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5.3k voters

The Best Movies Based On True Stories

Updated April 15, 2021 72.1k votes 5.3k voters 241.2k views304 items

List RulesSome story liberties and combining of characters allowed. All within reason. And yes, Cool Runnings.

"Movies based on a true story" is so commonly thrown around it's practically the new "in a world where..." as far as trailer plugs go. But the films on this list really are based on true events or a real person's life story. And they weren't just so-so, they're the best movies based on true stories.

The surge in the popularity of great movies based on or inspired by true stories in the last decade is especially staggering. The first feature-length film based on a true story was The Kelly Gang, about Ned Kelly. It was released in 1900. Since then, movies based on true stories are being made with increasing regularity, and each year sees the release of more true story movies. Of course, there are movies based on true events like Apollo 13, but there are also good biopics that give an audience insight into a person's life such as Erin Brockovich and Walk the Line. There are also, occasionally, "true stories" based on highly questionable sources, or ones that play with tired tropes. There are even som great action movies based on true stories. And sometimes, the movie provides a rosier version of true events, as with The Sound of Music.

The films on this list dove deep, did the research, and created films as honest and true to the facts as possible. Below are the top movies truly based on true stories. Vote up your favorite films on this list based on a real life story or historical events.

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Schindler's List
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama, directed and co-produced by... more
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1,214
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Apollo 13
Tom Hanks, Bryce Dallas Howard
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American historical docudrama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars... more
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Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Apollo 13'#2 of 50 The Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the '90s
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1,054
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Goodfellas
Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation... more
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1,180
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Catch Me If You Can
Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical crime drama film based on the life of... more
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Black Hawk Down
Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy
Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American-British war film directed by Ridley Scott. It is an... more
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846
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Walk the Line
Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix
Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based... more
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#2 of 195 The Best Movies About Music#375 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
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545
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Glory
Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington
Glory is a 1989 American drama film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick,... more
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#2 of 28 Civil War Movies List#9 of 75 The Best Movies About Historical Battles
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816
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The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith, Thandie Newton
The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film based on Chris Gardner's... more
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#23 of 172 The Most Utterly Depressing Movies Ever Made#56 of 85 The Greatest African American Biopics
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Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed by James Cameron. A... more
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The Great Escape
Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough
The Great Escape is a 1963 American WWII epic film based on an escape by British and... more
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#3 of 175 The Best Movies Of The '60s#25 of 306 The Best Ensemble Movies
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804
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Hidden Figures
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer
Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi, based on... more
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Cool Runnings
John Candy, Malik Yoba
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports film directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring Leon,... more
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850
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Braveheart
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical medieval war drama film directed by and starring Mel... more
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American Sniper
Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller
American Sniper is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and... more
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Tombstone
Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell
Tombstone is a 1993 American western film directed by George P. Cosmatos, written by Kevin... more
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#3 of 400 The Best Western Movies Ever Made#2 of 77 The 30+ Best Modern Western Movies
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The King's Speech
Helena Bonham Carter, Colin Firth
The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written... more
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Good Morning, Vietnam
Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker
Good Morning, Vietnam is a 1987 American comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed... more
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#58 of 922 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films#44 of 305 The Funniest '80s Movies
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The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey
The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American biographical black comedy film directed by Martin... more
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#2 of 125 The Best Period Movies Set in the '80s#9 of 17 People Share The Most Awkward Movie Moments They Watched With Their Parents And The Cringe Is Real
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A League of Their Own
Madonna, Tom Hanks
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account... more
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#1 of 204 The Best Sports Movies Ever Made#3 of 12 Movies Where The Cast And Crew Disagreed About Its Meaning
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609
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The Sound of Music
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise... more
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The Right Stuff
Jeff Goldblum, Ed Harris
The Right Stuff is a 1983 American drama film that was adapted from Tom Wolfe's best-selling... more
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#1151 of 1,506 The Most Rewatchable Movies#169 of 512 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
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The Perfect Storm
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg
The Perfect Storm is a 2000 American biographical disaster drama film directed by Wolfgang... more
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12 Years a Slave
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender
12 Years a Slave is a 2013 period drama film directed by Steve McQueen, based on the 1853... more
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#7 of 23 23 Disturbing, Brutal Movies Based on Real-Life Atrocities#10 of 14 The Most Horrifying Non-Horror Movies Ever Made

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Patton
George C. Scott, Karl Malden
Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical film about U.S. General George S. Patton during... more
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#17 of 552 The Best '70s Movies#17 of 99 The Most Patriotic Movies of All Time
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The Elephant Man
Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American-British biographical film about Joseph Merrick, a severely... more
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