As one of the most influential filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters of all time, Steven Spielberg has created (or contributed to) so many movies that it's now difficult to count the number. Some of his films are currently of the most famous action-packed, historical, or dramatic films in Hollywood. Spielberg became a household name specifically after directing Jaws back in 1975 and went on to produce a wide array of action films, primarily.
Despite the fact that the number of films Spielberg produced is immeasurable, there are quite a few longer films that Spielberg directed in particular that range from action to drama-centric and historic plots.
Bridge of Spies: 141 minutes
Starring Tom Hanks in the principal role of the lawyer, James Donovan, the movie focuses on an exchange between the Soviet Union and the United States of an imprisoned Soviet spy and two American citizens that were arrested.
The nail-biting suspense carries on throughout the film, especially in its climax when viewers see Hanks' character, Donovan, crossing the border into East Berlin. The Cold War-era film represents the uneasiness of the time period between the United States and the Soviet Union. For a nearly two-and-a-half-hour film, fans of the production believe it could have used even more scenes to frame the entire depiction Spielberg was clearly aiming for.
Minority Report: 145 Minutes
This sci-fi action movie centers on the future of how crime is controlled. The one and only Tom Cruise stars as the main character who is accused of murdering someone in the future.
Spielberg definitely directed a unique take on what the year 2054 would look like in terms of free will and predictions. Since the unit in the movie, "PreCrime," predicts who will commit a crime according to psychic-like knowledge, Cruise's protagonist character is accused of a murder that he doesn't even commit, and this is when the chase begins.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence: 146 Minutes
A dystopian reality that's been feared for a long time now, this film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where sea levels rose and global warming wiped out most of the human population. The imagery in Spielberg's production haunts new and old viewers.
However, the main storyline is involving humanoid robots, that have already been introduced to society. The main "Mecha" robot is a young boy named David who is welcomed by a human family. His ability to love defies what most other technical creations like him experience, and his relationship with his human family is then put to the test. David's loyalty is the movie's most heart-wrenching aspect.
Lincoln: 150 Minutes
Seen as one of the most impactful and accurate films in history, Daniel Day-Lewis holds the iconic role of the American president. Fans of the movie claim that they wouldn't have minded if the movie were longer since they wanted to see more of the legendary leader as he embarked on his journey to pass the 13th Amendment.
Spielberg ensured his movie would match history to the closest point as possible for modern times to emulate the 1865 president. The movie opens with a truly violent scene of Union soldiers fighting against Confederates to the point of bloodshed, only to be followed by the scene where black soldiers speak with President Lincoln about the power of his words regarding equality. From Lincoln's tone of voice to his storytelling habits, Spielberg's pursuit to recreate the Civil War events was crucial for the film's success. Spielberg's name, aside from his other most well-known films, should primarily be associated with this biographical drama.
The Color Purple: 154 Minutes
As another brilliant Spielberg film, loyal fans claim they would have appreciated seeing even more scenes of the novel-based movie. The film explores the extremities its protagonist, Celie, endures, including sexual assault, racism, and poverty in 20th-century Georgia, portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg.
Steven Spielberg will be remembered for this significant movie that was also brought to the Broadway stage as a musical. Celie is given away by her abusive father to a husband that goes by the name of Mister who also subjects her to abuse.
Empire of the Sun: 154 Minutes
A coming-of-age film that focuses on a young, upper-middle-class British boy, Spielberg's film is as long as it is due to the nature of the plotline.
The famous filmmaker got involved in yet another war-related production as this movie takes place during the Worl War II event of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie however does not solely focus on this battle, it rather highlights what happens to a child who loses his parents for a long time and learns to survive the total chaos surrounding him in Shanghai.
Amistad: 155 Minutes
As another movie that is based on a real-life incident, this film is about the 1839 ship, "La Amistad." Charged as criminals, the Africans being brought to America for enslavement face a long-term struggle as they don't speak the language in the land they arrive in.
Starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, and Matthew McConaughey, Amistad represents what this reality looked and felt like for the African people being forced into slavery in America. The film ends by touching on the subject of how the Civil War began.
Munich: 164 Minutes
Based on the real terrifying event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, several members of the Israeli Olympic team are killed by a Palestinian militant organization called Black September.
A national intelligence agency, or Mossad, agent is assigned to lead an assassination attempt against the alleged terrorists, only for the film to unravel how difficult it will be for both sides to find common ground and peace. Spielberg's production received much controversy but was proven to have incorporated a significant amount of realistic depictions of what really happened to the 11 Israeli Olympians that were shot.
Saving Private Ryan: 170 Minutes
Selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry, Spielberg's long World War II-era film has been praised for its shockingly realistic portrayal. During the course of the Invasion of Normandy, Tom Hanks' principal role, Captain John Miller, receives orders to locate and save the final survivor of the Ryan brothers, paratrooper, James Ryan, portrayed by the forever-incredible, Matt Damon.
While Hanks will always be held high for his performance, there is a scene with Damon that Spielberg's film should be remembered for. Once Miller's battalion finds Private Ryan, Ryan is the one to exemplify what the movie comes full circle on, which is why he out of all others deserves to be saved and sent home. While the mission to save him "doesn't make any sense," to Private Ryan, Captain Miller later teaches him why and how he has to "earn this," as the film ultimately hits viewers right in their hearts.
Schindler's List: 197 Minutes
Liam Neeson plays the memorable role of Oskar Schindler, who ultimately attempts to help save as many innocent Jewish lives as possible during the World War II era.
As Spielberg's longest-running known film, Schindler's List is such a lengthy film because of its vitality in telling the story of this real-life person who saved a huge amount of innocent people. By investing and building a factory for Jewish people to be sent over to work in, Schindler managed to prevent many from their forced transportation to Auschwitz.