Best Biography Films with the Most Ratings, Very Inspirational and Must-Watch

Kapanlagi.com - Written by: Siska Dewanti

In the world of filmmaking, true stories often become a source of inspiration for creating novels or scripts that will later be adapted into a biography film. Biography films are a genre that tells the personal lives of famous and inspirational figures with the addition of storytelling elements to make the film's plot more interesting.

Telling stories of success and suffering, these biography films showcase inspiring and heart-moving life journeys for the audience. Among the many biography films that have been produced, there are several recommended biography films that have received the most ratings, are very inspirational, and must be included in your watchlist. Let's check it out!

1. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.2/10 (1,570,815 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 3 hours
• Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is a true story film that tells the story of Jordan Belfort, an ordinary employee who becomes successful after building his business. The film begins by depicting Jordan's career as an intern at a brokerage firm.

With Jordan's effort and hard work in offering stocks to investors, he earns a lot of profit from the stock sales. Eventually, he is able to establish his own company and recruit many employees.

Jordan's enjoyed success makes him careless and he commits many crimes such as adultery, drugs, bribery, and corporate crime. His crimes are eventually suspected by the FBI and Jordan faces a series of misfortunes.

Jordan eventually realizes his mistakes and undergoes drug rehabilitation and becomes a motivational speaker on stock investment. This biographical film directed by Martin Scorsese is highly recommended for those interested in the investment world as it contains many moral messages that can be taken.

2. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 9.0/10 (1,442,786 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 3 hours 15 minutes
• Cast : Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley

SCHINDLER'S LIST is a biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the fictional novel of the same name by Thomas Keneally. The film tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over 1,200 Jewish people during the Holocaust.

The story begins with Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, who initially is a profit-oriented businessman and involved in the war business during the Nazi occupation of Poland. However, over time, Schindler becomes increasingly appalled by the cruelty and atrocities committed by the Nazi regime against the Jewish people.

Schindler then decides to use his business as a tool to save as many Jewish people as possible from death in concentration camps. He employs them in his factory, providing them with protection from Nazi persecution, and fights in every way to ensure their safety.

3. GOODFELLAS (1990)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.7/10 (1,250,384 IMDb Votes)
• Duration: 2 hours 25 minutes
• Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci

Still with a biographical film by the same director as THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Martin Scorsese, the film GOODFELLAS tells the story of a teenager who aspires to become a mafia. The teenager's name is Henry Hill.

Henry Hill reveals that being a mafia is better than being the President of the United States, as the mafia can break the law without fear of being arrested. In general, this film will tell the story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, including his relationship with his wife Karen and his mafia colleagues Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

In the end, Henry Hill's friends plan to kill him, but he quickly takes wise action by becoming a witness to the theft at Luthfansa, the largest theft case at that time. He requests protection from the police to ensure his safety.

4. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.1/10 (1,087,598 IMDb Votes)
• Duration: 2 hours 21 minutes
• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on a true story. The film tells the story of Frank William Abagnale, who is a skilled con artist and pretends to be a doctor, lawyer, and pilot.

An FBI agent named Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the highly skilled Frank, who is adept at disguises. Eventually, Frank is captured and sent to prison.

Some time passes, and Carl visits Frank, bringing a book and mentioning that he is going to the airport to take care of a fake check. Frank offers to help verify the authenticity of the check. After examining it, they discover that the check is indeed fake.

Due to his ability to read checks, Frank is hired in the FBI's financial department. He achieves success through legitimate means and creates secure checks for many banks, earning a substantial income from his work.

5. BRAVEHEART (1995)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.3/10 (1,087,559 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 2 hours 58 minutes
• Cast : Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan

BRAVEHEART is a film directed by Mel Gibson and based on a true story. This film tells the story of William Wallace's struggle against English colonization of his homeland, Scotland, in the 13th century.

