And so, in compiling this list of the best movies based on true stories, we paid particular attention to those films that approached their subjects with something close to a journalistic eye — none of this vague ‘inspired by true events’ stuff.
Among them are Oscar winning dramas covering major moments in history, salacious crime stories drawn from magazine articles, odd character studies, psychedelic head-trips and other wild tales no one would believe if they didn’t actually happen.
With heist film tension and ’70s-style grit, the film turned out to be one of the smartest, most sharply executed thrillers of the decade. Dive into these films, weigh in on your favorites, and see the rankings shift based on the collective opinions of movie buffs. While screenwriters work tirelessly trying to think up new stories, some of the greatest movies ever made are those based on real life tales.
This type of movie spans across so many different genres that you might need help filtering through to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Think again, my friend.
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Cinematic truth often differs from actual truth, and even the most accurate depictions of real events to appear on the big screen typically feature at least a sprinkling of dramatic license. Apollo 13 captivates with its incredible true space adventure, and Tombstone transports us to the lawless Old West. Sidney Lumet interpreted the episode as a countercultural tragicomedy, and with a loose, fiery performance from Al Pacino at its center, turned it into one of the era’s signature films.
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It’s almost quaint to think about a time when the most controversial thing about Facebook was where Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea from.
Sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction — and often, it makes the best movies.
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Been there, done that?
Some of the most unique movies based on true stories depict shocking extreme events such as plane crash survivors in Society of the Snow, a high-stakes hostage rescue in Argo, and a malfunctioning rocket ship in Apollo 13. As groundbreaking as the book In Cold Blood was for long-form narrative journalism, director Richard Brooks matches it on screen, detailing the murders and their aftermath with a stark realism uncommon in Hollywood at the time.
Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast led by Mark Ruffalo, Tom McCarthy’s Oscar-winner depicts the Boston Globe’s investigative team as they go up against an institution even more diabolical than Nixon’s White House: the Catholic church.
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The McConaissance hit its peak with this decidedly unsentimental biopic of Ron Woodruff, a homophobic redneck who nonetheless helped hundreds of early AIDS patients by exploiting loopholes in federal law and selling black-market HIV meds that the FDA was in no rush to approve.
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I, Tonya is loosely based on actual events—the life of figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to the 1994 attack on her skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. Coppola twists the tale into a commentary on wealth and status in the Digital Age, but the greatest impression is left by Emma Watson, fully stepping out from the shadow of Hermione Granger to play the crew’s amoral bling-ringleader.
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In a world filled with cinematic fiction, there's something uniquely captivating about the best movies based on true stories.
Adapting a Texas Monthly article about the crime, Richard Linklater interpreted the affair as a dark comedy, and made the genius move of casting Jack Black in the title role. It’s a point proven by the fact that her memoir, on which the film is based, ended up being her most successful book.
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Director Steve McQueen broke through with this harrowing depiction of an ultimately fatal six-week hunger strike perpetrated by IRA member Bobby Sands at Northern Ireland’s Maze Prison. Haunted by childhood memories of news stories about Sands, McQueen immersed himself in literature about the the five-year 'no wash protest' at the prison, and the end result is a remarkably detailed vision of life in a nearly literal hell.
Despite playing against type, it’s arguably Black’s greatest performance, and earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and her cousin Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) both vie to be Anne's favorite.
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Kathryn Bigelow's 2012 masterwork is a gripping action film depicting the decade-long CIA manhunt for Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.