Top Historical Movies


The Top Historical Movies List is calculated by overall movie ratings and members' "Top Historical List". Lists are calculated daily.

11. The King's Speech

Year of Release: 2010
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Tom Hooper
Actors: Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Colin Firth, Timothy Spall
Plot: After his brother abdicates the throne young "Bertie" assumes his place as king, but his stuttering speech lead many to believe he is unfit for the position. Utilizing the talents of speech therapist Lionel Logue, whose unique techniques help him overcome his stuttering, King George VI emerges as a great leader.

12. The Ten Commandments

Year of Release: 1956
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Actors: Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, Nina Foch
Plot: One of Charlton Hesston's great roles as Moses along side Yul Brynner as Ramsey. An epic tale of Moses being cast away by the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramese and trying to fulfill his destiny of freeing the Jews from bondage.

13. Letters from Iwo Jima

Year of Release: 2006
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: Japanese
Genre: War/Historical
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Hiroshi Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Plot: The battle of Iwo Jima as taught from the Japanese point of view using culture as the difference between Americans and Japanese.

14. Apocalypto

Year of Release: 2006
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Mel Gibson
Actors: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead
Plot: The Mayan kingdom is failing, so they enslave the people who live in the forest to sacrifice them to the gods. One hunter, Jaguar Paw, is captured but needs to get back to his family and fulfill the omen.

15. Gangs of New York

Year of Release: 2002
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Martin Scorsese
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly
Plot: Takes place in Nineteenth century Manhattan where immigrants fight for control over the five-points neighborhood.

16. All Quiet on the Western Front

Year of Release: 1930
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: War/Historical
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Lewis Milestone
Actors: Lewis Ayres, John Wray, William Bakewell, Louis Wolheim
Plot: During WW1, a young soldier faces pride over cowardice during battle.

17. Battle of Algiers,The ( Battaglia di Algeri, La )

Year of Release: 1966
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: Italian
Genre: War/Historical
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Actors: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Samia Kerbash, Fusia El Kader
Plot: An accurate account of the bloodiest revolutions known to man.

18. Empire of the Sun

Year of Release: 1987
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Steven Spielberg
Actors: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Plot: A young, privileged boy is separated from his family after the Japanese invade British-controlled areas of China. Sent to a British internment camp where is attempts to capture some of his former life while affecting the adults around him.

19. The Last Emperor

Year of Release: 1987
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Historical/Biography
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Actors: Peter O'Toole, Joan Chen, Ruocheng Ying, Vivian Wu
Plot: The story of the last emperor of China as told through flash backs and flash forwards.

20. Downfall ( Untergang, Der )

Year of Release: 2005
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: German
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Actors: Bruno Ganz, Thomas Kretschmann, Alexandra Maria Lara, Juliane Köhler
Plot: The final days of Adolf Hitler are told by his secretary...

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