List of films based on actual events (before 2000)  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

This page List of films based on actual events (before 2000) is part of the fiction series.
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This is a list of feature films that are based on actual events.

1920s

• The Johnstown Flood (1926) — Stunning special effects for its time, plus Gable, Lombard and Gary Cooper, all as pre-fame, uncredited extras. Silent.
• Chicago (1927) — Phyllis Haver plays Roxie Hart in this silent film based on the 1926 play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins, inspired by the sensational stories of jazz babies on Death Row Belva Gaertner and Beulah Annan.
• The General (1927) — Silent Buster Keaton masterpiece chronicling the 1862 theft of a railroad locomotive and its recovery by an overlooked "little guy."
• Napoléon (1927) — Sweeping French epic tells the tale of Bonaparte, backed by a literal cast of thousands, some in early widescreen process.

1930s

• M (1931) — Berlin criminals search for a child murderer the police can't catch; based on 1920s case of Peter Kürten. Peter Lorre's breakout role.
• Rasputin and the Empress (1932) — Passion and politics at the Czar's house. Only film with all three Barrymore siblings: John, Lionel and Ethel.
• In the Wake of the Bounty (1933) — Australian film is first talkie about the mutiny; (there was a 1916 Australian silent). Errol Flynn's film debut.
• Cleopatra (1934) — Liz T. was just two when Claudette and deMille showed the world how to speak Nile with an art deco accent.
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) — First Hollywood telling of the mutiny-at-sea tale, with Gable and Laughton; won a Best Picture statuette.
• San Francisco (1936) — Hurly-burly of the Barbary Coast is quickly quashed by the infamous 1906 temblor. Gable, Jeannette MacDonald.
• You Only Live Once (1937) — Though called Eddie & Joan, they are loosely Bonnie and Clyde, just three years after the outlaws' deaths.
• Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) — The future President (Henry Fonda) finds success as a lawyer — and finds himself a wife (Marjorie Weaver).

1940s

• Young Tom Edison (1940) — Inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood is chronicled and shows him as a lad whose early inventions and scientific experiments usually end up causing disastrous results until a life or death event in his home town redems him and his ideas.
• Edison, The Man (1940) — In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Thomas Edison tells his story starting at age twenty-two with his arrival in New York.
• Sergeant York (1941) — Alvin C. York, a pacifist from the Tennessee hills, becomes the most decorated American soldier of World War I. Gary Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Directed by Howard Hawks.
• The Pride of the Yankees (1942) — Gary Cooper plays NY Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, "the luckiest man on the face of the earth"; Gehrig teammates including Babe Ruth play themselves in the film. Herman J. Mankiewicz and Jo Swerling adapted Paul Gallico's story; Sam Wood directed.
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) — Story of George M. Cohan, the actor-singer-dancer-playwright-songwriter-producer-theatre owner-director-choreographer known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway."
• Dillinger (1945) — Early outlaw depiction, starring Lawrence Tierney; uses footage cannibalized from Lang's You Only Live Once.
• Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) — Loosely, life of songwriter Jerome Kern, played by an all-star cast: Sinatra, Garland, Horne, et al...

1950s

• Young Man with a Horn (1950) — Self-taught cornetist Bix Beiderbecke sets new jazz standards, but succumbs to alcoholism at 28.
• 5 Fingers (1951) — James Mason plays Cicero, WW II-era spy in Ankara, Turkey, the highest-paid spy in history. Classic "twist" ending.
• The Desert Fox (1951) — German general Erwin Rommel evades the Allies in North Africa, but not the Gestapo back home.
• A Place in the Sun (1951) — Update of Dreiser's An American Tragedy; Chester Gillette was executed for drowning pregnant girlfriend.
• Moulin Rouge (1952) — John Huston's colorful film about artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, played touchingly by José Ferrer.
• Houdini (1953) — Fanciful account of the life of magician and escapologist Harry Houdini starring Tony Curtis, made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Marshall and produced by George Pal from a screenplay by Philip Yordan.
• Titanic (1953) — Best Original Script-winning soap opera pits Stanwyck versus Webb aboard the doomed "unsinkable" ocean liner.
• The Dam Busters (1955) — Technically-challenging raids against German dams in WWII required development of "bouncing bombs."
• To Hell and Back (1955) — Audie Murphy, America's most decorated soldier, played himself at studio's urging; he wanted Tony Curtis.
• Lust for Life (1956) — Force-of-Nature painter Vincent van Gogh, played by Kirk Douglas. Anthony Quinn plays Paul Gauguin.
• The Wrong Man (1956) — Unusual cinéma vérité Hitchcock effort with Henry Fonda as a man wrongly accused of armed robbery.
• Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) — Life of silent movie actor Lon Chaney, Sr., child of deaf-mute parents, played by James Cagney.
• The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) — Charles Lindbergh's first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, with James Stewart as "Lucky Lindy."
• I Want to Live! (1958) — Touching tearjerker as Best Actress Susan Hayward awaits the gas chamber on California's Death Row.
• A Night to Remember (1958) — Documentary-style telling of the Titanic's demise, from the still-definitive 1955 book by Walter Lord.

