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'
10 Rillington Place (1971)
7.6/10
Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt
The true story of British mass murderer John Reginald Christie, played with chilling normality by Richard Attenborough. Throughout the late '40s, Chri... Read more
12 Years a Slave (2013)
8.1/10
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Quv...
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Read more
12 Years a Slave ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
8.1/10
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mic...
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Read more
13 Minutes (2015)
7/10
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring: Christian Friedel, Katharina Schuttler, Burghart Klaubner
Georg Elser was a man who could have changed world history and saved millions of human lives, if only he had had 13 more minutes. With 13 more minutes... Read more
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
6.5/10
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver, Armand Assante
Gerard Depardieu plays the intrepid explorer who discovered America 500 years ago, Christopher Colombus. Told from the point of view of his illegitima... Read more
16 Years of Alcohol (2003)
6.3/10
Director: Richard Jobson
Starring: Kevin McKidd, Laura Fraser, Susan Lynch, Ewen Bremner
The true story of one man's battle against the effects, both socially and psychologically, of alcohol. Set in three distinct periods in the life of Fr... Read more
21 (2008)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Luketic
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Jacob Pitts, Liza Lapira,...
Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich's best-seller 'Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions... Read more
21 ( Blu-ray ) (2008)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Luketic
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey
Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich's best-seller 'Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions... Read more
21 Hours at Munich (1976)
6.4/10
Director: William A Graham
Starring: Anthony Quayle, Franco Nero, Noel Willman, Paul Smith, Richard Basehart, Shirley...
On September 5, 1972 the world was shocked as TV reporters' attention turned from the Olympic games to a politically-motivated hostage situation. A gr... Read more
24 Hour Party People (2002)
7.4/10
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Danny Cunningham, Sean Harris, Shirley Henderson,...
This riveting film captures the meteoric real-life exploits of Tony Wilson (great performance by Steve Coogan), a savvy Manchester-based TV impresario... Read more