Donnie Brasco [1997]

"In 1978, the US government waged a war against organized crime. One man was left behind the lines."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Joseph D. Pistone (book), Richard Woodley (book)
  Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Michael Madsen

Storyline

This true story follows FBI agent Joe Pistone as he infiltrates the mafia of New York. Befriending Lefty Ruggiero, Pistone (under the name Donnie Brasco) is able to embed himself in a mafia faction lead by Sonny Black. Ruggiero and Pistone become tight as the group goes about collecting money for 'the bosses'. Eventually, the group become big time when Black himself becomes a boss, all the while Pistone collects evidence. However, the trials and tribulations of the undercover work become more than Pistone can bear. His marriage falls apart and to top it off, the mafia suspect a mole in the organization. The real dilemma is afforded to Pistone, who knows if he walks away from the mafia, Ruggiero will be the one punished.

Girl, Interrupted [1999]

"The crazy thing is, you're not crazy."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: James Mangold
Writers: Susanna Kaysen (book), James Mangold (screenplay)
  Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Whoopi Goldberg

Storyline

Susanna is rushed to the hospital. Afterwards she discusses this with a psychiatrist. She had been having some delusions. She had also been having an affair with the husband of her parents' friend. The doctor suggests that combining a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of vodka was a suicide attempt. This she denies. He recommends a short period of rest at Claymoore. Claymoore is a private mental hospital full of noisy, crazy people. Georgina is a pathological liar. Polly has been badly scarred by fire. Daisy won't eat in the presence of other people. Lisa is a sociopath, the biggest exasperation for the staff - like Nurse Valerie - and the biggest influence on the other girls in the hospital. Lisa has a history of escapes, so gaining access to personal medical files is not a problem... Susanna's boyfriend Toby is concerned that she seems too comfortable living with her institutionalized friends...

Jarhead [2005]

"Every man fights his own war."

BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: William Broyles Jr. (screenplay), Anthony Swofford (book)
  Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx and Lucas Black

Storyline

Anthony "Swoff" Swofford, a Camus-reading kid from Sacramento, enlists in the Marines in the late 1980s. He malingers during boot camp, but makes it through as a sniper, paired with the usually-reliable Troy. The Gulf War breaks out, and his unit goes to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield. After 175 days of boredom, adrenaline, heat, worry about his girlfriend finding someone else, losing it and nearly killing a mate, demotion, latrine cleaning, faulty gas masks, and desert football, Desert Storm begins. In less than five days, it's over, but not before Swoff sees burned bodies, flaming oil derricks, an oil-drenched horse, and maybe a chance at killing. Where does all the testosterone go?

Awakenings [1990]

"There is no such thing as a simple miracle."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Penny Marshall
Writers: Oliver Sacks (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay) 

Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams and Julie Kavner

Storyline

A new doctor finds himself with a ward full of comatose patients. He is disturbed by them and the fact that they have been comatose for decades with no hope of any cure. When he finds a possible chemical cure he gets permission to try it on one of them. When the first patient awakes, he is now an adult having gone into a coma in his early teens. The film then delights in the new awareness of the patients and then on the reactions of their relatives to the changes in the newly awakened.

Chaplin [1992]

"Everyone has a wild side. Even a legend."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Richard Attenborough
Writers: David Robinson (book), Charles Chaplin (book) 

Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin and Paul Rhys

Storyline

The biography of Charlie Chaplin, filmmaker extraordinaire. From his formative years in England to his highest successes in America, Charlie's life, work, and loves are followed. While his screen characters were extremely hilarious, the man behind "The Little Tramp" was constantly haunted by a sense of loss.

Born On The Fourth Of July [1989]

"A story of innocence lost and courage found."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Oliver Stone
Writers: Ron Kovic (book), Oliver Stone (screenplay) 

Stars: Tom Cruise, Raymond J. Barry and Caroline Kava

Storyline

The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

A Beautiful Mind [2001]

"He Saw The World In A Way No One Could Have Imagined."