1960s

• Sink the Bismarck! (1960) — Behemoth German battleship flees British armada before being bombarded and sent to the bottom in May 1941.
• Spartacus (1960) — Stanley Kubrick's epic treatment of Roman slave revolt known as the Third Servile War in 73 B.C. See the 1991 restoration.
• El Cid (1961) — They had to pry his sword from his cold, dead hand, but he did drive out the Moors, circa 1090. Chuck Heston topped the cast.
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) — Spencer Tracy portrays an American judge in Nuremberg in 1948, assigned to preside over the trial of four German judges, each allegedly guilty of war crimes and charged with having abused the court system to help cleanse Nazi Germany of the politically and socially undesirable.
• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) — Burt Lancaster portrays convicted murderer Robert Stroud, who was not as cuddly as his cinematic counterpart.
• The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) — William Holden as WWII spy Eric Erickson whose life view is broadened by the woman he loved (Lilli Palmer).
• The Longest Day (1962) — Forty-two, count 'em, international stars play generals, colonels, even privates, during the WWII D-Day Invasion.
• The Miracle Worker (1962) — Blind and deaf humanitarian Helen Keller and her teacher, the titular Annie Sullivan; reprised by Broadway cast.
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) — Christian and Bligh butt intellects if not heads in this lavish second Hollywood telling of the famous mutiny tale.
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — David Lean's epic on T. E. Lawrence, with Peter O'Toole as the flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service.
• Cleopatra (1963) — Turgid, ponderous remake proved that even English accents, Mr. Mankiewicz and Ms. Taylor couldn't put togas in the seats.
• The Great Escape (1963) — Allied prisoners attempt a mass, 175-man breakout of Stalag Luft III; Steve McQueen does all his own bike-riding.
• PT 109 (1963) — President Kennedy's exploits and heroism as captain of the ill-fated patrol boat, cut in half by Japanese destroyer in WWII.
• Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) — Rome's second flop in as many years proved even English accents and Ms. Loren couldn't put togas in the seats.
• The Sound of Music (1965) — The story of the Von Trapp family, with Julie Andrews as the young woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a Naval officer widower's seven children.
• Harlow (1965) — Duelling biopics of Blonde Bombshell: one high-budget, one low, one color, one B&W, one Carroll Baker, one Carol Lynley, both flops.
• The Battle of Algiers (1966) — So thorough is its vérité style, many mistake it for a documentary; screened in 2004 in The Pentagon for its insights.
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967) — Highly romanticized story of doomed outlaw couple Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker proved nonconformity doesn't pay.
• In Cold Blood (1967) — The Clutter family murder in 1959 Kansas, taken from Truman Capote's book of the same name. Four Oscar nominations.
• The Boston Strangler (1968) — Tony Curtis is Albert DeSalvo, convicted and imprisoned for the Boston area "Green Man Rapes" and was suspected of the murders of thirteen women from 1962 through 1964.
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) — Seriocomic account of outlaw pair who did indeed flee the closing Old West for greener pastures of Bolivia.

1970s

• Patton (1970) — Story of U.S. General George S. Patton; won Best Picture and Best Actor for George C. Scott.
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) — Sprawling Japanese and American production of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Brian's Song (1971) — Story about Brian Piccolo who played for the Chicago Bears starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams.
• Lady Sings the Blues (1972) — Diana Ross is Billie Holiday, backed up by Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams.
• Badlands (1973) — Fictionalized account of 1957 Nebraska murder spree by Charles Starkweather and his 15-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate.
• Dillinger (1973) — Story of the 1930s gangster starring Warren Oates.
• Serpico (1973) — Story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico starring Al Pacino. Directed by Sidney Lumet.
• Lenny (1974) — Bob Fosse and Dustin Hoffman send a gritty, elegant, black-and-white love letter to Lenny Bruce.
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) — Events surrounding a 1972 Brooklyn bank robbery. John Wojtowicz, played by Al Pacino, said the movie was "only 30% true."
• The Hindenburg (1975) — German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg exploded on landing in 1937. Film's sabotage theme was superseded by new 1990s evidence.
• All the President's Men (1976) — Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal leading to President Nixon's resignation.
• Bound For Glory (1976) — Warts-and-all biopic about Depression-era folksinger and social advocate Woody Guthrie, told with Oscar-winning cinematography.
• Helter Skelter (1976) — The Tate/LaBianca murders in L.A. in 1969, perpetrated by the Manson Family, sent shivers down every spine in Tinseltown.
• A Bridge Too Far (1977) — Less-than-successful portrayal of less-than-successful Allied military operation to penetrate German territory during WWII.
• MacArthur (1977) — WWII-era General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, almost a foot shorter than his portrayer Peck, had an ego to fill the Pentagon.
• The Buddy Holly Story (1978) — Multi-nominated biopic of the promising Texas musician.
• Midnight Express (1978) — Based on the book by William Hayes and his experiences after he is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
• Escape From Alcatraz (1979) — Story of Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, who possibly successfully escaped from Alcatraz.
• Norma Rae (1979) — Woman who works in a North Carolina textile mill gets involved in organizing the place.

