Top 10 Best Movies Based on a True Story

Two years after the resignation of President Richard Nixon, All the President's Men was published. The film follows journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward as they investigate the Watergate scandal. With the help of an anonymous source known as Deep Throat, they unravel a political conspiracy of unprecedented proportions. The film is known for its eye for detail and set a new standard for the realistic political thriller.

Hotel Rwanda tells the moving story of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. After the death of the president, the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis escalated rapidly. Against this background, the film follows Paul Rusesabagina, manager of a Belgian hotel who manages to save more than a thousand refugees through bribery and diplomacy. His personal dilemmas make the story even more poignant.

While many mafia films are accused of romanticization, this is impossible in Gomorrah. The film is based on the book by Roberto Saviano, who has been living in hiding since publication due to death threats. By following five different characters, the film shows how deeply the Camorra is intertwined with daily life in Naples. A television series based on Saviano's work also appeared in 2014.

Intouchables is a French film based on the autobiographical book by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo. The film tells the story of an unlikely friendship. Philippe is an almost completely paralyzed aristocrat, Driss a young ex-delinquent from the Parisian banlieue. Despite their completely different backgrounds, a bond is created that is both moving and humorous.

Hachi is an American film adaptation of a famous Japanese story about an extremely loyal Akita dog. Professor Wilson finds a puppy at a train station and slowly builds a close bond with the animal. Every day Hachi waits for his owner at the station. When Wilson dies unexpectedly, the dog waits there faithfully for another ten years. The story was previously filmed in Japan and is known as one of the most moving film stories ever.

For Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can is remarkably light in tone. The film tells the true adventures of master con man Frank Abagnale. From an early age, Abagnale managed to appropriate jobs for which he was not trained. When he steals millions of dollars, he comes into the crosshairs of FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Despite some fictional elements, the real Abagnale was very pleased with the film adaptation.

Into the Wild is also a survival film, but with a strong philosophical approach. Director Sean Penn based his film on the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about Christopher McCandless. After graduating, McCandless rejects a conventional life and travels across America. Ultimately he ends up in Alaska, where he lives in an abandoned bus. However, loneliness and nature take their toll, with fatal consequences.

When people get lost in the wilderness and survive, it often produces an exceptional story. 127 Hours uses the biography of canyoner Aron Ralston as a starting point. After a fall, Ralston becomes trapped under a boulder in a remote area. He fights for his life for five days until he has to make an extreme decision to escape. Ralston later praised the film's realism, which feels almost documentary at times.

Ben Affleck impressed as director with this political thriller about a painful episode in American history. Argo revolves around the hostage taking of American embassy staff during the Iranian revolution of 1979. The film is largely based on a book by CIA agent Tony Mendez, who manages to smuggle six hostages out of the country with a daring plan. Despite criticism of historical details, Argo was showered with Oscars, including best film.

Goodfellas is probably the definitive film about the American mafia. Martin Scorsese used the book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family as the basis for this hard story about jovial but extremely violent criminals. Crime journalist Nicholas Pileggi paints a compelling portrait of mafia member Henry Hill, who eventually becomes an informant and testifies against his old colleagues. Although Scorsese changed the real names, the portrayal of gangster life is remarkably authentic.