Originally by Ranker FilmList RulesYour favorite historical drama films, regardless of box office gross or popularity.
Here is a list where movie fans, like you, get to rank the best historical drama movies and period pieces of all time below. So what makes a good historical drama movie? Some would say period-accuracy is most important while others may assert plot and emotion should be priorities. Sometimes a great performance can overcome a flawed historical drama. These differing opinions are why it is difficult to rank the best historical drama movies of all time.
Do your due diligence and vote up your favorite historical dramas and historical action movies. These are the top films in the historical fiction, drama genre, meaning that each and every one of these is either tells a story from history or is a period piece. We have included details such as cast, year, director, and more. This list of historical drama films also contains plot summaries and miscellaneous information. Once you look below, you'll find that this is much more than just a top 100 period piece movies list. But which of these are the best historical fiction movies to watch?
Many of these top historical drama movies are available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Don't agree with this list? Feel free to rerank it to your heart's desire. You can either copy the historical drama films or add your own. This list, though, contains the best historical drama movies of all time, as voted on by fans of the films. Make sure to rock the vote by voting up the greatest dramatic history movies on this list (according to you). Historical drama movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. After you've voted for your favorites, share the list on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networks. Aside from this list of the best historical drama movies, you can also take a look at the Best Family Drama Movies, The Best R-Rated Drama Movies, and the Best PG-13 Rated Drama Movies.
list.itemsDescription
1
2,955815Schindler's List
Liam Neeson, Ralph FiennesReleased: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
2
834104Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt DamonReleased: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
3
3,0901,142Gladiator
Russell Crowe, Joaquin PhoenixReleased: 2000
Directed by: Ridley Scott
4
1,823548Glory
Morgan Freeman, Denzel WashingtonReleased: 1989
Directed by: Edward Zwick
5
2,160738Tombstone
Val Kilmer, Kurt RussellReleased: 1993
Directed by: Kevin Jarre, George P. Cosmatos
6
2,352811Black Hawk Down
Ewan McGregor, Tom HardyReleased: 2001
Directed by: Ridley Scott
7
2,142812Dances with Wolves
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnellReleased: 1990
Directed by: Kevin Costner
8
2,7441,061Braveheart
Mel Gibson, Sophie MarceauReleased: 1995
Directed by: Mel Gibson
9
2,391969The Patriot
Mel Gibson, Heath LedgerReleased: 2000
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
10
2,117511The Last of the Mohicans
Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine StoweReleased: 1992
Directed by: Michael Mann
11
1,449645Patton
George C. Scott, Karl MaldenReleased: 1970
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
12
1,298523Gettysburg
Martin Sheen, Tom BerengerReleased: 1993
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
13
837387The Longest Day
Sean Connery, John WayneReleased: 1962
Directed by: Darryl F. Zanuck, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald
14
1,736938Gone with the Wind
Clark Gable, Vivien LeighReleased: 1939
Directed by: Sam Wood, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
15
870440Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, Mario Van PeeblesReleased: 1986
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
16
1,638743Troy
Brad Pitt, Eric BanaReleased: 2004
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
17
1,855911Gangs of New York
Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprioReleased: 2002
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
18
1,364736Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack HawkinsReleased: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
19
22239Apollo 13
Tom Hanks, Bryce Dallas HowardReleased: 1995
Directed by: Ron Howard
20
1,021567Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jason Robards Jr., Martin BalsamReleased: 1970
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
21
1,6311,041Lincoln
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Day-LewisReleased: 2012
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
22
928454Lawrence of Arabia
Omar Sharif, Peter O'TooleReleased: 1962
Directed by: David Lean
23
1,704869The King's Speech
Helena Bonham Carter, Colin FirthReleased: 2010
Directed by: Tom Hooper
24
689359All Quiet on the Western Front
Fred Zinnemann, Lew AyresReleased: 1930
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
25
1,319882Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey BogartReleased: 1942
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25