1980s

• Breaker Morant (1980) — Based on a 1902 incident in the Boer War, "a new kind of war for a new century;" Oscar-nominated script and powerful performances.
• Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) — Adapted from the autobiographical book by Loretta Lynn and George Vecsey. Directed by Michael Apted.
• The Elephant Man (1980) — Story of Joseph Merrick. Directed by David Lynch.
• Raging Bull (1980) — Based on the life and career of middleweight boxing champ Jake Lamotta, played by Robert DeNiro.
• Mommie Dearest (1981) — Joan Crawford's adopted daughter opens Joan's closet and exposes the wire hangers therein.
• Gandhi (1982) — Epic winner of eight Oscars: Best Actor, Director, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, Cinematography, Editing, and Best Picture.
• 10 to Midnight (1983) — Parallels the murders committed by Richard Speck. Directed by J. Lee Thompson.
• Frances (1983) — Based on the story of actress Frances Farmer who battled the studio system and mental illness.
• The Right Stuff (1983) — Based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 book about the test pilots involved in early high-speed aeronautical research and the United States' first attempt at manned spaceflight.
• Amadeus (1984) — Adapted by playwright Peter Shaffer; directed by Milos Forman. Based on the theory that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was murdered by fellow composer Antonio Salieri.
• Marie (1985) — Based on Marie Ragghianti's exposure of the 1970s Tennessee parole board scandals; adapted from the book Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas.
• Out of Africa (1985) — Meryl Streep maintains a lovely home while spinning tales, shooting lions and falling in love with Robert Redford in the story of Karen Blixen's years on her coffee farm in Kenya. Danish accent. Directed by Sydney Pollack.
• Sweet Dreams (1985) — Country music legend Patsy Cline's story, played by Oscar-nominated Jessica Lange, who lip-synchs to Cline's tracks.
• At Close Range (1986) — Based on rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr. Directed by James Foley.
• The Delta Force (1986) — Based heavily on the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985. Directed by Menahem Golan.
• Heartburn (1986) — Meryl Streep plays a brat and Jack Nicholson a rat in Nora Ephron's angry comedy based on her autobiographical novel about the breakup of her marriage to Carl Bernstein.
• Hoosiers (1986) — Based loosely on the 1953-54 Milan High School basketball team, winners of that year's Indiana state H.S. basketball championship despite representing a school of just 160 students.
• Act of Vengeance (1986) — Based on the Joseph Yablonski Family murders in connection with the United Mine Workers.
• Cry Freedom (1987) — Based on the life of South African activist Steve Biko.
• La Bamba (1987) — Touching story of a family, whose second son became famous for two reasons, one happy, one sad.
• The Last Emperor (1987) — Based on the life of Chinese emperor Pu Yi.
• Matewan (1987) — John Sayles film about a coal miners' strike in the 1920s.
• Nayagan (1987) — Based on the life of Underworld Don Varadarajan Mudaliar.
• Shaka Zulu (1987) — Story of Shaka the South African Zulu leader.
• The Untouchables (1987) — Loosely based on the 1930s crackdown on Chicago gangster Al Capone by Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness.
• The Accused (1988) — After two trials the 1983 gang rape of Cheryl Araujo at Big Dan's Tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts is finally avenged. This film frankly addresses unspoken prejudice against rape victims.
• A Cry in the Dark (1988) — Meryl Streep plays an unlikeable woman convicted of her child's murder by the court of public opinion. Australian accent. Directed by Fred Schepisi.
• Mississippi Burning (1988) — Based on the FBI investigation following the 1964 slayings of three political activists. Directed by Alan Parker.
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) — The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.
• Glory (1989) — Based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. Directed by Edward Zwick.
• My Left Foot (1989) — Story of Christy Brown, disabled Irish writer who could type only with the toes on his left foot.

