While we all know the saying (or rather, the truth) that history tends to repeat itself, each rendering takes a slightly different, its own, course - thus making all the wars, all the betrayals, and all the heartwarming stories vary between themselves, leaving us in awe of each periodic story, no matter how old or new or known it is. Same with historical movies, no matter how many of them you've seen about the topic of your interest, they all show a slightly different take, giving you endless hours of entertainment. What's even better is that most of the creators of such movies stick to a degree of historical accuracy, so you can be sure that those stories aren't just real but also shown almost exactly as they occurred. And, yes, nothing is more interesting than the events that truly happened, and nothing is as unbelievable as real stories of real people. So, here we are with our list of the best historical movies made to date, in hopes of giving you hours of pleasurable watching.
No matter if you're a buff of the Bronze Age, medieval France, or 18th century Great Britain, you will surely find a movie that will cater to your likes. Also, you can always just scroll right past the ones that don't rouse any interest on your part, and you can easily discern that by reading the short descriptions under our twenty top picks. All you have to do is to scroll down below to our cinematic selection, make a choice, and ready yourself for a couple of hours of quality screen time. But, before you click that play button, share this article with your friends!
#1 Belfast
2021 | 1 hour 38 minutes | Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Starring Jude Hill, Lewis McAskie, Caitriona Balfe
Belfast is a coming-of-age drama following a boy's childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969. Nine-year-old Buddy, surrounded by violence and growing danger, tries his best to understand the unfolding Troubles. But when the time comes for his family to decide to pack and move or stay home risking their lives, Buddy's world changes drastically. It's a deeply personal story of Belfast's director, one that's mesmerizing, gripping, and compelling at the same time.
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64points
#2 The Northman
2022 | 2 hours 16 minutes | Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang
The Northman is an epic historical drama film based on the medieval Scandinavian legend of Amleth (yes, the same Amleth that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet). Eggers, the director of The Northman, has already made himself a name for creating absolutely unique movies showing a historical period with all its intricacies and subtleties leaving no historian a mistake to scoff at. The same is true with The Northman - a historically accurate Viking epic and a story of bloodthirsty revenge. This movie will astound you with its shunning of Hollywood tropes, unique visuals, and original plot.
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63points
#3 Schindler's List
1993 | 3h 15m | Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
"Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire." Set in Krakow during World War II, Schindler's List tells the true story of industrialist Oskar Schindler, who becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis. He gradually involves himself in their lives through bribes and favors, ultimately saving over 1000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps. Steven Spielberg was able to get permission to film inside Auschwitz but chose not to, out of respect for the victims, so the death camp scenes were filmed outside the gates on a set constructed in a mirror image of the real location on the other side. This masterpiece earned 91 wins (including several Academy Awards) and 49 nominations.
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59points
#4 The Witch
2015 | 1 hour 32 minutes | Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
The Witch is a period supernatural horror film and the directorial debut of Robert Eggers. Set in the 1630s, it follows a Puritan family shunned from their community who set out to build a new life in the wilderness near never-ending, deep, dark woods. Their search for a better life goes horribly awry bit by bit, and the family's eldest daughter, Thomasin, gets accused of being a witch. As her last resort, after the family's ultimate demise, she does join the leagues of Satan worshipers. As a horror movie, The Witch discovers a new genre called 'elevated horror,' and to get what's it about; you'll just have to watch the movie. It's ominous, it's dark, and it's subtle, with loads of meaning embedded into every aspect of the story.
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53points
#5 The Lighthouse
2019 | 1 hour 49 minutes | Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman
The Lighthouse is a period horror-thriller that will give you an in-depth look at the dreary and bleak life of a lighthouse keeper in the 1890s. However, the movie itself isn't bleak in the very least - it will mesmerize you with its stunning black-and-white visuals, it will titillate you with the outstanding performances of the leading duo and baffle you with the intricacies of the complex story. However, besides being darkly entertaining, it's also an expansive and immersive exploration of human psychology and the power of the mythos. So, not a piece of light entertainment, but absolutely very worth the time.
