Top 25 Movies Based On True Stories, Ranked

The events in the movie follow the happenings in Buckingham Palace, after the death of the Princess of Wales, Princess Diana. It focuses on the dilemma between then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the royals in the wake of a national tragedy. The movie depicts the initial reluctance of the Palace to mourn Diana. It’s an epic journey into the workings of the contentious British monarchy.

24. Into The Wild (2007)

The 2007 movie chronicles the true story of Christopher McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch. He is a young graduate who decides to renounce all his possessions and start a new venture. Christopher hitchhikes across America and lives a nomadic life. During his journey, he encounters several situations that change his perspective on life completely. The story has been told in a book of the same title by Jon Krakauer.

23. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Stockbroking takes hold of Jordan Belfort as he takes a hit after a Wall Street crash. Jordan, essayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, cheated his way top along with Donie Azoff. Belfort was probably violating hundreds of laws at any given time, which included defrauding his shareholders and manipulating the stock of dozens of companies. The film became one of the biggest hits of 2013 and is regarded as a popular film in American history.

22. Hidden Figures (2016)

Three brilliant African-American women, played by Taraji P. Henson, Katherine G. Johnson, and Octavia Spencer, are the masterminds behind one of the greatest operations at NASA, the launch of John Glenn into orbit. The 2016 movie is based on the women who made this stunning achievement possible – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson.

21. Selma (2014)

The movie focuses on the real-life events that happened in 1965, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers marched from Selma to Montgomery to get their right to register to vote. Their efforts resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Released in 2014, it’s one of the must-watch films in Hollywood.

20. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

This Oscar-winning 2013 movie tells the story of a Black man tricked into being a slave in 1841. Solomon Northup, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a free African-American, is promised a fortnightly job by Brown and Hamilton. However, after arriving in Washington DC, he realizes that he has been sold into slavery. It’s one of the most heart-wrenching movies in cinematic history.

19. 127 Hours (2010)

The mountain climber Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, is on a hiking adventure in Utah when he gets trapped in a canyon. The movie revolves around the desperate measures Aron takes to survive. He struggles for 127 hours before being rescued. Truly, a heart-touching story of willpower.

18. The Sound Of Music (1965)

The retro musical drama revolves around Julie Andrews’ Baronin Maria, an aspiring nun, who is sent as a governess to take care of seven motherless children. She becomes close with the children there and starts a romantic relationship with their widowed father and strict Captain Baron von Trapp (Christopher Plummer).

17. Apollo 13 (1995)

Directed by Ron Howard, the movie revolves around the Apollo 13 moon mission. The astronauts Jim Lovell ( Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) are stranded in space as their spaceship gets damaged. The movie discusses their struggle to return to Earth. It’s unarguably one of the best movies of all time.

16. The Theory Of Everything (2014)

The movie was inspired by the life of Stephen Hawking, portrayed brilliantly by Eddie Redmayne. The movie chronicles the life of the astrophysicist, and how he lived with his motor neuron disease for so many years, defying the predictions of his doctors. The real-life story as a movie adaptation motivated many people to not let tragedies limit one’s zest for life and work.

15. The Trial Of Chicago 7 (2020)

The Golden Globe-winning movie is based on the trial of eight anti-Vietnam War protestors — Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, Lee Weiner, John Froines, and Bobby Seale — who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines to incite the riots that erupted at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

14. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

A real-life story, the movie focuses on two criminal gang leaders – Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) – who flee to Bolivia as their plans to rob a bank goes astray. It is believed that the duo was later killed in Bolivia. The free-spirited and notorious young men were responsible for many such heists. It’s a classic movie that everyone should watch.

13. Hustlers (2019)

Starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, and Lili Reinhart, ‘ Hustlers‘ brings the story of exotic dancers who swindle money from rich clients to screen. Though they go on with the plan for some time, soon they land in trouble. It’s a totally crazy true story that shocks and entertains in equal measure.

12. The Social Network (2010)

Everyone knows the man who inspired this story. The film shows how Mark Zuckerberg created the social networking site, Facebook, with his friend Eduardo’s help. The two real men are played by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, respectively. Though it turns out to be a successful venture, Mark has to sever ties with several people along the way. He has to face personal and legal consequences as a result of his million-dollar success.

11. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Julia Roberts‘ Academy Award-winning performance in the 2000 movie is about a legal assistant in Hinkley, California. Erin Brockovich protested against a power company that polluted the city’s water with cancer-causing toxins. The whistleblower had a strong sense of character and morality and went up against the powers that be to reveal the truth.

10. Argo (2012)

Ben Affleck, Tony Mendez, Bryan Cranston, and Jack O’Donnell’s movie is based on a real mission undertaken by the Canadian government and the CIA. A CIA agent masquerades as a Hollywood sci-fi movie producer to rescue six Americans who are held captive in Tehran during the US hostage crisis in Iran. The movie might sound like fiction, but it’s based on true events.

9. Zodiac (2007)

Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist by profession, finds himself obsessively thinking about the Zodiac killer. He uses his skills and abilities to get closer to uncovering the identity of the killer. The movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal is inspired by Zodiac, a serial killer who was active in and around Northern California in the 1960s and 1970s.

8. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, the movie is based on an incredible true story. Notorious con artist Frank Abagnale has duped people worth millions of dollars with his masterful art of deception. With his scams getting bolder, he is soon pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. But Hanratty joins him, understanding that the man can help him solve crimes.

7. Spotlight (2015)

The critically acclaimed movie stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, and John Slattery. It is based on the true story of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on the pedophile-priest scandal in a local Catholic Church. Martin Baron joins the ‘Boston Globe‘ as an editor and asks four journalists named Michael, Walter, Sacha, and Matt to investigate a story about the child molestation charges against the local church. It’s among the most influential films ever.

6. The French Connection (1971)

The movie tells the true story of New York Police Department detectives, Jimmy Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), who are trying to bust a drug cartel based in France. Finally, the two cops can track down the smugglers and capture their leaders. The cat-and-mouse chase is a thrilling watch.

5. The King’s Speech (2010)

King George VI, played by Colin Firth, tries to overcome his stammering problem with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue, essayed by Geoffrey Rush. The setting of the movie is 1936 as George ascends the throne to become the leader during the time of World War. The events depicted in the film hit the right emotional notes.

4. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

The movie starring Al Pacino is about an inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik and his two other accomplices deciding a bank robbery in Brooklyn. But things go wrong and a hostage situation develops. With the media hovering around and the FBI arriving, the tension increases. The movie ends with Sonny’s arrest and the hostages being freed.

3. All The President’s Men (1976)

The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Carl Bernstein as reporters from The Washington Post – Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. The very incident made Nixon the only President to resign in the history of the United States. No wonder the movie hitting the big screen was a major event!

2. Goodfellas (1990)

The movie starring Robert De Niro, James Conway, Ray Liotta, Henry Hill, Joe Pesci, Tommy DeVito, and Lorraine Bracco is a fan-favorite movie. Based on the book ‘ Wiseguy‘ by Nicholas Pileggi on the Irish-Italian American mobster, the story follows Henry Hill who amasses wealth and makes his way to the top among his fellows. But, his world crumbles down as he is caught trafficking drugs and has to turn against his friends for his safety.

1. Schindler’s List (1993)

The movie portrays the horrors of the Holocaust with a mix of tender humanism and creativity. Overwhelmed by his understanding of what would happen to his Jewish employees during World War II, the industrialist, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) tries to protect them. ‘ Schindler’s List‘ was released in 1993 and is always counted among the greatest movies to date.