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Ron Howard
Writers:  Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar (book)

Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly

Storyline

Biopic of the famed mathematician John Nash and his lifelong struggles with his mental health. Nash enrolled as a graduate student at Princeton in 1948 and almost immediately stood out as an odd duck. He devoted himself to finding something unique, a mathematical theorem that would be completely original. He kept to himself for the most part and while he went out for drinks with other students, he spends a lot of time with his roommate, Charles, who eventually becomes his best friend. John is soon a professor at MIT where he meets and eventually married a graduate student, Alicia. Over time however John begins to lose his grip on reality, eventually being institutionalized diagnosed with schizophrenia. As the depths of his imaginary world are revealed, Nash withdraws from society and it's not until the 1970s that he makes his first foray back into the world of academics, gradually returning to research and teaching. In 1994, John Nash was awarded the Nobel prize in Economics.

127 Hours [2010]

"There is no force more powerful than the will to live."

BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Danny Boyle
Writers:  Danny Boyle (screenplay), Simon Beaufoy (screenplay)

Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara

Storyline

127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?

The Rite [2011]

"You can only defeat it when you believe."

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Michael Petroni, Matt Baglio (book) 

Stars: Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins and Ciarán Hinds

Storyline

Michael, the son of a funeral director grows indifferent to his father and joins a Seminary. On his way to the course completion, he is overwhelmed by a strong lack of faith. His religious beliefs are further jolted when he sees a young girl haplessly dying in a road accident for whom he reluctantly performs the ritual to absolve her sins. His mentor still believes in him and urges him to go to Italy to take an exorcism course hoping that he it would strengthen his faith in Christianity. In Italy he attends a session from Father Xavier who soon becomes aware of his skepticism. As a result he sends him to an eminent Jesuit exorcist, Father Lucas, whose ways though questionable are quite effective. He witnesses the exorcism of a sixteen year old girl but still seems unconvinced. Father Lucas explains him that it takes multiple sessions over a long stretch of time to completely free a victim from the omen...

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose [2005]

"What happened to Emily?"

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Scott Derrickson

Writers: Paul Harris Boardman, Scott Derrickson

Stars: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and Shohreh Aghdashloo

 

Storyline

When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trail begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.

 

 

 

The Untouchables [1987]

"Never stop fighting till the fight is done"

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Director: Brian De Palma

Writers:  Oscar Fraley (suggested by book), Eliot Ness (suggested by book)

Stars: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro

 

Storyline

 

Federal agent Elliot Ness assembles a personal team of mob fighters to bring Chicago crime boss Al Capone to justice using unconventional means during the mob wars of the 1920s. This fictionalized account of the arrest of Al Capone is heavy on style and gunfire. The end shootout combines a baby carriage and stairs with a nod to Eisenstein's 'The Battleship Potemkin'.

Hitler : The Rise of Evil [2003]

"The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."

Director: Christian Duguay
Writers:  John Pielmeier, G. Ross Parker  

Stars: Robert Carlyle, Stockard Channing and Jena Malone

 

Storyline

 

The movie describes the life of Adolf Hitler from childhood to manhood, and how he became so powerful. It describes his poor childhood in Austria, it describes the first world war from his point of view, and how he became the strongest man in Germany. The movie show us how turned Hitler from a poor soldier into the leader of the Nazis, and how he survived the attempts to kill him. It describes his relationship with his mistress Eva Braun, and his decisions and enemies inside Germany and inside the Nazi party.

Unstoppable [2010]

"1 million tons of steel. 100,000 lives at stake. 100 minutes to impact."

BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Tony Scott
Writer: Mark Bomback
Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson



Storyline

With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

Braveheart [1995]

"Every man dies, not every man really lives."

BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Mel Gibson
Writers: Randall Wallace
Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau and Patrick McGoohan

Storyline

 

William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.

Sid and Nancy [1986]

"Love kills"


BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Alex Cox
Writers: Alex Cox & Abbe Wool
Stars: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb and David Hayman

Storyline

 

Morbid biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. When the Sex Pistols break up after their fateful US tour, Vicious attempts a solo career while in the grip of heroin addiction. One morning, Nancy is found stabbed to death and Sid is arrested for her murder.

