on a 1992 novel of the same name, “Poor Things” tells the story of a resurrected Victorian woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. Besides calling the film Yorgos Lanthimos’ best, film critic Christy Lemire praised Emma Stone’s “performance of a lifetime” as Bella in her Roger Ebert review. Constance Grady, a senior correspondent of culture at Vox, called the film “joyous in its weirdness, joyous in its exploration and celebration of its strange, strange world.”

8. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Metascore: 89
• Runtime: 3 hours, 26 minutes

An adaptation of the bestselling 2017 book of the same name by David Grann, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is about the murders of Osage Nation members after oil was discovered on their tribal land. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone, the movie has been held up as a perfect example of how drastically American history changes when the narrator of that history changes. Scorsese’s handling of the heavy subject matter was praised by RogerEbert.com managing editor Brian Tallerico, who called it “a masterful historical drama about evil operating in plain sight” in his review.

7. ‘Oppenheimer’

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Runtime: 3 hours

One of the summer’s biggest hits, “Oppenheimer” is an epic biographical thriller that covers the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in developing the atomic bomb. In addition to its compelling direction and nuanced performances from its leads, Associated Press film writer Jake Coyle praised the movie for how it wrestled with the question of the responsibility of power: whether it be in major things, like the development of the bomb, or more everyday things, like our interactions with our loved ones.

6. ‘All of Us Strangers’

• Director: Andrew Haigh
• Metascore: 91
• Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Best described as a romantic drama with a magical realism twist, Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” follows a Londoner named Adam as he begins a relationship with his mysterious neighbor and simultaneously discovers that his parents appear to still be alive, despite dying in a car crash 30 years prior. The gut-wrenching film at once inspires feelings of loneliness and connection, which is partly what makes it so remarkable.

“Haigh’s study of loneliness does, in its own strange way, make us feel less alone,” Benjamin Lee, East Coast arts editor at The Guardian, wrote in his review. “It may never get better in the ways we were told it would but if we can stop it from getting worse, then maybe that’ll be enough.”

5. ‘Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros’

• Director: Frederick Wiseman
• Metascore: 92
• Runtime: 4 hours

Directed by 93-year-old veteran Frederick Wiseman, this documentary takes viewers inside the titular French restaurant that’s held three Michelin stars for more than half a century. Earning a rare 100% score from critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes, “Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros” meticulously showcases what it takes to reach culinary perfection. Writing for Roger Ebert, Matt Zoller Seitz noted the project helps audiences “see through fresh eyes and understand things [they] never thought about or took for granted.”

4. ‘The Boy and the Heron’

• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes

A Studio Ghibli project, “The Boy and the Heron” is an animated fantasy film that follows a young boy, Mahito, who, after his mother dies, enters a timeless world via an abandoned tower and befriends a talking gray heron. As with many Studio Ghibli releases, critics have lauded Hayao Miyazaki’s incredible animation and the movie’s poignant themes of coping with grief and loss and eventually, coming to a place of acceptance.

3. ‘The Zone of Interest’

• Director: Jonathan Glazer
• Metascore: 93

Jonathan Glazer’s difficult-to-watch film “The Zone of Interest” follows a Nazi commander as he and his family work to build an idyllic home for themselves next door to Auschwitz. Critics have praised the drama for how it unemotionally examines how easily apathy can make us complicit in the horrors of history. Critic Raphael Abraham wrote for the Financial Times: “Glazer has achieved something much greater than just making the monstrous mundane — by rendering such extreme inhumanity ordinary he reawakens us to its true horror”

2. ‘Past Lives’

• Director: Celine Song
• Metascore: 94

The drama “Past Lives” follows two people as they go from childhood loves in South Korea to veritable strangers in New York City to something in between. At once incredibly romantic and heartbreakingly sad, the movie is both “delicate, sophisticated and yet also somehow simple, direct, even verging on the cheesy,” as Peter Bradshaw described for The Guardian; it’s a fitting way to encapsulate this singular entry into the cannon that sits in the runner-up spot for 2023 movies.

1. ‘Our Body’

• Director: Claire Simon
• Metascore: 95
• Runtime: 2 hours, 48 minutes

And the best movie of 2023, according to critics? That honor goes to “Our Body,” a documentary about the doctors and patients of a gynecological ward at a public Parisian hospital. The film from acclaimed documentarian Claire Simon has a rare 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s International Critic Jessica Kiang praised “Our Body,” particularly for “demystifying and de-objectifying the female body” and for its “nonjudgmental, empathetic” approach to the choices pregnant people from all walks of life make regarding their health care.

