10 Compelling Movies Based on True Stories

Sometimes the notion that the movie you’re watching is based on a true story can give it a major boost in intrigue. Sure, fictional stories can be just as entertaining, but there’s something extra exciting about watching a great story unfold knowing that it’s based on actual events.

The extent to which the following films are faithful to what truly occurred varies, but they all certainly qualify as being based on true stories. All are movies that I’d recommend, and depending on the sort of true-story film you’re searching for, you might find the perfect film to fit your tastes.

The Promised Land

An expertly crafted Danish historical drama, The Promised Land focuses on a retired military captain who, after receiving permission from the Danish Court with the promise of wealth should he succeed, sets out to cultivate land on a barren heath. If the captain, named Ludvig Kahlen, can accomplish his goal, then a settlement can be formed. Unfortunately, the state of the soil, unforgiving elements, and a brutal local magistrate stand in the way of Kahlen’s success.

The Promised Land is an all-around fantastic film and one of the better movies I’ve seen in recent years. It boasts a stellar performance from lead Mads Mikkelsen, as well as great direction and cinematography. It’s an epic historical drama that never received the recognition or viewership it deserved. Of all the films on this list, it gets my highest recommendation.

BlackBerry

As the title suggests, this movie tells the story of the BlackBerry, one of the world’s first smartphones. It’s a finely made film that’s both a “how a business formed and grew” story, as well as a “rise and fall” story.

BlackBerry has entertaining characters, particularly the two co-CEOs of the company who are drastically different people. One man is a tech genius and the other a cutthroat businessman. It takes both of these characters to grow BlackBerry into the tech juggernaut that it was for a time. The film, which is a comedy-drama, showcases major events that happened over multiple years and offers entertaining insight into the company.

The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw follows a wrestling family called the Von Erichs. Driven by their overbearing and aggressive father, who was also a wrestler, all four brothers are motivated to achieve wrestling success. Zac Efron delivers the movie’s most impactful performance as eldest brother, Kevin Von Erich.

While an interest in wrestling might elevate one’s enjoyment of the movie slightly, I don’t think it’s a prerequisite to appreciating the film. The Iron Claw is equal parts sports movie and drama, and it packs an emotional punch. As someone who is not a wrestling fan personally, and who was also unfamiliar with the family’s story, I was definitely curious where events would ultimately lead the characters.

Devotion

Devotion came out the same year as Top Gun: Maverick and that might be the reason it bombed at the box office in 2022. Both movies do focus on fighter jets and star Glen Powell as one of the pilots, so they have that in common and I can see why viewers might flock to the more familiar franchise. However, Devotion, which is also based on a true story (unlike Top Gun, which is obviously not), is the far superior movie.

Centering on two top-level pilots in the Korean War, Devotion, while it has the requisite action scenes with jets, is more concerned with the relationship between Jesse Brown, played by Jonathan Majors, and Powell’s character. Brown has to fight racism as the first black aviator to complete the Navy’s basic flight training program. Devotion is certainly a story worth telling and a film worth watching.

Air

I’m generally a fan of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and Air, a movie in which Damon plays the lead and Affleck co-stars and directs, is one of their better, more interesting films. Damon is Sonny Vaccaro, Nike’s basketball talent scout, and he’s determined to get Michael Jordan, who is entering the NBA in the upcoming season, to sign with the company. The film chronicles Sonny’s quest.

Air is a feel-good drama. As both a fan of Nike sneakers and Michael Jordan, I found the movie to be very fascinating, though I don’t think you need to be a diehard fan of either to appreciate a well-above-average film like Air.

Woman of the Hour

Woman of the Hour is a crime thriller that stars Anna Kendrick and marks her directorial debut. This movie, which tells its tale in a nonlinear fashion, is based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, who was a contestant on the TV game show The Dating Game before he was later discovered to be a serial killer.

Woman of the Hour makes sure to never truly show us events from Alcala’s perspective, instead showing us what occurred through different women’s eyes at different points in the story. If you’re in the mood for a well-paced crime film, Woman of the Hour might not be phenomenal, but it certainly sits in the very good, worth-viewing category of these sorts of films.

A Royal Affair

Set in the 1700s in Denmark, A Royal Affair centers on the titular affair between a young queen and the king’s royal physician. This historical drama concentrates primarily on the film’s three main characters: the king, queen, and physician. The acting by the three leads is really top-notch, with Mads Mikkelsen, who also starred in The Promised Land (which I wrote about earlier), playing the physician.

Despite being nominated for a slew of major awards, many people missed A Royal Affair when it was initially released in 2012. That’s a shame because it’s one of my favorite movies on this list and a great example of a historical drama that tells an intriguing story that many people are likely unfamiliar with.

September 5

So, I was somewhat, but not totally, familiar with the historical event depicted in September 5, but I feel like that didn’t detract from my viewing experience. The event in question is the crisis at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich when members of the Israeli team were taken hostage. September 5 shows us the viewpoint of the ABC Sports crew, who find themselves covering a news story that’s far different than what they expected.

September 5 is far more interested in simply depicting the event in question than in concentrating on other aspects of the story, like going more in-depth with its characters. For this type of film, that works and keeps everything feeling fast-paced. This is a must-watch for those who like newsroom dramas.

One Life

One Life goes back and forth between the late 1930s and the late 1980s when telling the story of Nicholas Winton. Winton is a British stockbroker who leads a campaign to evacuate refugees from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. In the ‘30s, he begins the process of saving child refugees, while in the ‘80s, a much older Winton reminisces about the past.

The story of Nicholas Winton feels like an important one, and, though the film isn’t fantastic in its own right, it does tell a fantastic true story. One Life is an emotional, worthwhile film.

Oppenheimer

By this point, most moviegoers have seen Oppenheimer. Still, while I don’t believe it’s quite on the same masterpiece level as some of director Christopher Nolan’s other work, it’s still supremely worth seeing if you somehow missed it.

Oppenheimer tells the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer during his most impactful years. The film boasts an all-star cast and a great script, and is also visually impressive. It’s a heavy film, but if you’re looking to learn more about one of the most important people of the past century, definitely check it out.