100+ Best History Movies

Top-rated history films ranked by our smart algorithm

🧮 How We Rank the Best History Movies

Our intelligent ranking algorithm considers multiple factors: User Rating (70%) - based on average user scores, Popularity (30%) - audience engagement metrics, and Vote Count - ensuring movies have sufficient reviews for reliability. This creates a balanced score that highlights both critically acclaimed and widely loved history films.

30 Best History Movies

Top-rated history films ranked by our smart algorithm

#1
Hacksaw Ridge poster
8.2

Hacksaw Ridge

20162h 19m

WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

DramaHistoryWar
#2
Ford v Ferrari poster
8.0

Ford v Ferrari

20192h 33m

American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

DramaActionHistory
#3
Schindlers List poster
8.6

Schindlers List

19933h 15m

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

DramaHistoryWar
#4
Hidden Figures poster
8.1

Hidden Figures

20162h 7m

The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

DramaHistory
#5
Saving Private Ryan poster
8.2

Saving Private Ryan

19982h 49m

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

DramaHistoryWar
#6
The Imitation Game poster
8.0

The Imitation Game

20141h 53m

Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

HistoryDramaThriller
#7
1917 poster
8.0

1917

20191h 59m

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.

WarHistoryThriller
#8
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas poster
7.8

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

20081h 34m

When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.

WarDramaHistory
#9
Apocalypto poster
7.6

Apocalypto

20062h 19m

Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.

ActionDramaHistory
#10
Bohemian Rhapsody poster
8.0

Bohemian Rhapsody

20182h 15m

Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.

MusicDramaHistory
#11
Troy poster
7.1

Troy

20042h 43m

In year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. They set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy.

AdventureHistoryWar
#12
12 Years a Slave poster
7.9

12 Years a Slave

20132h 14m

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

DramaHistory
#13
Braveheart poster
7.9

Braveheart

19952h 57m

Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.

ActionDramaHistory
#14
The Untouchables poster
7.8

The Untouchables

19871h 59m

Young Treasury Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is determined to take down Al Capone, but it's not going to be easy because Capone has the police in his pocket. Ness meets Jim Malone, a veteran patrolman and probably the most honorable one on the force. He asks Malone to help him get Capone, but Malone warns him that if he goes after Capone, he is going to war.

CrimeDramaHistory
#15
The Kings Speech poster
7.7

The Kings Speech

20101h 58m

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

DramaHistory
#16
Black Hawk Down poster
7.4

Black Hawk Down

20012h 25m

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.

ActionHistoryWar
#17
Dallas Buyers Club poster
7.9

Dallas Buyers Club

20131h 57m

Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.

DramaHistory
#18
Spotlight poster
7.8

Spotlight

20152h 9m

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

DramaHistory
#19
Gangs of New York poster
7.3

Gangs of New York

20022h 48m

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin, Bill the Butcher, who murdered his father years earlier. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area.

DramaHistoryCrime
#20
The Irishman poster
7.6

The Irishman

20193h 29m

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

CrimeDramaHistory
#21
Les Misérables poster
7.3

Les Misérables

20122h 38m

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.

HistoryDrama
#22
The Founder poster
7.1

The Founder

20161h 55m

The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.

DramaHistory
#23
Pearl Harbor poster
6.9

Pearl Harbor

20013h 3m

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

WarHistoryRomance
#24
Apollo 13 poster
7.4

Apollo 13

19952h 20m

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

DramaHistory
#25
Sully poster
7.2

Sully

20161h 36m

On 15 January 2009, the world witnessed the 'Miracle on the Hudson' when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 souls aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and career.

DramaHistory
#26
Darkest Hour poster
7.3

Darkest Hour

20172h 5m

In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.

DramaHistory
#27
First Man poster
7.0

First Man

20182h 21m

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

HistoryDrama
#28
Everest poster
6.8

Everest

20152h 1m

Inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain, "Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest of elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.

AdventureDramaHistory
#29
Rocketman poster
7.3

Rocketman

20192h 1m

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

MusicDramaHistory
#30
The Post poster
7.0

The Post

20171h 56m

A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Inspired by true events.

DramaHistory

Understanding History Movies

Explore what makes history films unique, their key characteristics, and why they captivate audiences worldwide.

🎭

Genre Characteristics

This genre offers unique storytelling elements, distinctive themes, and specific narrative conventions that create memorable cinematic experiences for audiences seeking particular types of entertainment.

📂

Popular Subgenres

  • • Classic History
  • • Modern History
  • • Independent History
  • • International History
  • • Experimental History
💡

Viewing Tips

Each film in this genre offers unique perspectives and storytelling approaches. Take time to appreciate the distinctive elements that define this category.

Why History Movies Matter

This genre provides unique perspectives on life, culture, and human experience, offering audiences distinctive storytelling approaches that broaden their understanding of cinema and the world.

These films contribute to the rich diversity of cinematic expression, ensuring that different voices, stories, and artistic visions have a platform to reach and impact audiences.

🏆 History Genre Statistics

Movies in Database:30+
Top 25 Average Rating:7.6/10
Most Popular Era:2010s
Quality Threshold:7.0+ Rating

Your History Discovery Guide

Expert tips for finding and enjoying the best history films tailored to your preferences.

🎯Finding Your Perfect Match

  • Start with highly-rated films (8.0+) to experience the genre's best examples
  • Check release decades - each era brings different filmmaking styles
  • Read descriptions to understand tone and content before watching
  • Use our similar movie suggestions to discover new favorites

Maximizing Your Experience

  • Create the right viewing environment for the genre's atmosphere
  • Consider watching with friends for genres that benefit from shared reactions
  • Explore international films for fresh perspectives on familiar themes
  • Track your favorites to identify patterns in your preferences