Story editing by Eliza Siegel. Copy editing by Paris Close.

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The 100+ Best Historical Drama Movies

Calling all film buffs and history enthusiasts, get ready to dive into the world of cinema that masterfully brings the past to life. From meticulously accurate depictions of actual events to imaginative interpretations of bygone eras, this comprehensive list features not just the best historical movies, but some of the most engrossing cinematic experiences of all time. Strap in and join thousands of filmgoers who have cast their votes on what makes the cut as the best historical fiction movies ever made.

Immerse yourself in diverse narratives across times and cultures with this selection of best history movies. Each movie has been exquisitely selected, not just for its precision in reconstructing history, but also for its remarkable filmmaking. These films have received widespread critical acclaim, and been beloved by audiences worldwide, and some are even hailed as timeless classics. They transport us to different eras, and in each, history unfolds on an intensely human scale.

Punctuating compelling storytelling with stunning visuals, the best period films in this list recreate yesteryears with a keen eye for detail. Crafted painstakingly by some of the most talented individuals in the film industry, they artfully mirror the historical authenticity of the periods they depict. From epoch-defining events to intimate personal dramas, these films elegantly sew the fabric of the past into engaging narratives.

Augmenting this archive are period dramas that give a voice to compelling characters embroiled in problems defining their times. These films often evoke strong emotions and bring a nuanced understanding of the era's socio-political landscape. Moreover, they offer a splendid canvas where stellar performances and awe-inspiring direction effortlessly converge.

To make this cinematic journey smooth and enjoyable, each movie included in this list provides streaming buttons for platforms such as Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime. A variegated range of streaming options for the comfiest home-viewing experience.

So, grab a tub of popcorn and start your journey through the corridors of history. Be it the courage of warriors on battlegrounds or the quiet resilience of everyday heroes, these films will move, inspire, and entertain. Don't forget, as a part of this ever-growing community of movie lovers, your opinion matters. Make sure to vote up your favorite movies and share your love for historical cinema with the world.

Schindler's List

A gripping tale of a man's transformation from a selfish opportunist to a savior of thousands, this film showcases the resilience of the human spirit amidst unspeakable horrors. Exceptional performances and masterful storytelling make it an unforgettable viewing experience that serves as a somber reminder of our past. Its emotional impact lingers long after the credits roll, reinforcing its status as a cinematic masterpiece.

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• # 2 of 95 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture

The Last of the Mohicans

A powerful adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel, this movie expertly balances romance, adventure, and historical drama in an epic story set during the French and Indian War. Stellar performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe breathe life into their iconic characters, while the breathtaking cinematography captures the untamed beauty of early America. The haunting score adds depth to this compelling tale that has solidified its place among historical drama greats.

• # 86 of 86 on The Best Silent Movies of All Time
• # 26 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 16 of 288 on The 250+ Best Western Movies Of All Time

Saving Private Ryan

This heart-wrenching depiction of World War II explores themes such as sacrifice, camaraderie, and heroism through its brilliant ensemble cast led by Tom Hanks. Its intense battle scenes are both visceral and immersive, bringing audiences closer than ever before to understanding the horrors faced by soldiers on all sides. Steven Spielberg's deft direction elevates this tale into an unforgettable meditation on war and humanity.

• Dig Deeper... This Virginia Town’s Massive Single-Day Loss During WWII Inspired 'Saving Private Ryan'
• # 7 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 1 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

The inspiring true story of the first all-black volunteer company fighting during the American Civil War is brought to life with finesse in this emotionally charged film. With standout performances from Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, it offers not only an engaging history lesson but also a moving exploration of racial prejudice and personal growth under extreme circumstances. Its balance between gritty realism and poignant emotionality leaves viewers with a deep appreciation for those who fought for freedom.

• # 2 of 27 on The 25+ Best Civil War Movies Of All Time, Ranked
• # 13 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 15 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story

A thrilling blend of action-packed spectacle and engrossing character development, this Roman epic stands out as a testament to the genre's enduring appeal. Russell Crowe's riveting performance as Maximus, a betrayed general seeking vengeance against those who wronged him, forms the backbone of a sweeping tale that deftly balances political intrigue with brutal combat sequences. Its stirring score and unforgettable visuals cement its place as one of history's most memorable dramas.

