Showdown

True Story

Best films based on real events

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Real life has inspired many of the best cinematic events. With a new batch of based-on-a-true-story movies out recently—including Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Only The Brave and Professor Marston and the Wonder Women—we want to celebrate the best adaptations of real events. Whether completely faithful, artfully tweaked, or riddled with liberties-taken, what are the best based-on-a-true-story narrative features?

Most mentioned

  • The Social Network
  • Zodiac
  • Spotlight
  • Schindler's List
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • GoodFellas
  • Dunkirk
  • Catch Me If You Can
  • All the President's Men
  • Raging Bull
  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • Argo
  • 127 Hours
  • Jackie
  • Apollo 13
  • Hidden Figures
  • Amadeus
  • Captain Phillips

Lists

Sort by
  • Flight
  • Erin Brockovich
  • Captain Phillips
  • Schindler's List
  • The Sessions
Chun Chern Lai

Chun Chern Lai 48 films

  • Hamilton
  • Come from Away
  • The Irishman
  • Captain Phillips
  • Schindler's List
Matt Greene

Matt Greene 50 films

  • All the President's Men
  • Zodiac
  • United 93
  • The Insider
  • GoodFellas
Matthew Buchanan

Matthew Buchanan 10 films

  • Chopper
  • Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
  • The Serpent and the Rainbow
  • Snowtown
  • GoodFellas
David Carroll

David Carroll 10 films

  • Stuart: A Life Backwards
  • 50/50
  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • Bronson
  • Tracks
Zheddy

Zheddy 210 films

  • The Prince of Egypt
  • The Nativity Story
  • The Passion of the Christ
  • Luther
  • Gandhi
JonTheMantis

JonTheMantis 16 films

  • King of the Hill
  • Marie Antoinette
  • An Angel at My Table
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Badlands
Sarah Horwath

Sarah Horwath 15 films

  • The Elephant Man
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • Anne of the Thousand Days
  • Girl, Interrupted
  • The Baader Meinhof Complex
kierstonwoodley

kierstonwoodley 67 films

  • The Social Network
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • Psycho
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  • The Master
Beeeeeees

Beeeeeees 18 films

  • Badlands
  • The Conjuring
  • Steve Jobs
  • The End of the Tour
  • Fargo
Nick Dauphin

Nick Dauphin 6 films

  • Legend
  • The King's Speech
  • The Madness of King George
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • Marie Antoinette
pinkydinky

pinkydinky 9 films

  • Apollo 13
  • Spotlight
  • Good Night, and Good Luck.
  • Hannah Arendt
  • Spartacus
Chris Coke

Chris Coke 40 films

  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • The Sound of Music
  • Bonnie and Clyde
  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • Out of Africa
bas2804

bas2804 27 films

  • All the President's Men
  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • Dunkirk
  • Ed Wood
  • Fruitvale Station
Becky

Becky 20 films

  • The Big Sick
  • Jackie
  • The End of the Tour
  • The Stanford Prison Experiment
  • Foxcatcher
Kyle Bailey

Kyle Bailey 51 films

  • Das Boot
  • Charlie Wilson's War
  • The Insider
  • Thirteen Days
  • The Grey Zone
DisposableMiffy

DisposableMiffy 51 films

  • In Cold Blood
  • Quiz Show
  • Madeleine
  • Shattered Glass
  • Violette Nozière
Scott Kelly

Scott Kelly 50 films

  • Casino
  • GoodFellas
  • Zodiac
  • Captain Phillips
  • Ed Wood
Aaron

Aaron 16 films

  • Zero Dark Thirty
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Titanic
  • The Pursuit of Happyness
Y2K

Y2K 7 films

  • Frost/Nixon
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • Zodiac
  • Rush
  • Kingdom of Heaven
Frotzler

Frotzler 10 films

  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Beyond the Hills
  • The Elephant Man
  • Empire of the Sun
  • Frida
Maria

Maria 20 films

  • Amadeus
  • Spotlight
  • Schindler's List
  • Apollo 13
  • American History X
🧀 Almer

🧀 Almer 21 films

  • Spartacus
  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • The Great Escape
  • Patton
  • Dog Day Afternoon
Davormkd

Davormkd 15 films

  • United 93
  • Z
  • Punch-Drunk Love
  • City of God
  • Citizen Kane
Ryan

Ryan 51 films

  • Silence
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • The Social Network
  • Dunkirk
Brian

Brian 15 films

  • Team America: World Police
  • Undocumented
  • The Seasoning House
  • Bedevilled
  • City of Life and Death
Buboven