1990s

• Awakenings (1990) — Long-comatose patients wake up; adapted from Oliver Sacks's memoir of the same title. Directed by Penny Marshall.
• GoodFellas (1990) — Based on the book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi, the true story of Henry Hill. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
• The Krays (1990) — Trendy take on the criminally insane East End gangsters the Kray twins, who enjoyed a brief, black-humored celebrity during London's Swinging Sixties.
• Not Without My Daughter (1990) — Story of Betty Mahmoody. Directed by Brian Gilbert.
• Vincent & Theo (1990) — The intense relationship between an art dealer and his alienated older brother. Directed by Robert Altman.
• White Hunter Black Heart (1990) — Clint Eastwood becomes John Huston in this depiction of the location filming of The African Queen in 1951.
• Bugsy (1991) — Glamorized, sanitized story of the putative father of the Las Vegas Strip. Directed by Barry Levinson.
• JFK (1991) — Loosely based on New Orleans DA Jim Garrison's late-'60s prosecution of defendant Clay Shaw — plus pieces of a half-dozen other conspiracy theories — in the JFK Assassination.
• Alive (1993) — Based on the Piers Paul Read book that tells the story of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in 1972. Directed by Frank Marshall.
• And the Band Played On (1993) — Adapted from the book of the same title by Randy Shilts. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
• Fire in the Sky (1993) — Based on the UFO abduction of Travis Walton. Directed by Robert Lieberman.
• Gettysburg (1993) — Based on the story of the Battle of Gettysburg. Originally made to be TV minseries, it is one of the longest feature films ever released.
• Rudy (1993) — Based on the story of Notre Dame football walk-on Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger. Directed by David Anspaugh.
• Schindler's List (1993) — Adapted from the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally about Oskar Schindler and his actions to save over 1,000 Jews from the Holocaust. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
• 8 Seconds (1994) — Based on the story of Lane Frost (Luke Perry), who died by injuries sustained by a bull he was riding in a championship. Stephen Baldwin plays Tuff Hederman.
• Ed Wood (1994) - Based on the story of Edward D. Wood Jr., the worst film director of all time, starring Johnny Depp as Ed Wood and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, and directed by Tim Burton
• Heavenly Creatures (1994) — Based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, principals in the 1954 Parker-Hulme murder in New Zealand.
• The Madness of King George (1994) — King George III's madness stemmed from porphyria. Based on the play The Madness of George III. The film's director said it was "not entirely untrue" that the play's title was changed so that Americans would not think it was a sequel.
• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) — Jennifer Jason Leigh cracks wise and unwise as the Algonquin Round Table's legendary Dorothy Parker. Directed by Alan Rudolph and produced by Robert Altman, its overlapping dialogue creates an improvisational, spontaneous atmosphere.
• Quiz Show (1994) — Adapted from a book by Richard N. Goodwin about the real-life American television quiz show scandals of the 1950s. Directed by Robert Redford.
• Apollo 13 (1995) — Story of the Apollo 13 lunar mission, based on the book Lost Moon by Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. Directed by Ron Howard.
• Braveheart (1995) — Based on the story of William Wallace of Scotland.
• Casino (1995) — Second Pileggi/Scorsese collaboration based on the last mafia-run casino in Las Vegas, the fictional Tangiers.
• Dangerous Minds (1995) — Based on the story of teacher LouAnne Johnson who takes on the challenge of an unruly class and wins them over.
• Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) — Based on real-life events of child abuse from the semi-autobiographical book of the same title by Dorothy Allison. Directed by Angelica Huston.
• Fly Away Home (1996) — Adapted from the book by Bill Lishman. Directed by Carroll Ballard.
• The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)-Based on Tsavo's (Kenya, Africa) two man-eating lions who killed 130 people over a nine month period.
• Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) — Based on the 1994 third re-trial of Klansman Byron De La Beckwith. Directed by Rob Reiner.
• Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996) — James Woods plays the evil 1920s murderer Carl Panzram, who befriended prison guard Henry Lesser. Directed by Tim Metcalfe.
• Michael Collins (1996) — Based on the life of IRA leader Michael Collins.
• Anastasia (1997) — Story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, with considerable liberties taken. Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.
• Donnie Brasco (1997) — Loosely based on Joseph D. Pistone, FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the Bonanno crime family in N.Y.C. during the 1970s.
• Four Days in September (1997) — Adapted from the book by Fernando Gabeira. Directed by Bruno Barreto.
• Prefontaine (1997) — Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.
• Iruvar (1997) — Based on the life of M. G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi.
• Kundun (1997) — Martin Scorsese brings the life of the Dalai Lama to the screen in a string of gorgeous vignettes shot in Morocco by Roger Deakins.<ref>"How Accurate Is 'Kundun'?" The Orange County Register, January 21, 1998. Asia Adventure Page</ref><ref>"Disney's China Policy." TIME, December 9, 1996. TIME</ref>
• Selena (1997) — Based on the life of Selena Qunitanilla Perez Mexican-American singer.
• Titanic (film) |Titanic (1997) - Based on the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
• Elizabeth (1998) — A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
• Gods and Monsters (1998) — Last days of British film director James Whale.
• Patch Adams (1998) — Story of the "medical doctor, clown, performer, social activist"<ref>"Dr. Patch Adams." The Gesundheit! Institute</ref> Patch Adams. Directed by Tom Shadyac.
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) — Story of the Niland Brothers during World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
• Anna and the King (1999) — Story of Anna Leonowens. Directed by Andy Tennant.
• Boys Don't Cry (film) (1999) — Story of hate crime victim Brandon Teena. Directed by Kimberly Peirce.
• Girl, Interrupted (1999) — Directed by James Mangold.
• The Hurricane (1999) — Based on the imprisonment of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Directed by Norman Jewison.
• The Insider (1999) — Adapted from a magazine article by Marie Brenner. Directed by Michael Mann.
• The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) — based on the story of Joan of Arc, a young girl who believed she was God's messenger. Milla Jovovich stars.
• October Sky (1999) — Adapted from the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam. Directed by Joe Johnston.
• RKO 281 (1999) — Story of the making of Citizen Kane. Directed by Benjamin Ross.
• Topsy-Turvy (1999) — After Gilbert and Sullivan's latest play is critically panned, the frustrated team threatens to disband until they are inspired to do their masterpiece, The Mikado.