• Dig Deeper... 14 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From ‘Gladiator’
• And Deeper... Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes
• # 19 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

This stylish retelling of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral is elevated by its charismatic ensemble cast led by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. A mix of gritty action and witty banter showcases not only the violent side of the Wild West but also its complex characters and relationships. Its blend of historical accuracy and engaging storytelling make it a standout among Westerns.

• Dig Deeper... Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Making Of ‘Tombstone’
• # 1 of 288 on The 250+ Best Western Movies Of All Time
• # 29 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The 1990s

Black Hawk Down

A harrowing account of modern warfare, this film plunges viewers into the chaos and confusion experienced by soldiers during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. The relentless pace captures the tension and adrenaline rush faced by those on the ground while avoiding overt political messages, instead focusing on their camaraderie and courage under fire. Director Ridley Scott's attention to detail only heightens its impact, making it an essential watch for fans of war films.

• # 4 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 415 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 12 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story

Mel Gibson's visceral portrayal of Scottish hero William Wallace is equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking as he leads his countrymen against English tyranny in this epic saga. The breathtaking cinematography captures both Scotland's rugged beauty and the brutality of medieval warfare with unflinching honesty. This stirring tale serves as a powerful reminder that freedom often comes at a great cost.

• Dig Deeper... What A Historically Accurate Version Of 'Braveheart' Would Actually Be Like
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• # 36 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

Dances with Wolves

Kevin Costner's passion project offers an intimate look at Native American culture through its captivating story about a Civil War soldier who becomes one with a Sioux tribe after befriending them on the frontier. The lush landscapes and sweeping score create an immersive experience that transports viewers to a different time and place. Its thought-provoking themes of cultural understanding and self-discovery make it an enduring classic.

• # 25 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 7 of 27 on The 25+ Best Civil War Movies Of All Time, Ranked
• # 51 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

A nail-biting tribute to the resourcefulness and determination of NASA's finest, this gripping story chronicles the harrowing journey of three astronauts stranded in space after their mission goes awry. The stellar cast, led by Tom Hanks, delivers a masterclass in acting as they portray the fear and frustration felt both on board the doomed spacecraft and back on Earth. Despite knowing the outcome, audiences remain on the edge of their seats throughout this tense and emotionally charged drama.

• Dig Deeper... Things 'Apollo 13' Got Totally Wrong
• # 21 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 47 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The 1990s

The Patriot

Set during the American Revolution, this heart-wrenching tale follows the transformation of a once-reluctant warrior into a vengeful hero, fighting for freedom and familial redemption. Mel Gibson takes center stage once more in this rousing tale of a reluctant hero who joins the fight for American independence after tragedy strikes his family. Aided by an impressive supporting cast, including Heath Ledger and Jason Isaacs, the film explores themes such as patriotism, loyalty, and redemption against a backdrop of stunning period visuals. Its blend of heartfelt emotionality and visceral battle sequences make it an engaging watch.

• # 22 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 261 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 20 of 50 on What's The Most Famous Movie Set In Every State?

Based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels , this epic retelling of one of America's bloodiest battles offers an immersive experience that thrusts viewers into the heart of the Civil War. This film captures the intensity and carnage of the Civil War with unwavering accuracy. With meticulous attention to historical detail and superb performances from its ensemble cast led by Jeff Daniels and Tom Berenger, it captures both the human drama taking place off the battlefield and the intensity of combat. Its grand scope and powerful storytelling make it a must-see for history buffs.

• # 1 of 27 on The 25+ Best Civil War Movies Of All Time, Ranked
• # 24 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 54 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story

The Bridge on the River Kwai

This iconic war film delves into themes such as honor, duty, and obsession as British POWs are compelled to build a bridge for their Japanese captors during World War II. Alec Guinness's unforgettable performance as Colonel Nicholson showcases both his commitment to maintaining military decorum under duress and his eventual spiral into madness. Director David Lean's expert storytelling ensures its place among cinema's greatest achievements.

