Top 20 history/historic fiction movies
In no particular order
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1.
Gladiator
(2000)
When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by an emperor's corrupt son, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge. (155 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
2.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
(2003)
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America. (138 mins.)
Director: Peter Weir
3.
Robin Hood
(2010)
In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. (140 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
4.
Apocalypto
(2006)
As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate. (139 mins.)
Director: Mel Gibson
5.
Ben-Hur
(1959)
When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge. (212 mins.)
Director: William Wyler
6.
Gettysburg
(1993)
In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War. (271 mins.)
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
7.
Queen Margot
(1994)
Young Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family. (162 mins.)
Director: Patrice Chéreau
8.
Gods and Generals
(2003)
The rise and fall of legendary war hero Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as he leads the Confederacy to great success against the Union from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to the 1993 classic "Gettysburg". (219 mins.)
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
9.
Lawrence of Arabia
(1962)
A flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during his World War I service in Arabia. (216 mins.)
Director: David Lean
10.
The Name of the Rose
(1986)
An intellectually nonconformist monk investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey. (130 mins.)
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
11.
Flesh+Blood
(1985)
A band of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble lord who decides not to pay them by kidnapping the betrothed of the noble's son... (126 mins.)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
12.
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
(1972)
In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado. (93 mins.)
Director: Werner Herzog
13.
Amistad
(1997)
About a 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the northeastern coast of America. Much of the story involves a court-room drama about the free man who led the revolt. (155 mins.)
Director: Steven Spielberg
14.
1492: Conquest of Paradise
(1992)
Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas and the effect this has on the indigenous people. (154 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
15.
Kingdom of Heaven
(2005)
Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people. (144 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
16.
El Cid
(1961)
Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz ("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour... (182 mins.)
Director: Anthony Mann
17.
Throne of Blood
(1957)
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle. (110 mins.)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
18.
Centurion
(2010)
A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack. (97 mins.)
Director: Neil Marshall
19.
The Vikings
(1958)
Einar and Eric are two Viking half-brothers. The former is a great warrior whilst the other is an ex-slave... (116 mins.)
Director: Richard Fleischer
20.
Braveheart
(1995)
When his secret bride is executed for assaulting an English soldier whom tried to rape her, a commoner begins a revolt and leads Scottish warriors against the cruel English tyrant who rules Scotland with an iron-fist. (177 mins.)
Director: Mel Gibson