Battle for Haditha [2007]

"There are many ways to see the same story"

Director: Nick Broomfield
Writers: Nick Broomfield & Marc Hoeferlin
Stars: Matthew Knoll, Elliot Ruiz and Eric Mehalacopoulos

Storyline

 

In November 2005, US Marines fell into an ambush by Iraqi insurgents and one officer got killed. The reprisals by the the Americans were frightening, resulting in the massacre of 24 people, many of whom women and children. "Battle for Haditha" is the faithful account of this tragic event which scandalized the world.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES (2)

Behind Enemy Lines [2001]

"In War There Are Some Lines You Should Never Cross."


BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: John Moore
Writers: Jim Thomas & John Thomas
Stars: Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson and Gabriel Macht

Storyline

 

Fighter navigator Chris Burnett wants out: he was looking for something more than the boring recon missions he's been flying. He finds himself flying the lone Christmas day mission over war-torn Bosnia. But when he talks pilot Stackhouse into flying slightly off-course to check out an interesting target, the two get shot down. Burnett is soon alone, trying to outrun a pursuing army, while commanding officer Reigert finds his rescue operation hamstrung by politics, forcing Burnett to run far out of his way.

Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil [2006]

Director: James Dodson
Writer: James Dodson
Stars: Nicholas Gonzalez, Matt Bushell and Keith David

Storyline

 

The fate of the world hangs in the balance in this explosive action thriller. Brace yourself for nonstop action and chilling suspense, because there's no turning back in this pulse-pounding sequel that takes you Behind Enemy Lines for another adrenaline-fueled adventure! When a team of U.S. Navy SEALs is assigned to destroy a North Korean missile site and avert a possible nuclear strike, failure is not an option. But the mission is abruptly aborted, stranding four soldiers in enemy territory. Now, in order to survive, they must defeat the rebel forces that threaten their lives, their allies and the entire free world!

Black Hawk Down [2001]

"Leave No Man Behind"


BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Mark Bowden (book), Ken Nolan (screenplay)
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore

Storyline

 

Action/war drama based on the best-selling book detailing a near-disastrous mission in Somalia on October 3, 1993. On this date nearly 100 U.S. Army Rangers, commanded by Capt. Mike Steele, were dropped by helicopter deep into the capital city of Mogadishu to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. This lead to a large and drawn-out firefight between the Rangers and hundreds of Somali gunmen, leading to the destruction of two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters. This film focuses on the heroic efforts of various Rangers to get to the downed black hawks, centering on Sgt. Eversmann, leading the Ranger unit Chalk Four to the first black hawk crash site, Warrant Officer Durant who was captured after being the only survivor of the second black hawk crash, as well as many others who were involved.

Black Book [2006]

"To fight the enemy, she must become one of them."


BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Gerard Soeteman & Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch and Thom Hoffman

Storyline

 

Israel 1956. Rachel, a Jew, rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz where is she working as a teacher. It brings back memories of her experiences in The Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. September 1944. Rachel is in trouble when her hiding place is bombed by allied troops. She gets in contact with a man from the resistance and joins a group of Jews who are to be smuggled across the Biesbosch by boat to the freed South Netherlands. Germans from a patrol boat murder them all however. Only Rachel is able to escape. She is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers. When Kuipers' son is captured after trying to smuggle weapons, he asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze. Soon she will find out the attack in the Biesbosch wasn't a coincidence

Downfall (Der Untergang) [2004]

"April 1945, a nation awaits its... "



BASED ON A TRUE EVENTS

Director: Oliver Hirscbiegel
Writers: Joachim Fest & Traudl Junge
Stars: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara and Ulrich Matthes

Storyline

 

In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his Generals and advisers to fight to the last man. "Downfall" explores these final days of the Reich, where senior German leaders (such as Himmler and Goring) began defecting from their beloved Fuhrer, in an effort to save their own lives, while still others (Joseph Goebbels) pledge to die with Hitler. Hitler, himself, degenerates into a paranoid shell of a man, full of optimism one moment and suicidal depression the next. When the end finally does comes, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.