• # 20 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 11 of 95 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture

George C. Scott's captivating portrayal of controversial U.S. General George S. Patton Jr., from his North African campaign in World War II to the fall of the Third Reich, showcases a complex man whose brilliance on the battlefield was often overshadowed by his larger-than-life persona. The film expertly balances action-packed sequences with quieter moments that delve into Patton's character and motivations, offering an engrossing experience for viewers. Its enduring influence is a testament to its quality as both war epic and character study. The film's gripping portrayal of battlefield tactics, politics, and the complexities of leadership make it an unforgettable journey into the heart and mind of a military legend.

• # 8 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 27 of 95 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
• # 57 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story

This German masterpiece offers a claustrophobic look at life aboard a Nazi U-boat during World War II, capturing both the tension and tedium experienced by its crew as they navigate treacherous waters and face opposing forces. Director Wolfgang Petersen's unflinching realism ensures that every drop of sweat and whisper remains palpable, making it one of the most authentic portrayals of submarine warfare ever put on screen. Its relentless realism and pulse-pounding suspense make it an essential watch for fans of historical dramas.

• # 15 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 755 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 283 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked

Gangs of New York

Martin Scorsese's exploration of 19th-century New York City delves into themes such as corruption, revenge, and immigrant struggles through its tale of rival factions vying for control over the criminal underworld. With standout performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz, this gritty drama is elevated by its superb acting and atmospheric visuals that transport viewers back in time. It stands out not only for its historical accuracy but also for its engaging storylines that keep audiences hooked.

• # 662 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 49 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 161 of 363 on The Best Movies Based On Books

This sweeping adaptation of Homer's Iliad brings ancient mythology to life with an all-star cast, including Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom. The epic tale of love, war, and betrayal is elevated by its stunning visuals and intense battle sequences that showcase both the grandeur and devastation wrought by conflict. Its star-studded cast, breathtaking visuals, and captivating narrative make it a timeless classic in the annals of historical drama.

• Dig Deeper... The Film Version Of 'Troy' Doesn't Even Come Close To The Brutality Of The Source Texts
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• # 104 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

The King's Speech

The inspiring true story of King George VI (Colin Firth) overcoming his debilitating stammer with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) serves as the heartwarming core of this award-winning film. With powerful performances from its leads and a keen eye for period detail, it offers an intimate look at British royalty during a time of great upheaval. Its uplifting message about perseverance in the face of adversity resonates with audiences long after the credits roll.

• # 37 of 95 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
• # 26 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 12 of 86 on The Best Movies Of 2010

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Based on Patrick O'Brian's beloved novels, this maritime adventure follows Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) as he faces off against a formidable French warship during the Napoleonic Wars. With spectacular visuals, thrilling naval battles, and an enthralling story, it's a true tour de force in the realm of historical dramas. Director Peter Weir expertly balances thrilling naval battles with quieter moments of camaraderie and introspection, creating a deeply satisfying experience for fans of historical dramas. Its impeccable attention to period detail only adds to its appeal.

• # 35 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 220 of 363 on The Best Movies Based On Books
• # 147 of 188 on The Best Movies For Men

This timeless classic follows Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) as he seeks revenge against his Roman oppressors while navigating the tumultuous world of ancient Palestine. The film's iconic chariot race scene remains one of cinema's most thrilling spectacles, showcasing just how far ahead of its time it truly was. With its powerful themes and unforgettable imagery, it remains an enduring classic in the world of historical drama.

• # 25 of 95 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
• # 624 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Gone with the Wind

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, this sweeping romance between Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) is brought to life with grandeur and emotion. The film's sumptuous visuals, memorable characters, and unforgettable performances make it a timeless classic that continues to captivate audiences. Its portrayal of love, loss, and resilience amidst the backdrop of war offers a compelling exploration of human nature.

• Dig Deeper... Dark Tales From Behind The Scenes Of 'Gone with the Wind'
• # 4 of 27 on The 25+ Best Civil War Movies Of All Time, Ranked
• # 110 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

The Last Samurai

Tom Cruise stars as a disillusioned American soldier who finds redemption and purpose among the samurai warriors he was sent to destroy in this visually stunning epic set during Japan's Meiji Restoration period. The film expertly balances intense action sequences with quieter moments of introspection, offering a nuanced look at the clash between tradition and modernity. With a compelling narrative, brilliant performances, and unforgettable action sequences, it's a mesmerizing exploration of honor, loyalty, and the struggle between tradition and progress.

