From The Midnight Express to The Trial of Chicago 7, some of the most astonishing Hollywood movies are inspired by true events and personal stories of tragedy, innovation or success. Real-life movies, arguably bring the perfect story into the frames. Scroll down to check your viewing calendar ready. Here, we’ve mentioned the top 10 movies based on true stories that you won’t miss.
Get ready to dive into the life of Nikola Tesla or one man’s spiritual journey through the natural world. We’ve dropped down some of the best movies that must be on your weekend binge-watch list. Here’s the list of movies based on true stories, so go and explore the best true story movie in the 21st century.
1) American Sniper (2014)
This dramatic adaptation by Clint Eastwood is an astonishing account of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Cyle, whose accurate shots saved countless lives and marked him as a sniper legend during the War in Iraq. Even after returning home from the war in Iraq, Chris cannot ruin the horrors he has experienced. He failed to reconnect with his wife & child. This eventually starts affecting his married life and leads towards a tragic end.
Based on: Christopher Scott Kyle’s Autobiography
2) A Beautiful Mind (2001)
One of the best Hollywood movies, which revolves around the story of mathematical prodigy John Forbes Nash Jr. The man who proved that there is a line between genuine and madness. You will get a clear insight into life when enjoying this individual played by Russell Crowe, who at the same time was extremely burdened; John had suffered from Schizophrenia, which strongly affects his personal life, relations with family, friends, and his career as well. His life turned to be worse after he accepted an assignment from William Parcher.
Based on: The life of American mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner.
3) Catch Me If You Can (2002)
One of the biggest masterpieces of Oscar-winning actor ‘Leonardo DiCaprio’ with ‘Tom Hanks’ in the leading role was directed by Steven Spielberg. The story tells about the young Abagnale, who became an expert on forgery & disguise and managed to cash fake checks for millions of dollars, acting as a “Pan American” pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor as well. He switched to various professions. Well, what is more impressive than the story, he did all this before his 19th birthday and he did all this to bring his parents out of hard financial circumstances and consequences. The film has several comical scenes with rapid actions and excellent acting skills, which was anticipated to be an Oscar-winning piece.
Based on: The film is based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who was famous as a con man.
4) The Imitation Game (2014)
This amazing real-event based Hollywood movie, starring the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch (a.k.a Sherlock) in the leading role, binds a story of computer scientist Alan Turing, who tries to crack the enigma code that has been previously used by the Nazi Army to provide security for their radio broadcasting during WWII. Turing was extremely genius, but really difficult to collaborate with, as he always considered his colleagues inferior to him. However, he tried hard to overcome both mathematical and social obstacles to become successful in life.
Based on: One of the best movies based on true stories, the Imitation Game is inspired by an English mathematician, computer scientist, Alan Mathison Turing.
5) Radioactive (2019)
In this romantic drama, Rosamund Pike brings life to Marie Curie, a young, enthusiastic scientist who won the Nobel prize for her theory of unknown radioactive elements. However, her work soon starts creating problems as she has invented something, which becomes a shred of terrifying evidence. Directed by Persepolis along with co-writer Marjane Satrapi, this is the best Hollywood movie based on the true story of a brave girl who sued her company for putting public health at risk.
Based on: Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout; by Lauren Redniss
6) The Trial of The Chicago 7 (2020)
Set to be released in September 2020, this would be the best true story based movie in Hollywood. Directed by Aaron Sorkin this is a crime drama based on the infamous trial of seven defendants in 1969 charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more. Accused of counterculture protest in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, it films the story uplift curtains over the U.S. conspiracy. The cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon, and more.
Based on: The conspiracy of 1968 protests in Chicago on the occasion of the Democratic National Convention.
7) Lost Girls (2020)
Here is another excellent mystery drama movie based on true stories running out in 2010 in the streets of Toronto, Canada. A brave lady on the mission to find her missing daughter desperately launches a personal investigation that leads police to hunt the true story based long island serial killer who murdered more than a dozen of young sex workers. Starring Amy Ryan as Mari Gilbert, Lost Girl is perhaps the best crime mystery movie of all time.
Based on: The series is based on the nonfiction book Lost Girls by Robert Kolker.
8) Apocalypse Now (1979)
This epic war drama Hollywood movie based on a true story is somewhere linked to Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”, which is based on the true events that occurred in the author’s life during the Vietnam War. Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and other veteran actors, this is the narrative of the mission in which captain Williard is transferred to Cambodia on a dangerous mission to assassinate a renowned colonel who was quite popular among the local tribe. Yes! It’s packed with actions and fight scenes. So, you won’t feel it like a documentary.
Based on: Loosely based on the “Heart of Darkness” and “Dispatches”.
9) Midnight Express (1978)
The movie goes as Billy, an American caught smuggling hashish, prosecuted and jailed in the Turnkey for four years. Midnight Express is a prison drama and the title is prison slang for a prison escape attempt, which is what Billy tried several times to get rid of this brutal life. However, he failed and was brutally beaten by jail guards multiple times. Other than action scenes and story, you’ll love the soundtrack of Midnight Express, which is perhaps the most notable component and won an Academy Award for the Best Original Score in 1979.
Based on: True story of Billy Hayes (An American Smuggler).
10) Tesla (2020)
This is one of the most inspirational movies based on true events from the life of visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, who won an uphill battle to turn his vision into reality. Overcoming multiple obstacles, he managed to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition then faced numerous challenges with his new system for worldwide wireless energy. This sci-fi drama movie will give you an insight into the life of Nobel prize winner in physics “Nikola Tesla”.
Based on: The Secret of Nikola Tesla.
These are some of the best Hollywood movies based on true stories that we’ve broken down to help you formulate a perfect list of true story movies for this weekend. What else do you need to make your weekend perfect? You can check out our picks of top travel movies in Hollywood.
