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 Flying Scotsman (2006)
7.1/10
Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Boyd, Laura Fraser, Brian Cox, Steven Berkoff
The true story of amateur Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree, played by Jonny Lee Miller, who after seeing his old riding partner take gold at the Barcelon... Read more
The Founder (2016)
7.2/10
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Laura Dern, Michael Keaton, Linda Cardellini, Nick Offerman, BJ Novak, John Carr...
A traveling salesman, Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is weary of the grind, schlepping milkshake makers to diners, making a living to keep wife Ethel (Laur... Read more
The Founding of a Republic (2009)
4.9/10
Director: Jianxin Huang, Sanping Han
Starring: Andy Lau, Chen Kaige, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John Woo, Stephen Chow, V...
Featuring (in roles large and small) a host of China's biggest films stars, this epic tells the story of post-WWII China and the troubles it faced. Th... Read more
The French Connection (1971)
7.8/10
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey
Gene Hackman is an unorthodox New York narcotics cop in his Oscar winning performance. He and his partner (Roy Scheider) are investigating the flow of... Read more
The French Connection / French Connection II ( Blu-ray ) (1971)
Director: John Frankenheimer, William Friedkin
Starring: Bernard Fresson, Fernando Rey, Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marce...
'The French Connection' (1971, 103 mins) - New York City detectives "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) hope to break a narco... Read more
The Front Runner (2018)
6.2/10
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J K Simmons, Alfred Molina, Sara Paxton, Mike Judge,...
Gary Hart, former senator of Colorado, becomes the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1987. Hart's intelligence, charisma and... Read more
The Gathering Storm (2002)
7.6/10
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Jim Broadbent, Linus Roache, Lena Headey, Tom W...
The mid-1930's finds the great politician and orator Winston Churchill (Albert Finney) out of favour and struggling to make his robust voice heard by... Read more
The General (1998)
7.3/10
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Jon Voight, Adrian Dunbar
A gritty character study of a true-life Dublin working-class criminal known as the General. Writer/director John Boorman traces Martin Cahill's incred... Read more
The German Doctor (2013)
6.8/10
Director: Lucia Puenzo
Starring: Alex Brendemuhl, Natalia Oreiro, Diego Peretti
Aka "Wakolda". Lucía Puenzo's drama The German Doctor centers on a family in Argentina who are making a voyage in order to open a small resort lodge.... Read more
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
6.8/10
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Starring: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson
This intense adventure drama based on a true story and set in 1890s East Africa stars Val Kilmer as an engineer sent to build a bridge but the campsit... Read more