2000s

• The Dish (2000) — The story of the Parkes antenna, in New South Wales, Australia, how it plays a key role in the first Apollo moon landing, and the quirky characters of the nearby town of Parkes and the roles they play.
• Chopper (2000) — Based on the biography of Australian, Mark Brandon (Chopper) Read. Directed by Andrew Dominik.
• Erin Brockovich (2000) — Story of Erin Brockovich. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
• Men of Honor (2000) — Based on Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear the first African-American Master Diver of the US Navy. Directed by George Tillman, Jr..
• The Perfect Storm (2000) — Adapted from the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger about the 1991 Perfect Storm. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
• Remember the Titans (2000) — Based on the 1971 football season of the newly integrated T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
• Shadow of the Vampire (2000) — Story of the making of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. Directed by [[E. Elias Mer
• Ali (2001) — A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.
• A Beautiful Mind (2001) — Adapted from Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind, an unauthorized biography of John Nash. Directed by Ron Howard.
• Behind Enemy Lines (2001) — Loosely based on the Mrkonjić Grad incident. Directed by John Moore.
• Black Hawk Down (2001) — Adapted from Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare by Mark Bowden about the Battle of Mogadishu. Directed by Ridley Scott.
• Blow (2001) — Based on the American cocaine smuggler George Jung. Directed by Ted Demme.
• Bully (2001) — Based on the case of Bobby Kent, who was murdered by seven teens in what is now Weston, Florida. Directed by Larry Clark.
• Enemy at the Gates (2001) — Based on Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
• Pearl Harbor (2001) — Based on the events of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid. Directed by Michael Bay.
• Catch Me if You Can (2002) — Story of con artist Frank Abagnale. Directed by Steven Spielberg
• Chicago (2002) — Adapted from the stage musical by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. Directed by Rob Marshall.
• City of God (2002) — Adapted from a book by Paulo Lins. Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.
• Dahmer (2002)— Story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
• Frida (2002) — Salma Hayek fought to bring this story of Frida Kahlo to the screen.
• Kandahar (2002) — Story of Afghan refugee Nelofer Pazira's return to Afghanistan. Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
• The Laramie Project (2002) — Adapted from the play The Laramie Project, both by Moisés Kaufman.
• Paid in Full (2002) — Based on events in the life of drug dealer Azie Faison during the crack epidemic in 1980s Harlem, leading up to the murders of his friends Rich and Donnell Porter. Directed by Charles Stone III.
• Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2002) - based on the 2002 court case, Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board.
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) — Based on the book Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence. Directed by Phillip Noyce.
• Ted Bundy (2002) — Story of serial killer Ted Bundy.
• We Were Soldiers (2002) — Based on the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement of American troops in the Vietnam War. Directed by Randall Wallace.
• 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003) — Based on the real-life story of the 1997 robbery known as the North Hollywood shootout.
• Antwone Fisher (2003) — Based on the autobiographical book Finding Fish. Directed by Denzel Washington.
• Gods and Generals (2003) — Prequel to Gettysburg, about General Stonewall Jackson.
• Monster (2003) — Story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Directed by Patty Jenkins.
• Radio (2003) — Based on the real-life story of South Carolina high school football coach Harold Jones and his mentally-challenged assistant, James Robert "Radio" Kennedy, adapted from a 1996 Sports Illustrated article by Gary Smith entitled "Someone to Lean On".
• Touching the Void (2003) — Adapted from the book by Joe Simpson. Directed by Kevin MacDonald.
• Wonderland (2003) — Based on the Wonderland murders which occurred in Los Angeles in 1981. Directed by James Cox.
• 12 Days of Terror (2004) Based on true events that occurred in July, 1916 in Central and Southern New Jersey, the film recounts 12 days during which people along the Jersey coast were subject to attacks by a shark (in the film it is a great white shark).
• The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) — Story of failed assassin Samuel Byck. Directed by Niels Mueller.
• The Aviator (2004) — Story of Howard Hughes, Directed by Martin Scorsese.
• Friday Night Lights (2004) — Adapted from Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger, about the 1988 football season of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. Directed by Peter Berg.
• Beyond the Sea (2004) — Energetic, imaginative musical biopic of singer Bobby Darin. Kevin Spacey co-wrote, directed and starred in this e
• Hidalgo (2004) — Story of horse rider Frank Hopkins. Directed by Joe Johnston.
• Hotel Rwanda (2004) — Story of the Paul Rusesabagina's experiences during the Rwandan Genocide. Directed by Terry George.
• Kaadhal (2004) — Based on a true Love story.
• Miracle (2004) — Story of Herb Brooks and the U.S. Olympic hockey team leading up to, and during the 1980 Olympic Games. Directed by Gavin O'Connor.
