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'
The Program (2015)
6.5/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Guillaume Canet, Ben Foster, Jesse Plemons, Chris O'Dowd, Lee Pa...
An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances.... Read more
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
8/10
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellane...
Will Smith delivers an earnest and raw performance, alongside his real-life son, Jaden, in this rousing true story of Chris Gardner, a single dad who... Read more
The Queen (2006)
7.3/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings
Helen Mirren is a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear's multiple award-winning film that centres on the aftermath of Princess Diana's... Read more
The Queen ( Blu-ray ) (2006)
7.3/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings, Michael Sheen
Helen Mirren is a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear's multiple award-winning film that centres on the aftermath of Princess Diana's... Read more
The Railway Man (2013)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jeremy Irvine, S...
While serving in the Second World War, British Army officer Eric Lomax (Jeremy Irvine) is captured and held prisoner by the Japanese. He is brutally t... Read more
The Railway Man ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jeremy Irvine, S...
While serving in the Second World War, British Army officer Eric Lomax (Jeremy Irvine) is captured and held prisoner by the Japanese. He is brutally t... Read more
The Red Riding Trilogy (2009)
Director: Anand Tucker, Julian Jarrold, James Marsh
Starring: Mark Addy, Rebecca Hall, Sean Bean, Warren Clarke, Peter Mullan, David Morrissey...
A neo-noir epic based on horrifying true events, adapted from David Peace's series of groundbreaking novels. The brutal Yorkshire Ripper is killing in... Read more
The Red Tent (1969)
7.1/10
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Starring: Sean Connery, Peter Finch, Hardy Kruger, Claudia Cardinale
A virtually unknown but first-rate film by Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov. This ripping adventure epic was funded in Italy and based on an actual... Read more
The Right Stuff (1983)
7.9/10
Director: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Lance Henriksen, C...
Long but exhilarating adaptation of Tom Wolfe's account of the U.S. manned space programme, with emphasis on test pilot Chuck Yeager, played by Sam Sh... Read more
The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005)
6.5/10
Director: Ketan Mehta
Starring: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Toby Stephens, Coral Beed, Amisha Patel
A valour-drenched historical epic, recalling the 1857 Indian rebellion against British rule, led by Mangal Pandey (played by the charismatic Aamir Kha... Read more