Every movie genre has its devoted fan base, and there are people who don't like specific genres too, as there are squeamish cinephiles who will avoid horrors and audiences who aren't entertained by mindless action. However, biopics and movies based on true stories will usually appeal to a wide audience, as the subjects of the movies can vary wildly.
Whether it's a movie about a sports rivalry, a serial killer who was never caught, or a war epic full of incredible vistas of sand dunes, movies based on true stories cover all the bases, and Reddit users have their own favorites. Interestingly, Redditors have similar interests when it comes to movies based on true stories, as most of their favorites are totally entertaining thrill rides but are based on terrible and devastating real-life events.
Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac is one of the most shocking and, ironically, most beautiful-looking thrillers of the 21st century. Not_cinderella claims that it's "probably the most engaged I’ve ever been watching a movie over 2 hours on Netflix." The film is one of the most interesting and unique true crime movies because the killer was never actually caught, and the movie plays on that so well.
The David Fincher-directed thriller features all the tropes of a murder mystery movie, as it introduces so many creepy, suspect characters and any one of them could be the killer, only the audience never finds out. The film does such a great and suspenseful job of pulling audiences into the narrative that anybody who knows the story before seeing it will completely forget it. They'll be so absorbed in the story and so invested in the characters that they'll be on the edge of their seats and waiting to see what happens next.
Spotlight (2015)
Spotlight follows the Boston Globe's successful attempts at uncovering all of the sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Boston in 2001. Cwathen999 commends every part of the movie, listing the writing, the direction, and how perfectly paced it is. The writing especially deserves praise, as. according to Deadline, the screenplay was on the Hollywood blacklist for years before it was finally produced. The Redditor also states that "even though it's about such a rough topic, I can't get enough of it."
Weirdly, despite being about the Catholic church hiding all of its priests' grueling and despicable misdeeds, it's still endlessly rewatchable. And though it isn't exactly the kind of movie that audiences are begging for a sequel to, the Spotlight division of the newspaper has a ton of successful investigations under its belt, leading to the possibility of more great investigative biopics.
All The President's Men (1976)
All the President's Men is a classic in every way, and while Spotlight is a great depiction of investigative journalism in film and expertly displays how methodical the work is, it was the 1976 movie that did it first. The movie is all about the journalists who exposed the Watergate scandal and how they did it.
Imonlywastingtime thinks it's one of the best, explaining that they're a "big sucker for exposing people’s wrongdoings." The movie does spy and espionage better than spy movies, and it somehow manages to make watching people sitting quietly in rooms and listening to recordings totally thrilling.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
When it comes to biopics, Martin Scorsese is the best at making three-hour epics about the most selfish and narcissistic people endlessly entertaining, and that's no different with The Wolf of Wall Street. The 2013 movie is exactly 180 minutes, but the runtime flies by thanks to how the director makes audiences live vicariously through the evil fraudster Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio.)
And that makes it even more hard-hitting when Belfort goes on a downward spiral into drug addiction and when his volatile, pleasure-seeking behavior gets the best of him. But Rfxy thinks it's the best "when comes to meme value," referring to the hilarious screenshots that have become better known as internet jokes than for the film itself, even though it is one of DiCaprio's best roles.
Goodfellas (1990)
Also directed by Scorsese, Goodfellas shares a lot of the same strands of DNA as The Wolf of Wall Street. They are both enormously entertaining depictions of horrible people, and DomDangerous calls the 1990 movie "the greatest of all time." The gangster film is one of the most historically accurate movies, but the reason why it's considered a classic amongst most cinephiles is because of the frenetic pacing, the fascinating characters, and the colorful dialogue.
The movie tells one of the most compelling real-life crime stories, but between the theatrical characters and the rock music, it often feels like a fantastical work of fiction. It's Scorsese firing on all cylinders, it inspired a whole wave of 1990s wunderkinder, and its influence can be seen in any gangster movie and even any 70s-based movie released today.
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (2002)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a true story in the sense that it's an adaptation of an autobiography, but the truthfulness of the book's contents has long been debated. The movie is about Chuck Barris, a celebrity game show host who claimed was also a hitman for the C.I.A. Jaqdem puts it best by explaining that Dangerous Mind is "supposedly a true story, but the filmmakers are aware that the narrator might or might not be full of s***. Story is compelling though"
The movie is hugely entertaining, is one of the best spy movies based on real events, and it has a couple of hilarious blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos too. The 2002 release was also George Clooney's debut, which immediately established his incredible ability to shoot comedy dramas and proved that he was an arguably better director than an actor.
Schindler's List (1993)
In 1993, the prolific director Steven Spielberg released not one but two of the greatest movies of all time. One was an exciting fantasy-sci-fi adventure movie about dinosaurs, and the other was the complete opposite in every way, Schindler's List. Reddit user GhostWriter888 thinks it's the best movie based on a true story, and they're not alone, as it's the sixth-best movie ever and the very best movie based on a true story of all time according to IMDb.
The Redditor explains that "Spielberg handled such a sensitive, well-known subject with so much care and accuracy, and at the same time presented a fascinating story that keeps you immersed the entire time." Just like with Spotlight, the subject matter of Schindler's List is emotionally exhausting, but it's so engaging and rewarding with each watch.
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Jupiterkansas notes that Lawrence of Arabia is "considered one of the best movies ever made, and happens to be based on a true story." Few movies are as epic and sprawling as Lawrence of Arabia, which is about T.E. Lawrence, who led the Arabic tribes in their fight against the Turks during World War I.
At three hours and 40 minutes long, the movie is in no rush to get to the end, especially as it even starts with a black screen and a four-minute overture before it actually begins, but that's part of what makes the film so beloved. It's so easy to become engrossed in the film, and whether it's the grand score, the vistas of the Arabian desert, or the career-best performances, audiences' eyes are glued to the screen for the whole runtime.
Rush (2013)
There have no doubt been viewers tracking down Rush more than ever recently, as Formula 1 is currently more popular than it has ever been. That's largely down to the rivalry between the sport's best two racers, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The sport is always at its most interesting when there's an intense rivalry going on, whether it's Verstappen and Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, or James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda, the latter of which is what Rush focuses on.
MX-6 thinks it's the best movie based on a true story and that "it’s one of the few biopics I’ll actually watch again whenever it’s on TV or streaming." Dramas based on real-life people are rarely what viewers would call "exciting," but Rush gives audiences such a realistic and thrilling sense of speed, and it totally lives up to its name, not to mention that it features one of Hemsworth's best roles.
The Death Of Stalin (2017)
Few movies that are based on true stories are comedies, but The Death of Stalin is one of the few and one of the best examples of such a film. Ecarg91 thinks it's one of the best true story-based films, but the movie isn't for everyone, and there are some strange creative choices too. As the movie is full of British and American actors playing real-life political figures in the Soviet Union, it can be a little jarring when they use their natural accents.
However, if viewers can get past that, it's one of the most entertaining dark comedies of the past 10 years. It comes from the mind of Armando Ianucci, the creator of VEEP, so the two share the same kind of comedy and humor. But as the biopic is based on one of the evilest dictators ever, it takes a gruelingly dark turn towards the end.