• Dig Deeper... What A Historically Accurate Version Of 'The Last Samurai' Would Be Like
• # 94 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 538 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Lawrence of Arabia

David Lean's masterpiece, chronicling the extraordinary life of British officer T.E. Lawrence during World War I, is renowned for its breathtaking cinematography and sweeping narrative that delves into themes such as identity, culture, and the complexities of war. Peter O'Toole's mesmerizing performance as the enigmatic Lawrence anchors this epic tale that transports viewers to a time and place unlike any other. The stunning cinematography, brilliant performances, and grand scale make it a masterpiece of historical cinema.

• # 4 of 49 on The Top 45+ Films Released In 1962
• # 40 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

The Longest Day

This star-studded account of D-Day offers a comprehensive look at one of the most significant battles in human history through the eyes of those who fought on both sides. With its blend of gripping action sequences and poignant character moments, it paints a vivid picture of courage and sacrifice amidst the chaos and confusion of war. The ensemble cast shines in this enduring tribute to the men and women who changed the course of history.

• # 3 of 49 on The Top 45+ Films Released In 1962
• # 9 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 68 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story

A visually stunning adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel, this stylized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae showcases ancient warfare at its most brutal and spectacular. Gerard Butler's commanding performance as Spartan King Leonidas injects heart into this tale of heroism against overwhelming odds while its innovative visuals create an immersive experience for audiences. Beyond its gritty aesthetic, the film also explores themes of honor, sacrifice, and the fine line between heroism and madness.

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• # 118 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time

Kingdom of Heaven

Ridley Scott's ambitious take on the Crusades tackles themes such as religious fanaticism, chivalry, and redemption through its engrossing story set during one of history's most turbulent periods. Orlando Bloom shines as Balian, a blacksmith turned knight tasked with defending Jerusalem from Saladin's forces while grappling with his own inner demons. Its epic scope, stunning visuals, and complex characters make it a standout among historical epics.

• # 80 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 27 of 143 on The Best Movies of 2005
• # 104 of 307 on The 300+ Best Epic Movies Of All Time

Steven Spielberg's masterful biopic offers a nuanced examination of America's 16th president, played to perfection by Daniel Day-Lewis, as he navigates the treacherous waters of politics and morality in his quest to abolish slavery. The supporting cast, including Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, delivers equally powerful performances that underscore the human dimensions of this pivotal moment in history. Its intelligent storytelling and emotional resonance make it a must-see for fans of historical dramas.

• # 125 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 39 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 12 of 58 on The Best Movies Based on Non-Fiction Books

Stanley Kubrick's epic tale of rebellion among Roman slaves boasts a star-studded cast led by Kirk Douglas as the titular hero who leads his fellow gladiators in revolt against their oppressive masters. Its thrilling battle sequences are matched only by its compelling exploration of themes such as freedom, loyalty, and courage in the face of adversity. This classic remains a benchmark for historical dramas more than half a century after its release.

• # 62 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 70 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 94 of 363 on The Best Movies Based On Books

Letters from Iwo Jima

Clint Eastwood's companion piece to his equally acclaimed Flags of Our Fathers offers an intimate look at the Japanese perspective during one of World War II's bloodiest battles. Ken Watanabe delivers a powerful performance as General Kuribayashi, who led his beleaguered troops against overwhelming odds while grappling with his own sense of duty and honor. Its empathetic portrayal of those caught up in the brutal conflict serves as a poignant reminder of the shared humanity that transcends national boundaries.

• # 27 of 261 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 15 of 101 on The Best Movies Of 2006
• # 22 of 55 on The Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the 2000s

The Right Stuff

This riveting adaptation of Tom Wolfe's bestselling book chronicles the early days of America's space program through the eyes of its pioneering astronauts and test pilots. With its blend of humor, humanity, and tension-filled action sequences, it offers an engaging look at these larger-than-life heroes who pushed boundaries both on Earth and beyond. Director Philip Kaufman skillfully weaves together multiple storylines into a cohesive narrative that showcases not only their individual achievements but also their collective impact on history.

• # 53 of 234 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 175 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 13 of 72 on The 70+ Best Movies From 1983, Ranked
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Looking closer at films, TV shows, docs, and miniseries that explore, recreate, and occasionally flub up real historical events.