Entertainment
35+ Great Political Movies Based on True Stories
Sometimes the truth is more entertaining than fiction, especially when it comes to films inspired by real-life political events, scandals, and personalities. The top true politics movies are typically about a major event that changed the scope of government. This is a list of true political movies featuring everything from All the President's Men to The Last King of Scotland to Malcolm X.
What classics will you find on this list of movies based on true politics? Maybe you'll vote Lincoln to the top. Daniel Day-Lewis took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the 16th president, in a film examining the time when he abolished slavery. Hyde Park on Hudson, which offers a look at the personal life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, is another good movie about a political figure. Nelson Mandela was the subject of the acclaimed 2013 film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Other notable movies featured in this roundup include Patton, The King's Speech, and The Ides of March.
Which political true stories are the best? Give your favorite films a thumbs up to move them to the number-one spot, and add any great flicks that are missing.
list ordered by
- With the nation embroiled in still another year with the high death count of Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln brings the full measure of his passion, humanity and political skill to what would ...more
- Biography of controversial World War II hero General George S. Patton. The film covers his wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning with his entry into the North African campaign and ending ...more
- England's Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, ...more
- Two green reporters and rivals working for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), research the botched 1972 burglary of the Democratic Party ...more
- 5In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined to accomplish something meaningful in his life. Settling in the Castro District, ...more
- Following the death of Princess Diana in an auto accident, Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) struggle to reach a compromise in how the ...more
- 7This acclaimed Oliver Stone drama presents the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner). When Garrison ...more
- After the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and their coach at the 1972 Olympics, the Israeli government secretly assigns Avner Kaufman (Eric Bana) to carry out a series of strategic retaliations. With ...more
- A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the ...more
- 10This acclaimed biographical drama presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. Dedicated to the ...more
- When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) dedicates himself to exposing the atrocities ...more
- This sweeping account of the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), the last emperor of China, follows the leader's tumultuous reign. After being captured by the Red Army as a war criminal in 1950, Pu Yi recalls ...more
- For thirteen extraordinary days in October of 1962, the world stood on the brink of an unthinkable catastrophe. Across the globe, people anxiously awaited the outcome of a harrowing political, ...more
- 14Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for Blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama ...more
- In 1977, three years after the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) selects British TV personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) to conduct a one-on-one, ...more
- 16Gov. George W. Bush of Texas picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé ...more
- While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first ...more
- 18This film is a biographical examination of former U.S. President Richard Nixon (Anthony Hopkins). The non-chronological narrative explores Nixon's personal and professional life, touching on his ...more
- In the 1980s U.S.Rep. Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), Texas socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) form an unlikely alliance to boost funding for ...more
- 20Disillusioned with the intelligence community, top contractor Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) leaves his job at the National Security Agency. He now knows that a virtual mountain of data is ...more
- Gov. Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) of Alaska becomes Sen. John McCain's (Ed Harris) running mate in the 2008 presidential election.
- After seeking the expertise of former "Big Tobacco" executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to ...more
- In her twilight years, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) reflects on her life and career as she finally prepares to dispose of the belongings of her late husband, Denis ...more
- 24Following the fall of apartheid, newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) faces a South Africa that is racially and economically divided. Believing he can unite his countrymen through ...more
- 25The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a ...more
