Something is compelling about films that take actual events and real stories and make them a movie experience. Whether it is survival against all odds, politics, or the battle for justice, these films entertain us but also allow us to experience living inside history for a few hours. So if you’re prepared for drama, thrills, and inspiration, here are 10 of the greatest movies based on true stories and history that you can watch immediately.
10. Operation Mincemeat
World War II wasn’t merely fought with weapons—it was fought with tricks. Operation Mincemeat recounts the near-implausible tale of British spymasters who leave fake documents on a cadaver to deceive the Nazis. Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen top the bill, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to Ian Fleming pre-James Bond.
9. Nyad
At 64, Diana Nyad swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida—without a shark cage. Annette Bening conveys Nyad’s raw determination, and Jodie Foster is her best friend and coach. The movie is about perseverance, friendship, and showing it’s never too late to pursue an impossible dream.
8. Maestro
Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein in this epic biopic that’s half romance, half music. With Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife, the movie delves into marriage, ambition, and messy private lives—all building up to a show-stopping conducting sequence that had people abuzz.
7. Lost Girls
Based on the Gilgo Beach murders, Lost Girls tracks Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan) as she insists that her daughter’s vanishing be neither forgotten nor explained away. It’s a raw, emotional examination of a mother’s will and of law enforcement’s system failures.
6. Lion
Dev Patel plays Saroo, an Australian adopted man who uses memories of his childhood and Google Earth to find his Indian family decades after being separated. It’s an emotionally powerful tale of identity, home, and the indomitable connection between families.
5. The Irishman
Martin Scorsese’s crime saga teams Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci together in a decades-long tale of loyalty, remorse, and the price of violence. It’s more than three hours long, a commitment—but one rewarded with haunting performances and an examination of aging and consequence.
4. The Good Nurse
Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne star in this unsettling true-crime thriller about Charles Cullen, a nurse who murdered patients on the sly. The film’s understated tension and emphasis on the nurse who brought him down make it compelling and disturbing.
3. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Zac Efron gives an unsettling but compelling performance as Ted Bundy. Rather than retracing his crimes, the film examines how Bundy manipulated people around him, most especially his girlfriend Liz Kendall (Lily Collins). It’s a reminder of how evil is always close at hand.
2. Dumb Money
The GameStop stock mania receives the Hollywood treatment in this acerbic, witty examination of the David-vs-Goliath instant when online traders challenged Wall Street. Paul Dano stars as Keith Gill, the fellow who sparked the mayhem with his viral stock advice. It’s a crazy, extremely contemporary piece of history.
1. Dolemite Is My Name
Eddie Murphy is incandescent playing Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian who worked his way into making a blaxploitation cult phenomenon. Aided by an ensemble cast that features Wesley Snipes and Keegan-Michael Key, the movie is funny, touching, and a tribute to doing things on your own when the system closes you out.
From high-stakes spy craft to inspiring individual victories, these movies demonstrate that life itself writes the most unforgettable tales.