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 Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
6.8/10
Director: Maggie Greenwald
Starring: Bo Hopkins, Carrie Snodgress, David Chung, Ian McKellen, Rene Auberjonois, Suzy...
The gender-bending, true-life sagebrusher about Josephine Monaghan (Suzy Amis), an outcast from a wealthy Eastern family, who searches for a new life... Read more
The Bang Bang Club (2010)
7/10
Director: Steven Silver
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Taylor Kitsch, Malin Akerman
Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe) is a war photographer trying to make a name for himself in South Africa near the end of apartheid. As he risks his li... Read more
The Bank Job (2008)
7.3/10
Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays
Inspired by the infamous 1971 robbery of a Lloyds bank in London that stumped authorities and intrigued the public. Directed by kiwi ex-pat Roger Dona... Read more
The Bank Job ( Blu-ray ) (2008)
7.3/10
Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Saffron Burrows, Jason Statham, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays
Inspired by the infamous 1971 robbery of a Lloyds bank in London that stumped authorities and intrigued the public. Directed by kiwi ex-pat Roger Dona... Read more
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
5.6/10
Director: John Huston
Starring: John Wayne, Eiko Ando, Sam Jaffe, Soh Yamamura, Norman Thomson
In 1856 Townsend Harris (Wayne) was the first American consul to Japan. He works hard to earn the respect of the local big-wigs amongst anti-American... Read more
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
7.3/10
Director: Scott Kalvert
Starring: Bruno Kirby, Ernie Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Mark Wahlberg
Jim Carroll's renowned autobiography about high school, heroin, sex, writing and of course basketball, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the brooding young C... Read more
The Believer (2001)
7.2/10
Director: Henry Bean
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Theresa Russell, Billy Zane
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, "The Believer" is a daring and gripping portrayal of a young Jewish man living an imposs... Read more
The Big Short (2015)
7.8/10
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell
Adam McKay co-writes and directs this financial drama starring Brad Pitt, Steve Carell, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling. The film follows eccentric fi... Read more
The Big Short (Blu-ray) (2015)
7.8/10
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell
In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing mark... Read more
The Big Sick (2017)
7.6/10
Director: Michael Showalter
Starring: Holly Hunter, Zoe Kazan, Kumail Nanjiani, Ray Romano
Kumail is a Pakistani comic who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon b... Read more