True Stories
True Stories are those based (sometimes loosely!) on fact. They cover topics as diverse as drug addiction, poverty, political unrest, the corruption of power, alcoholism, class divisions, sexual inequality, mental illness and other human struggles. Meet some of history's most intriguing characters, find out what it's really like to climb a mountain or paint a masterpiece. Truly, the True Story is one of cinema's most engaging and enthralling genres.
Bio-pics feature in this section and are also gathered together separately under the 'Biography' sublink left.
Pictured: Inside the Las Vegas mob, Scorsese's unromantic 'Goodfellas'
Augustus (2003)
6.5/10
Director: Roger Young
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Charlotte Rampling, Gottfried John
Aka 'Imperium: Augustus'. Caesar has been assassinated. As the Roman Empire struggles to regain itself, a young Emperor steps forward, prepared to cla... Read more
Auto Focus (2002)
6.6/10
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, Maria Bello, Ron Leibman
Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe star in a provocative drama about the colourful life and mysterious death of legendary television actor Bob Crane. Bob C... Read more
Awakenings (1990)
7.8/10
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Julie Kavner, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, John Heard, Penelope Ann Miller, M...
A remarkable, moving and true story, about a maverick doctor who awakens his catatonic patients after decades of darkness. Extraordinary performances... Read more
Baadasssss! (2003)
7.4/10
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Starring: Joy Bryant, Ossie Davis, David Alan Grier, Nia Long, Paul Rodriguez, Saul Rubine...
Based on a true story, this is actor/writer/director Mario Van Peebles' candid portrait of his father Melvin's struggle as a young, black director dur... Read more
Backbeat (1994)
6.7/10
Director: Iain Softley
Starring: Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dorff, Ian Hart, Chris O'Neill
Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) goes along with his friend John Lennon (Ian Hart) when their rock-'n-roll band tries to establish itself in early 60s... Read more
Bad Blood (1981)
6.6/10
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Carol Burns, Dennis Lill, Jack Thompson, Donna Akersten, Martyn Sanderson, Marsh...
Jack Thompson gives a heartfelt and extraordinarily compelling performance as Stan Graham, a tragic and notorious West Coast figure who was pushed ove... Read more
Badlands (1973)
7.9/10
Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Alan Vint
Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek star in this tale of two outcasts on a murder-spree in a film that is one of the most stunning directorial debuts in the... Read more
Bandit Queen (1994)
7.6/10
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Starring: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey, Manoj Bajpai
Based on the true-life of Phoolan Devi, a lower-class woman who was sold at age 11 by her family as a child bride but later escaped. Challenging her c... Read more
Bang Rajan (2000)
6.7/10
Director: Thanit Jitnukul
Starring: Winai Kraibutr, Jaran Ngamdee, Chumphorn Thepphithak, Suntharee Maila-Or
A blockbuster epic from Thailand based on the 1765 invasion by Burma. The only thing standing between the Burmese Army and the (then Siamese) capital... Read more
Barefoot Gen / Barefoot Gen 2 (1983)
Director: Kazuo Oga
The powerful and tragic autobiographical story of manga artist Keiji Nakazawa, just six years old when an atomic bomb was dropped on his hometown of H... Read more