Best Rated History Movies
My top rated History Feature Films. I've given these movies a "Thumbs Up" based upon personal entertainment value or satisfaction. Either I like a movie or I don’t.
I don't watch movies to critique them. I want to be entertained or informed. So what if the formula’s been done before, it’s “too preachy”, or has some plot holes… just make it worth my time.
Ladies and gentlemen, it would be silly to expect your complete agreement with every title in this list. That’s entertainment. Have fun with it!
"Nobody knows anything." - William Goldman
I don't watch movies to critique them. I want to be entertained or informed. So what if the formula’s been done before, it’s “too preachy”, or has some plot holes… just make it worth my time.
Ladies and gentlemen, it would be silly to expect your complete agreement with every title in this list. That’s entertainment. Have fun with it!
"Nobody knows anything." - William Goldman
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1.
The Big Short
(2015)
Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight. (130 mins.)
Director: Adam McKay
“ Tagline: This is a true story ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
2.
Everest
(2015)
A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm. (121 mins.)
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
“ Tagline: Never let go ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
3.
Straight Outta Compton
(2015)
The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood. (147 mins.)
Director: F. Gary Gray
“ Tagline: The world's most dangerous group ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
4.
Selma
(2014)
A chronicle of Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. (128 mins.)
Director: Ava DuVernay
“ Tagline: "One Dream Can Change the World." ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
5.
12 Years a Slave
(2013)
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. (134 mins.)
Director: Steve McQueen
“ Tagline: The extraordinary true story of Solomon Northup ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
6.
The Frozen Ground
(2013)
An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events. (105 mins.)
Director: Scott Walker
7.
Zero Dark Thirty
(2012)
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011. (157 mins.)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
8.
Ip Man 2
(2010)
Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts. (108 mins.)
Director: Wilson Yip
9.
Secretariat
(2010)
Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the Triple Crown. (123 mins.)
Director: Randall Wallace
“ Tagline: The Impossible True Story ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
10.
The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
(2010)
Yip Man's resistance against invading foreigners, along with his romantic relations while under the tutelage of three Wing Chun masters. (100 mins.)
Director: Herman Yau
11.
Robin Hood
(2010)
In 12th 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
12.
Invictus
(2009)
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. (134 mins.)
Director: Clint Eastwood
13.
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. (140 mins.)
Director: Michael Mann
14.
The Hurt Locker
(2008)
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work. (131 mins.)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
“ Tagline: You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps. ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
15.
Cadillac Records
(2008)
Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists. (109 mins.)
Director: Darnell Martin
16.
Amazing Grace
(2006)
The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade. (118 mins.)
Director: Michael Apted
17.
The Last King of Scotland
(2006)
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s (121 mins.)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
18.
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
19.
Hotel Rwanda
(2004)
The true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. (121 mins.)
Director: Terry George
“ Tagline: When the world closed its eyes, he opened his arms ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
20.
King Arthur
(2004)
A demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (126 mins.)
Director: Antoine Fuqua
21.
Cold Mountain
(2003)
In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart. (154 mins.)
Director: Anthony Minghella
22.
The Last Samurai
(2003)
An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. (154 mins.)
Director: Edward Zwick
23.
Seabiscuit
(2003)
True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation. (140 mins.)
Director: Gary Ross
“ "A long shot becomes a legend." ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
24.
Hero
(2002)
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors. (99 mins.)
Director: Yimou Zhang
“ Tagline: One man will challenge an empire ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
25.
Rabbit-Proof Fence
(2002)
In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback. (94 mins.)
Director: Phillip Noyce
“ Tagline: 1500 Miles Is A Long Way Home ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
26.
Black Hawk Down
(2001)
123 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis. (144 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
27.
Enemy at the Gates
(2001)
A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad. (131 mins.)
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
28.
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
“ Tagline: Freedom is not given. It is our right at birth. But there are some moments when it must be taken. ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
29.
Apollo 13
(1995)
NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy. (140 mins.)
Director: Ron Howard
30.
Braveheart
(1995)
When his secret bride is executed for assaulting an English soldier who tried to rape her, William Wallace begins a revolt against King Edward I of England. (178 mins.)
Director: Mel Gibson
“ Tagline: Every man dies, not every man really lives. ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
31.
Tombstone
(1993)
A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating. (130 mins.)
Director: George P. Cosmatos
32.
Schindler's List
(1993)
In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis. (195 mins.)
Director: Steven Spielberg
“ Taglines: "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire." "The List Is Life." ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
33.
Once Upon a Time in China III
(1993)
Master Wong and his disciples enroll in the 'Dancing Lion Competition' to stop an assassination plot and to battle an arrogant, deceitful opponent. (109 mins.)
Director: Hark Tsui
34.
Once Upon a Time in China II
(1992)
In the sequel to the Tsui Hark classic, Wong Fei-Hung faces The White Lotus society, a fanatical cult... (113 mins.)
Director: Hark Tsui
35.
Once Upon a Time in China
(1991)
Set in late 19th century Canton this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial... (134 mins.)
Director: Hark Tsui
36.
Glory
(1989)
Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates. (122 mins.)
Director: Edward Zwick
“ Tagline: Their innocence. Their heritage. Their lives. Nothing would be spared in the fight for their freedom. ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
37.
Gandhi
(1982)
Gandhi's character is fully explained as a man of nonviolence. Through his patience, he is able to drive the British out of the subcontinent. And the stubborn nature of Jinnah and his commitment towards Pakistan is portrayed. (191 mins.)
Director: Richard Attenborough
“ Tagline: His Triumph Changed The World Forever. ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
38.
Chariots of Fire
(1981)
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics. (125 mins.)
Director: Hugh Hudson
39.
Little Big Man
(1970)
Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Indians and fighting with General Custer. (139 mins.)
Director: Arthur Penn
“ Tagline: Little Big Man Was Either The Most Neglected Hero In History Or A Liar Of Insane Proportion! ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
40.
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
“ Tagline: A Tale of the Christ ” - FiveDeadlyVenoms
41.
The Ten Commandments
(1956)
The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people. (220 mins.)
Director: Cecil B. de Mille