• Open Water (2004) — Based on story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were left behind on their scuba diving trip in the South Pacific. Directed by Chris Kentis.
• The Passion of the Christ (2004) — Mel Gibson film based on the New Testament accounts of the arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
• Ray (2004) — A 2004 movie biography of singer Ray Charles.
• Something the Lord Made (2004) - The first heart surgery Actors: Alan Rickman & Mos Def.
• Finding Neverland (2004) - The story of Sir James Matthew Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
• Aurore (2005) - Based on the murder of Aurore Gagnon.
• Capote (2005) - During his research for his book In Cold Blood, an account of the murder of a Kansas family, the writer Truman Capote, develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers.
• Cinderella Man (2005) - Based on the story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.
• Beyond the Gates (2005) — Based on events set during the early days of the Rwandan Genocide. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones.
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) — Story loosely based on Anneliese Michel. Directed by Scott Derrickson.
• The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) — Based on the life of golfer, Francis Ouimet. Directed by Bill Paxton.
• The Great Raid (2005) — Story of the raid at Cabanatuan. Directed by John Dahl.
• The Green River Killer (2005) — based on the real life murder Gary Ridgway. Directed by Ulli Lommel.
• Jarhead (2005) — Based on the Gulf War memoir of Anthony Swofford. Directed by Sam Mendes.
• The Last Hangman (2005) — Based on the life and career of British executioner Albert Pierrepont, from the early 1933 until the end of his career in 1955, during which he executed some 608 people including the Nuremburg war criminals to Ruth Ellis, the last women to be executed in Britain.
• Lies My Mother Told Me (2005) — Based on the real life murder of Larry McNabney,who was overdosed of horse Tranquilizer in late 2001 by his own wife, Lauren Renee Sims Jordan (A.K.A Elisa McNabney) & her accomplice, Sarah Dutra.
• Lords of Dogtown (2005) - Based on the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
• Munich (2005) — Loosely based on Operation Wrath of God following the aftermath of the Munich massacre. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
• North Country (2005) — Based on a lawsuit. Directed by Niki Caro.
• Only the Brave (2005) — Story of the rescue of the Lost Battalion by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Directed by Lane Nishikawa.
• Walk the Line (2005) - based on two autobiographies of Johnny Cash, Man in Black, and Cash: The Autobiography.
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005) - The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle — a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.
• Alpha Dog (2006) — Based on the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz organized mainly by Jesse James Hollywood, with names changed.
• An American Haunting (2006) — Based on the legend of the Bell Witch. Directed by Courtney Solomon.
• The Black Dahlia (2006) — Based loosely on the true story of the unsolved Black Dahlia homicide in January 1947. Directed by Brian De Palma.
• Bobby (2006) — Based on speculated events leading to the shooting of Robert F. Kennedy at The Ambassador Hotel in 1968. Directed by Emilio Estevez.
• Catch a Fire (2006) — Based on the expirences of former migrant worker turned Umkhonto we Sizwe member Patrick Chamusso during apartheid in the 1980s. Directed by Phillip Noyce.
• Find Me Guilty (2006) — Based on the trial of Mobster Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio, that became the longest Mafia trial in American history. Directed by Sidney Lumet.
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006) — Based on the book Flags of Our Fathers written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima and Raising the flag on Iwo Jima.
• Glory Road (2006) — Based on the story of the 1965-66 Texas Western basketball team and its march to the national championship, although with some liberties taken.
• Hollywoodland (2006) — Based on the suspicious death of actor George Reeves on June 16, 1959. Directed by Allen Coulter.
• Infamous (2006) — While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.
• Invincible (2006) - Based on the story of Vince Papale who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s as a walk-on.
• The Last King of Scotland (2006) — Based on factual events during Idi Amin's rule of Uganda. Directed by Kevin Macdonald.
• Lonely Hearts (2006) — Loosely based on the investigation of homicide detective Elmer C. Robinson into the Lonely Hearts Killers. Directed by his own grandson Todd Robinson.
• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) — Based on true story of Chris Gardner, starring Will Smith
• The Queen (2006) — After the death of Princess Diana, HM Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.
• Take the Lead (2006) - Based on the story of Pierre Dulaine, as he teaches potential high school drop-outs how to ballroom dance during detention, in an attempt to raise their self-respect and confidence.
• Traces of Love (2006) — Based on the Sampoong Department Store collapse of 1995
• United 93 (2006) — Based on United Airlines Flight 93 and dedicated to the passengers onboard who prevented the highjackers reaching their intended target. Directed by Paul Greengrass
• We Are Marshall (2006) — Story of the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed the entire Marshall University football team. Directed by McG.
