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'
Papillon (2017)
7.1/10
Director: Michael Noer
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek, Yorick van Wageningen, Roland Moller, Tommy Flanagan...
The epic story of Henri "Papillon" Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who is framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorio... Read more
Papillon (1973)
8/10
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Starring: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe
Based on a true story, petty criminal Henri Charriere, a.k.a. Papillon (Steve McQueen), is framed for murder and transported for life to the penal col... Read more
Paradise Road (1997)
6.8/10
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, Cate Blanchett
Based on actual incidents which occurred in a Japanese POW camp during W.W.II, this is the affecting, hard-hitting story of a group of female Allied p... Read more
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Bob Dylan, James Coburn, Jason Robards, Katy Jurado, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Co...
Romantic, mythic version of the changing West, James Coburn stars as Pat Garrett, the former outlaw who has put on a badge to work for the cattlemen a... Read more
Patriots Day (2016)
7.4/10
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Mark Wahlberg, J K Simmons, Michelle Monaghan
Based upon the dramatic real-life manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers, this powerful action-thriller follows Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark... Read more
Patriots Day ( Blu-ray ) (2016)
7.4/10
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Mark Wahlberg, J K Simmons, Michelle Monaghan
Based upon the dramatic real-life manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers, this powerful action-thriller follows Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark... Read more
Patton (1970)
8/10
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Starring: George C Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Strong
A critically acclaimed film and a true milestone in screen biographies, "Patton" is a riveting portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest military... Read more
Patton ( Blu-ray ) (1970)
8/10
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Starring: George C Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Strong
A critically acclaimed film and a true milestone in screen biographies, "Patton" is a riveting portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest military... Read more
Patty Hearst (1988)
6.3/10
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Natasha Richardson, William Forsythe, Ving Rhames
The dramatization of the newspaper heiress's kidnapping and subsequent brainwashing by the Symbionese Liberation army. Natasha Richardson stars. Read more
Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
7/10
Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard, Robin Weigert
In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when... Read more