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53points
#6 The Favourite
2018 | 1 hour 59 minutes | Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
The Favourite is a period black comedy film set in early 18th century Great Britain. Although the premise here seems like quite a simple one - two cousins vying to become the favorite of Queen Anne, their relationship and rivalry are anything but incomplex. Their schemes are horrible, and there's nothing the two won't do to gain The Queen's preference. A Queen who seems quite a bit feeble-minded at first, but then her deep secret is revealed, and soon the plot takes a twist from being a dark comedy to plain dark. If you love movies with unique plots, superb acting, and the exact right combination of (very subtle) comedy and (all-out) drama, then The Favourite might just become your own front-runner.
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52points
#8 Killers Of The Flower Moon
2022 | N/A | Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone
Killers Of The Flower Moon is an upcoming Western crime drama film based on the best-selling 2017 non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. And although we cannot tell a lot about the plot of Killers Of The Flower Moon, we know this much - in northeastern Oklahoma, members of the Osage tribe are murdered under mysterious circumstances. This sparks a major FBI investigation directed by its first director J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White, who's your archetypal old-style lawman. So, a mysterious crime with a Western flavor that's surely piquing our interest.
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49points
#9 Dunkirk
2017 | 1 hour 46 minutes | Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance
Dunkirk is a war film depicting the events of the Dunkirk evacuation operation of World War II. In May and June of 1940, thousands of British and French soldiers are holed up on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, surrounded by Germans. Their only escape route is by the sea, but there just aren't enough army vessels to get them all out. Thus, British sailors, most of them civilians, set out to Dunkirk in their own private fishing ships, yachts, and every other floating vessel to carry the stranded soldiers to safety. It's a heroic story told in a masterful way, not shying away from the grim realities of war but leaving your heart filled with joy in the end nonetheless.
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46points
#10 The Last Duel
2021 | 2 hours 32 minutes | Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer
The Last Duel is a historical action drama film based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager. The events here are set in medieval France, and just by that, you can be certain that the movie will be pretty grim and, well, dark. The story itself follows one Marguerite who accuses her husband's friend of rape. Now, the two men have to settle the dispute in a duel. The viewer is never told what's the truth behind this insidious accusation and has to decide for oneself whether Marguerite is telling it how it is or lying, which makes the watching experience all the more pleasurable. Combine it with The Last Duel's three-chapter story-telling device, and it becomes spectacular.
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45points
#11 Benedetta
2021 | 2 hours 11 minutes | Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphne Patakia
Benedetta is a biographical drama film loosely based on the 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown. It follows the story of Benedetta Carlini, a novice nun in the 17th century who joins a Theatine Convent of the Mother of God in Tuscany, Italy, and has a love affair with one of the other nuns. Upon its release, Benedetta caused a fair share of controversy in Christian society, which deemed it blasphemy to show lesbian love as a part of convent life. Although provoking, Benedetta is still a masterfully made piece of cinema art that will surely give something to think about.
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45points
#12 The King
2019 | 2 hours 20 minutes | Directed by David Michod
Starring Tom Glynn-Carney, Gabor Szap, Timothee Chalamet
The King is an epic war film based on several plays from William Shakespeare's Henriad. This is the story of the wayward young Prince of Wales, Hal, becoming Henry V, the King of England, after his tyrannic father's death. If before, Hal spent his days uninterested in the ways of court and politics and spending his energy on drink and girls, then after he ascends to the throne, he is forced to deal with those exact things that he ran from. Add in the war that his father has left for him, and Hal's transition is even more complicated. The King is a strong movie elevated by stellar performances of the cast, and if you're somewhat of a history buff, The King will be just your cup of tea.
