The critically and commercially successful Darkest Hour was destined to greatness considering its background. Directed by Joe Wright who had previously worked on Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, it had the iconic Gary Oldman playing the similarly legendary Winston Churchill which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor along with the BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards in the same category.
What made Darkest Hour so great was its combination of the biopic and war genres that seems both like a rarity and a common thing. Indeed, there are other war biopics about strong historical figures that have been influential both on a large and on a smaller scale.
The Iron Lady (2011) - Available On Netflix, Showtime, And FuboTV
Starring Meryl Streep in the lead role, The Iron Lady earned the actress her third Academy Award, her third Golden Globe Award, and her second BAFTA Award. Streep didn't portray the main character herself, but she did take up most of the screentime of the biopic.
Told partially in flashbacks, it follows the life of Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as well as the longest-serving one.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - Available To Buy From Prime Video, Google Play, And YouTube
The sequel to the critically and commercially successful Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is more war-oriented than its predecessor. Though it received mixed reviews from critics (much like The Iron Lady), Cate Blanchett's performance was once again praised and the actress even received a nomination at the Academy Awards.
The somewhat fictionalized story follows Elizabeth I during the later years of her reign as she faces numerous challenges in the form of the Spanish Armada, an assassination plot, and intrigues at her own court.
Outlaw King (2018) - Available On Netflix
Much Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Outlaw King was criticized for its historical inaccuracies (or rather fictionalizations), but was still praised a lot for its performances, including those of Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Florence Pugh.
Pine portrays the fourteenth-century Scottish King Robert the Bruce who starts a guerilla war in the form of a rebellion against Edward I's rule over Scotland.
Che (2008) - Available On Criterion Channel, AMC+, And DirecTV
Perhaps among Benicio del Toro's greatest roles, Che is a two-part biopic told with the help of non-chronological moments over a single timeline of events in the protagonist's life.
Del Toro stars as the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara who gets involved in the Cuban Revolution and then attempts to start another revolution in Bolivia.
The King (2019) - Available On Netflix
One of Timothee Chalamet's best performances, The King was criticized for its historical inaccuracies otherwise praised quite a lot. As a whole, the movie was based on multiple William Shakespeare play known as the Henriad.
Chalamet plays Prince of Wales who eventually becomes Henry V of England after his father's death and him being forced into politics.
Lincoln (2012) - Available On HBO Max, HBO Now, And DirecTV
Lincoln is among Daniel Day-Lewis's best roles to date - and rightfully so. Directed by none other than Steven Spielberg, it was a critical and commercial hit and went on to win multiple awards, including the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for Day-Lewis.
Based on the biography titled Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, it follows Abraham Lincoln in his final years as he struggles to abolish slavery in January 1865.
Spartacus (1960) - Available To Buy From Prime Video, Google Play, And iTunes
A much older movie than others on this list, Spartacus has a famous crew (written by Dalton Trumbo and directed by Stanley Kubrick) and a stellar cast (Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, and others).
Douglas portrays the famous Spartacus, the ancient Thracian gladiator and leader of a slave rebellion during the Third Servile War in the Roman Republic.
The King's Speech (2010) - Available On HBO Max
The biopic The King's Speech is definitely among the best movies of 2010, but it is also an amazing war biopic that was both critically and commercially successful with Colin Firth's performance being singled out for praise. The film even went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Firth portrays the soon-to-be King George VI who struggles with a stammer and enlists the help of the Australian speech and language therapist Lionel Logue to help him deal with the issue.
Downfall (2004) - Available On Prime Video, Kanopy, And Hoopla
Despite getting into controversy for humanizing the notorious dictator and the members of the Third Reich, Downfall was still quite successful and even received a nomination at the Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film.
Taking place during the Battle of Berlin at the end of World War II, it closely follows Adolf Hitler and depicts his actions as the tyrant realizes he is about to be defeated.
Braveheart (1995) - Available On Starz, FuboTV, And DirecTV
One of the most epic war biopics ever made, Braveheart is a major work in Mel Gibson's career, who directed, co-produced, and starred in the picture. It was massively successful and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
Set in the thirteenth century, it follows William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads the Scots as they engage in the First War of Scottish Independence against the English King Edward I.