• World Trade Center (2006) — Based on the rescue of John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno freed from the wreckage of the collapsing World Trade Center towers.
• 300 (2007) — Fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC).
• An American Crime (2007) - Based on the torture and murder of Sylvia Marie Likens.
• American Gangster (2007) - Based on the true life story of Frank Lucas, a former heroin dealer, and organized crime boss in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) - Based on the last year of Jesse James' life, leading up to his assassination by Robert Ford.
• Becoming Jane (2007) - A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
• Borderland (2007) — Loosely based on serial killer/cult leader Adolfo Constanzo. Directed by Zev Berman.
• Breach (2007) - Based on the capture of Soviet spy Robert Hanssen.
• Charlie Wilson's War (2007) — Based on Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan.
• Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck (2007) - Based on the true story of 1960s mass murderer Richard Speck. Directed by Michael Feifer.
• El Cantante (2007) - Based on the life of legendary salsa singer, Hector Lavoe. Direced by Leon Ichaso.
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) — A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.
• Freedom Writers (2007) — Based on the book, The Freedom Writers Diary, by teacher Erin Gruwell.
• The Hoax (2007) — Story of the fake autobiography Clifford Irving supposedly helped Howard Hughes write.
• I'm Not There. (2007) — Story on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work.
• In the Valley of Elah (2007) - Based loosely on the homicide of returning Iraq War veteran, Richard T. Davis in 2003 by fellow soldiers from Baker Company. Directed by Paul Haggis.
• Into the Wild (2007) — Based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the adventures of Christopher McCandless.
• The Killing of John Lennon (2007) — Story of Mark Chapman's plot to kill John Lennon.
• Mongol (2007) — Intended to be the first in a trilogy of films based on the life of Genghis Khan.
• Pride (2007) — Based loosely on the true story of Jim Ellis and his African American swim team in 1974 Philadelphia.
• Primeval (2007) — based on tales of a real man-eating crocodile named Gustave, still living in Burundi .
• Rohtenburg (2007) - Based on the "Rotenburg Cannibal" (Armin Meiwes).
• Stuck (2007) — Loosely based on the hit-and-run committed by Chante Jawan Mallard.
• What We Do Is Secret (2007) — Based on the 1970s Los Angeles punk band, The Germs and their lead singer, Darby Crash.
• 21 (2008) — Inspired by the story of the MIT Blackjack Team.
• The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008) — Based on German militant group, the Red Army Faction, the film retells the story of the early years of the RAF, concentrating on its beginnings in 1967 (at the time of the German student movement) up to the German Autumn (Deutscher Herbst) of 1977.
• The Bank Job (2008) — Based on a 1971 London robbery allegedly concocted by MI5.
• Cadillac Records (2008) — Based on the life of influential Chicago-based record company executive Leonard Chess, and the singers who recorded for Chess Records.
• Changeling (2008) — loosely based upon the real-life Wineville Chicken Murders, involving Christine Collins and the disappearance of her son.
• Che (2008) — Merged version of two films: The Argentine and Guerrilla about the life of Marxist revolutionary, Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
• Defiance (2008) — Story of the Bielski partisans.
• The Duchess (2008) — Based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.
• The Express (2008) — Based on the life of "The Elmira Express" Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
• Flash of Genius (2008) — Story of Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper and his claims and lawsuit against Ford Motor Company.
• Forever the Moment (2008) — Based on the achievements of the South Korean women's national handball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Frost/Nixon (2008) — Story of the 1977 televised Frost/Nixon interviews.
• Living Proof (2008) — Based on the true life story of Denny Slamon, who helped develop a breast cancer drug called Herceptin 2.
• Milk (2008) — Based on the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
• The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) — Based on the lives of Anne and Mary Boleyn, the sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.
• Stone of Destiny (2008) — Story of Ian Hamilton who helped recapture the Stone of Scone for Scotland.
• Valkyrie (2008) — Story of the 20 July plot of German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
• W. (2008) — Based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.
• The Blind Side (2009) — The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
• Coco avant Chanel (2009) - Fashion designer Coco Chanel before she was famous.
• Julie & Julia (2009) — Lives of two food writers contrasted: pioneer Julia Child in the '40s and 21st century Julie.
• Notorious (2009) — The life and career of rapper Biggie Smalls before his death.
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - The murder of several people in Texas
• Deadfall Trail (2009) - Based on a three-week survival trip in the Kaibab National Fores,<ref>Deadfall Trail - Could your Survive?</ref>
• Public Enemies (2009) - The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
• Amelia (2009) - A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
• The Young Victoria (2009) - A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.
• Bright Star (2009) - The drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats' untimely death at age 25.