Buboven 65 films

  • The Social Network
arrow sparrow

arrow sparrow 1 film

  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • Selma
  • Spotlight
  • The King's Speech
  • The Social Network
Conor Wade

Conor Wade 17 films

  • Badlands
  • Braveheart
  • Bronson
  • Chinatown
  • The French Connection
Kyle

Kyle 10 films

  • The Story of the Kelly Gang
  • Battleship Potemkin
  • Napoleon
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Queen Christina
elvisisking

elvisisking 89 films

  • Carlos
  • The Wind Rises
  • Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
  • United 93
  • Andrei Rublev
Jacob

Jacob 20 films

  • Punch-Drunk Love
  • The Boat That Rocked
  • Almost Famous
  • Hidden Figures
  • The Big Sick
Chad Marriotti

Chad Marriotti 10 films

  • Downfall
  • The Killing Fields
  • Monster
  • Zodiac
  • Schindler's List
Wiaaam

Wiaaam 18 films

  • 12 Years a Slave
  • 127 Hours
  • 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
  • 24 Hour Party People
  • 4.1 Miles
Nicolas

Nicolas 135 films

  • Psycho
  • Network
  • A Man for All Seasons
  • City of God
  • Dunkirk
TajLV

TajLV 20 films

  • 127 Hours
  • 50/50
  • Almost Famous
  • Amadeus
  • Awakenings
𝖘𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖎𝖓

𝖘𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖎𝖓 18 films

  • The Social Network
  • Into the Wild
  • The End of the Tour
  • Lion
  • Spotlight
Ryan

Ryan 15 films

  • All the President's Men
  • The Elephant Man
  • Zodiac
  • Munich
  • Citizen Kane
Luis_989

Luis_989 111 films

  • The Big Sick
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Quiz Show
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy
  • Big Eyes
Blake Petit

Blake Petit 36 films

  • Into the Wild
  • GoodFellas
  • The Pianist
  • Amadeus
  • Dog Day Afternoon
karmacarroll

karmacarroll 20 films

  • The Exorcism of Emily Rose
  • Dunkirk
  • Backcountry
  • Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Ethan C. F. 🐇

Ethan C. F. 🐇 10 films

  • All the Way
  • Selma
  • The Founder
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Elvis & Nixon
John

John 53 films

  • Short Term 12
  • Room
  • The Big Sick
  • Catch Me If You Can
  • The Social Network
ellen

ellen 15 films

  • Bronson
  • The Death of Stalin
  • Ed Wood
  • The Elephant Man
  • Free State of Jones
Ray

Ray 13 films

  • Schindler's List
  • All the President's Men
  • The Pianist
  • Hope and Glory
  • Bridge of Spies
Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman 100 films

  • All the President's Men
  • The Social Network
  • United 93
  • Schindler's List
  • Gandhi
Eddie Ryan

Eddie Ryan 30 films

  • The Revenant
  • Mr. Turner
  • Hunger
  • Raging Bull
  • The End of the Tour
Shane Barlow

Shane Barlow 12 films

  • Andrei Rublev
  • In the Realm of the Senses
  • The Devils
  • Mirror
  • The Pianist
Wade McCormick

Wade McCormick 20 films

  • Memories of Murder
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • Greetings from Tim Buckley
  • Gie
  • Hidden Figures
Vina Djoened

Vina Djoened 13 films

  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • Schindler's List
  • The Elephant Man
  • Dunkirk
  • 12 Years a Slave
Darijan

Darijan 11 films

  • GoodFellas
  • Argo
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • The Revenant
Paul Blyth

Paul Blyth 15 films

  • The Help
  • Lion
  • The Imitation Game
  • A Beautiful Mind
  • Argo
Ogi

Ogi 20 films

  • Zodiac
  • Schindler's List
  • United 93
  • Andrei Rublev
  • The Pianist
James

James 15 films

  • Ed Wood
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • Badlands
  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • Meek's Cutoff
Matt White

Matt White 19 films

  • Hunger
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Battleship Potemkin
  • The Aviator
  • Lilya 4-ever
Xplodera

Xplodera 10 films

  • The Big Short
  • 24 Hour Party People
  • 300
  • Apollo 13
  • The Bank Job
timalmond

timalmond 23 films

  • Dog Day Afternoon
  • The Music Lovers
  • Scarface
  • Stevie
  • Judgment at Nuremberg
loureviews

loureviews 12 films

  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • Zulu
  • The Dam Busters
  • A Bridge Too Far
  • The Longest Day
Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸

Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 50 films

  • Breaker Morant
  • Downfall
  • Hoop Dreams
  • The Elephant Man
  • The Battle of Algiers
Collykibber

Collykibber 10 films

  • A Brighter Summer Day
  • City of God
  • Zodiac
  • Elephant
  • Dog Day Afternoon
Eka

Eka 15 films

  • Bright Star
  • Bronson
  • The Big Short
  • The Social Network
  • Dunkirk
Alisha Graefe

Alisha Graefe 18 films

  • Zodiac
  • GoodFellas
  • The Pianist
  • Schindler's List
  • Lion
Florin Scanlon

Florin Scanlon 15 films

  • Schindler's List
  • The French Connection
  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • Chaplin
  • Argo
Boston Skinner

Boston Skinner 13 films

  • Man on the Moon
  • Chaplin
  • Zodiac
  • The Manson Family
  • 127 Hours
Gabriel Jewett

Gabriel Jewett 14 films

  • GoodFellas
  • Spotlight
  • Loving
  • The Untouchables
  • Steve Jobs
Haden Edmonds

Haden Edmonds 5 films

  • Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
  • Kill Your Darlings
  • The Wind Rises
  • The Secret of Kells
  • The Harder They Come
Herrvonspeck

Herrvonspeck 5 films

  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • Ray
  • Ali
  • Schindler's List
  • Coal Miner's Daughter
murdock1968

murdock1968 18 films

  • The Hills Have Eyes
  • Black Hawk Down
  • Dunkirk
  • Captain Phillips
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
Andreas Kemper

Andreas Kemper 21 films

  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
  • Center Stage
  • Persepolis
  • Malcolm X
haxen

haxen 50 films

  • Selma
  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Badlands
Monica Silva

Monica Silva 20 films

  • Dunkirk
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Lincoln
  • The Social Network
Plainviewed

Plainviewed 20 films

  • Story of Women
  • Marguerite & Julien
  • Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart
  • SK1
  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Enfant du Siècle

Enfant du Siècle 13 films

  • The King's Speech
  • Schindler's List
  • Monster
  • Erin Brockovich
  • Hidden Figures
teradactylia

teradactylia 17 films

  • Zodiac
  • The Revenant
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • The Social Network
  • United 93
autum

autum 17 films

  • The Big Sick
  • Zodiac
  • 50/50
  • Lion
  • Hidden Figures
Kelcey

Kelcey 5 films

  • The Social Network
  • Lincoln
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  • Amadeus
Luke Evans

Luke Evans 10 films

  • Schindler's List
  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • The Social Network
  • Raging Bull
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
Forrest With2Rs

Forrest With2Rs 10 films

  • 24 Hour Party People
  • All the President's Men
  • American Splendor
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • Bronson
Dewtron

Dewtron 20 films

  • Straight Outta Compton
  • Argo
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
  • American History X
  • Silence
IlaiA

IlaiA 10 films

  • 12 Years a Slave
  • The Wind Rises
  • Hunger
  • The Social Network
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
Conehead

Conehead 7 films

  • Memories of Murder
  • Zodiac
  • The Social Network
  • Amadeus
DingleDongle

DingleDongle 4 films

  • Sergeant York
  • Call Northside 777
  • Bonnie and Clyde
  • Cool Runnings
  • The Dish
CarcinoGent

CarcinoGent 10 films

  • Fargo
  • Inglourious Basterds
  • Adaptation.
  • Ed Wood
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Alexander Heidn

Alexander Heidn 10 films

  • Lawrence of Arabia
  • City of God
  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • The Lion in Winter
  • 127 Hours
sailordanae

sailordanae 20 films

  • Gangs of New York
  • Lincoln
  • GoodFellas
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
SideBySide

SideBySide 13 films

  • Carlos
  • The People vs. Larry Flynt
  • Milk
  • Monster
  • Jackie
Daniel L

Daniel L 30 films

  • 12 Years a Slave
  • 127 Hours
  • 8 Mile
  • The Agony and the Ecstasy
  • Alive
Alessa Kreger

Alessa Kreger 148 films

  • The Motorcycle Diaries
  • Lion
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Hidden Figures
  • The Impossible
_Carly_

_Carly_ 17 films

  • Zodiac
  • The Revenant
  • Fargo
  • Foxcatcher
  • City of God
Kyle 🔪

Kyle 🔪 7 films

  • Fargo
  • Polytechnique
  • Dunkirk
  • Zodiac
  • Loving
Dielfo

Dielfo 13 films

Still from Captain Phillips (2013)