The Best Historical Drama Movies Of All Time

Updated November 25, 2020 127.2k votes 7.2k voters 273.5k views197 items

List 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.

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1
3,016
837
Schindler's List
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
2
844
101
Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt Damon
Released: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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3
3,160
1,169
Gladiator
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Released: 2000
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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4
1,857
551
Glory
Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington
Released: 1989
Directed by: Edward Zwick
5
2,200
746
Tombstone
Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell
Released: 1993
Directed by: Kevin Jarre, George P. Cosmatos
6
2,393
820
Black Hawk Down
Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy
Released: 2001
Directed by: Ridley Scott
7
2,176
826
Dances with Wolves
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell
Released: 1990
Directed by: Kevin Costner

8
2,793
1,081
Braveheart
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau
Released: 1995
Directed by: Mel Gibson
9
2,430
985
The Patriot
Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger
Released: 2000
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
10
2,139
518
The Last of the Mohicans
Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe
Released: 1992
Directed by: Michael Mann
11
1,473
657
Patton
George C. Scott, Karl Malden
Released: 1970
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
12
1,322
528
Gettysburg
Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger
Released: 1993
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
13
851
390
The Longest Day
Sean Connery, John Wayne
Released: 1962
Directed by: Darryl F. Zanuck, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald
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14
1,765
955
Gone with the Wind
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Released: 1939
Directed by: Sam Wood, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
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15
881
441
Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, Mario Van Peebles
Released: 1986
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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16
1,392
746
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins
Released: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
17
1,664
752
Troy
Brad Pitt, Eric Bana
Released: 2004
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
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18
1,878
925
Gangs of New York
Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Released: 2002
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
19
225
33
Apollo 13
Tom Hanks, Bryce Dallas Howard
Released: 1995
Directed by: Ron Howard
20
1,041
572
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jason Robards Jr., Martin Balsam
Released: 1970
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
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21
1,661
1,067
Lincoln
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Day-Lewis
Released: 2012
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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22
944
462
Lawrence of Arabia
Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole
Released: 1962
Directed by: David Lean
23
1,743
887
The King's Speech
Helena Bonham Carter, Colin Firth
Released: 2010
Directed by: Tom Hooper
24
698
362
All Quiet on the Western Front
Fred Zinnemann, Lew Ayres
Released: 1930
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
25
1,346
902
Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart
Released: 1942
Directed by: Michael Curtiz