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44points
#13 Ben-Hur
1959 | 3 hours 32 minutes | Directed by William Wyler
Starring Charleston Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
Ben-Hur is a religious epic film that's a remake of the 1925 silent film of a similar name adapted from the 1880s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ by Lew Wallace. The events in the movie center around Judah Ben-Hur - a wealthy Jewish prince living in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Life's good for Ben-Hur up until his Roman friend betrays him and throws him into prison. That, of course, enrages Ben-Hur, and now his main goals are to regain his freedom and seek revenge. Although everything is iconic about Ben-Hur, the never-before-seen 9-minute-long chariot race scene absolutely made it into cinema history.
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42points
#14 Hacksaw Ridge
2016 | 2 hours 19 minutes | Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey
Hacksaw Ridge is a biographical war film focusing on the World War II experiences of Desmond Doss. Desmond, an American pacifist combat medic, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, refused to carry or use any weapons. He was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor for his unbelievable heroism during the Battle of Okinawa, without firing a single shot. Hacksaw Ridge is a gripping wartime drama that has garnered plenty of accolades and awards that prove its unique qualities.
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41points
#15 Tombstone
1993 | 2 hours 10 minutes | Directed by George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre
Starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott
Tombstone is a Western movie loosely based on the events in Tombstone, Arizona, that took place during the 1880s. It's the Wild Wild West all the way - outlaws, lawmen, shootings, lynchings, and all the shebang that happened right at the end of the 19th century in America. Tombstone's depiction of the genre is a beautifully stylish one, so if you love Westerns or historical movies, this one will definitely be that cherry on top. It also helps to rely on the critics - who have praised this movie immensely - and the viewers who made Tombstone explode at the box office upon its release.
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40points
#16 Troy
2004 | 2 hours 43 minutes | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
Troy is an epic historical war film loosely based on Homer's Iliad. The events here are set in the year of 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze Age. This is when two emerging nations - the Trojans and the Greeks - set out for an ultimate battle to claim lands and stolen wives. Not only does Troy depict these epic historical events, but also delves a bit deeper into the characters' lives and battle struggles that soon foreshadow their fate. Troy was an instant hit upon its release, and although critics gave it lukewarm reviews, it is still a massive movie that will give you almost three hours of half-naked heroes and their fierce wives battling for your entertainment.
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39points
#17 Against The Ice
2022 | 1 hour 42 minutes | Directed by Peter Flint
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole, Heida Reed
Against The Ice is a historical survival film based on the true story recounted in Two Against the Ice by Ejnar Mikkelsen. The events depicted in Against The Ice took place in 1909 when a Danish expedition to Greenland went horribly awry. Two men out of the crew get stranded in the unforgiving wilderness and have to find their way back to safety, battling hunger, fatigue, and polar bears. They somehow manage it, only to find their base camp abandoned and their ship wrecked. Bear in mind that this is a real story, which makes this survival film all the more impressive.
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38points
#18 The Big Short
2015 | 2 hours 10 minutes | Directed by Adam McKay
Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
The Big Short is a biographical comedy-drama based on the 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The story explicitly shows the cause and the onset of the 2007-2008 financial crisis through three separate but concurrent stories that are loosely connected together. The Big Short, to be an entertaining movie about one of the dullest topics - finances - had to employ some very unconventional techniques of explanation. And well, it was very worth the efforts, as The Big Short gained nothing but praises from the critics.
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35points
#19 Redeeming Love
2022 | 2 hours 14 minutes | Directed by D.J. Caruso
Starring Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, Eric Dane
Redeeming Love is a Christian Western romance film based on Francine Rivers' 1991 novel of the same name, which, in turn, was based on the Biblical story of Hosea. Redeeming Love employs the setting of the American Old West during the California Gold Rush and follows the story of Angel - a young woman who was sold into prostitution as a child. Now, she encounters that all-consuming, everlasting love that might just heal her of her woes.
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30points
#20 Braveheart
1995 | 2 hours 58 minutes | Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
Braveheart is an epic historical drama following the story of Sir William Wallace, a late-13th-century Scottish warrior. Wallace, against all odds, led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against the tyranny of King Edward I of England. Upon its release, but also even decades later, Braveheart was (and is) a great success critically and commercially. This is definitely a saga that won't let you down, even though it might not be so accurate historically at times.
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26points