2010s

• D.C. Sniper (2010) — Story based on the Beltway sniper attacks
• Mad in Italy (2010) — based on events about a girl's ordeal to stay alive at the hands of a young maniac.
• Lula, o filho do Brasil (2010) - Story based on the life of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Extraordinary Measures based on John Crowley

• Green Zone (2010) - The Movie Tells Events From The End Of The Invasion Phase Of The War Until The Transfer Of Power To The Iraqis Directed By :: Paul Greengrass

Not yet released

• The Rite - Story tells from a disillusioned American seminary student who moves in a exorcism school in Vatican.
• Non-Disclosure: Haunted (2013) — Story of divorced man and his son who rent a haunted house.
• The Fields (2011) — Story based on the life of screenwriter Harrison Smith

• Kuppi - (2007) - Indian Tamil Film Based On The Assassination Of Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
• Seven Years In Tibet - (1997) - True Story Film Based On The Book Written By Austrian Mountaineer Henrich Harrier
• Mighty Heart (2007) - Based On The Murder Of Daniel Pearl In Pakistan
• Talk To Me (2007) - Based On The Life Of Ralph 'Petey' Greene
• Haunting In Connecticut (2009) - Psychological Supernatural Film Based On True Events
• Public Enemies (2009) - Focuses On The FBI Agent Melvin Purvis During Great Depression
• Seabiscuit (2003) - Based On The Book "Seabiscuit :: An American Legend" By Laura Hillenbrand
• Yes Man (2008) - American Comedy Film Loosely Based On True Story
• Bloody Sunday (2002) - Based On The Events Of Bloody Sunday Directed By Paul Greengrass
• Rise Of The Footsoldier (2007) - British Gangster Film Based On Actual Events
• Zodiac (2007) - Based On The Zodiac Killer
• Satham Podathey (2007) - Indian Tamil Thriller Film Based On True Story
• Goodbye Bafana (2007) - Based On The Relationship Between Nelson Mandela And James Gregory
• Syriana (2005) - Geopolitical Thiller Film Loosely Based On Book See No Evil Written By Robert Bear A Former FBI Agent Based On His Experiences
• Black Friday (2004) - Indian Hindi Film Based On The 1993 Mumbai Bombings
• Coach Carter (2005) - Based On The Richmond High School Basketball Team lead by Coach Ken Carter
• The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006) - Story Of County Cork Brothers During Irish Civil War
• Rescue Dawn (2007) - Based on Dieter Dengler A US Navy Pilot Who Was Shot Down In Loas
• Motorcycle Diaries (2004) - Biographic Flim About The Early Life Of CHE
• The Counterfeiters (2008) - Austrian Film Based On Operation Bernhard
• Fugitive Pieces (2007) - Baed On The Story Of Jacob Beer,A Orphaned Jew In Poland
• Provoked (2006) - This Film Is Based On The True Story Of Kiranjit Ahluwalia Who Murdered Her Abusive Husband
• Max manus (2008) - Norwegian movie who is based on a true story of Max Manus who helpes to save his country from the Germans in the war.
• shootout at lokhandwala (2007))- Hindi movie based on the shootout made by mumbai police in encounter of gangster maya dolas.
• Invictus (2009) - Based On The Real Life Events Of Nelson Mandela Directed By Clint Eastwood
• The Zodiac (2005) - Anather Movie Based On The Zodiac Killer
• Memories Of Murder - (2003) - South Korean Movie Based On True Story Of Serial Killers Between 1986 - 1991
• Them - (2006) - French Horrer Movie Based On True Story
• Karla - (2006) - True Story Film Based On Serial Killers Paul Bernardo And Karla Homolka
• Battle In Seattle - (2007) - Based On WTO Ministerial Conference Of 1999 Protest Activity
• From Hell - (2001) - True Story Film Based On Jack The Ripper Murders
• 36 Quai Des Orfevres - (2004) - French Movie Based On True Story About Police
• Accident On The Hill Road - (2009) - Indian Hindi Film Based On True Story About Chante Mallard
• Sybil - (2007) - True Story Based On Life Of Shirlry Ardell Manson Who Was Diagnosed With Multiple Personality Disorder

See also

• Factual film