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 Falcon and the Snowman (Blu-ray) (1985)
6.8/10
Director: John Schlesinger
Starring: Sean Penn, Timothy Hutton, Lori Singer, David Suchet
A based-on-fact dramatic thriller starring Timothy Hutton as a defense plant employee who uncovers proof that the CIA is secretly influencing the acti... Read more
The Falklands Collection: Tumbledown / The Falklands Play (1988)
Director: Richard Eyre, Michael Samuels
Starring: Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Colin Firth, James Fox, Paul Rhys, Patricia Hodge, David Cal...
1982: After Argentinean troops take control of the Falkland Islands, the British task force set sail. This set features two stellar dramatizations of... Read more
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
6.7/10
Director: Anthony Mann
Starring: Alec Guinness, Anthony Quayle, Christopher Plummer, James Mason, John Ireland, M...
Based on true events, this epic charts the decadence, corruption, and intrigue that tears apart the greatest empire the world has ever seen and leads... Read more
The Favourite (2018)
7.7/10
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss,...
In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies... Read more
The Favourite (Blu-Ray) (2018)
7.7/10
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss,...
In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies... Read more
The Fencer (2015)
7.2/10
Director: Klaus Haro
Starring: Mart Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere
This is touching a 1950s-set drama about love and a man who finds meaning in his life through the children who need him. Endel Nelis is a young man wh... Read more
The Fifth Estate (2013)
6.2/10
Director: Bill Condon
Starring: David Thewlis, Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Daniel Bruhl, Benedict Cumberbatch,...
A dramatic thriller based on real events, "The Fifth Estate" shows how WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his colleague Danie... Read more
The Fighter (2010)
7.8/10
Director: David O Russell
Starring: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams
Inspired drama tells the true story of light welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), who strives to earn a title shot while a film crew... Read more
The Finest Hours (2016)
6.8/10
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Casey Affleck, Eric Bana, Ben Foster, John Ortiz, Chris Pine, Holliday Grainger
In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and lite... Read more
The First Grader (2010)
7.5/10
Director: Justin Chadwick
Starring: Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo
A heartwarming tale based on a true story, "The First Grader" is set in a remote mountain village in Kenya and tells the story of 84-year-old former M... Read more