William Wallace is a Scottish farmer who becomes the leader of a rebellion against King Edward I of England (known as Longshanks). Wallace leads the Scottish people's resistance against English cruelty and oppression, and leads Scottish forces in various battles against the English army.

During his journey of struggle, Wallace finds love in the form of Murron MacClannough, who later becomes his wife. However, their love story becomes the trigger for a tragedy that deepens Wallace's resentment towards England.

6. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.2/10 (982,870 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 2 hours 15 minutes
• Cast : Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly

A BEAUTIFUL MIND is a biographical film directed by Ron Howard. This film is based on the life of renowned mathematician John Nash, portrayed by Russell Crowe.

The film's plot follows the life journey of John Nash, who was a talented student at Princeton University in the 1940s. Nash had exceptional intelligence in the field of mathematics, but also faced challenges in his relationships with others due to his diagnosis of schizophrenia.

In the film A BEAUTIFUL MIND, Nash demonstrates his struggle in distinguishing between reality and delusion. The film won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Russell Crowe was nominated for Best Actor for his captivating performance as John Nash.

John Nash himself remains a popular figure today for his groundbreaking contributions in various mathematical fields such as game theory, geometry, and topology. This best biographical film is highly recommended for students, especially those who have an interest in mathematics.

7. THE PIANIST (2002)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.5/10 (906,282 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 2 hours 30 minutes
• Cast : Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay

THE PIANIST is a war drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the memoir written by Polish Jewish pianist named Władysław Szpilman. This film tells the story of Szpilman's life during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw during World War II.

The story begins with the German invasion of Poland in 1939. Szpilman, portrayed powerfully by Adrien Brody, is a renowned pianist who lives with his family in Warsaw. However, after the German occupation, Szpilman's family is forced to live in increasingly difficult conditions due to the anti-Jewish policies implemented by the Nazis.

This film depicts Szpilman's struggle to survive amidst the destruction and torture of the Nazis, where he loses his family and loses all the luxuries and honors he had as a famous artist. Szpilman is forced to hide in various places and relies on the kindness of the people he encounters along his journey.

8. THE IMITATION GAME (2014)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.0/10 (821,217 IMDb Votes)
• Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
• Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

THE IMITATION GAME is a biographical film directed by Morten Tyldum, which focuses on the life of Alan Turing, a mathematician, cryptographer, and computer pioneer from the United Kingdom. The film is based on the true story from the biography book ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA by Andrew Hodges.

This film tells the role of Alan in helping Britain crack the Enigma codes used by the Nazi Germany during World War II. Enigma is a highly advanced encryption machine, and its decryption posed a great challenge for the Allied forces.

With his perseverance, Alan was able to crack the Enigma codes together with his friends. Alan Turing's contribution to the world of computing is immense, as he proposed that computers could be used for various purposes and run various programs. This biographical film is highly suitable for those with an interest in IT field.

9. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 7.8/10 (754,968 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 2 hours
• Cast : Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

THE SOCIAL NETWORK is a biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. It is based on the book THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES by Ben Mezrich, which tells the story of the early days of the social networking site Facebook.

The film depicts the controversial story of the creation and development of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. Mark starts developing the website that later becomes Facebook in his dorm room, with the help of his friends, including Eduardo Saverin and Sean Parker.

This biographical film is a must-watch to understand the origins of the social media platform known as Facebook. Highly recommended.

10. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013)

(imdb.com)

• Rating : 8.1/10 (738,761 IMDb Votes)
• Duration : 2 hours 14 minutes
• Cast : Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender

12 YEARS A SLAVE is a biographical film directed by Steve McQueen. It is based on the 1853 memoir TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE by Solomon Northup, an African American man who was sold into slavery in the United States in the 19th century.

The story begins with Solomon Northup, a musician living in New York in 1841. However, his life takes a drastic turn when he is deceived, kidnapped, and sold into the Southern slave market, where he is forced to work as a slave for twelve years.

The film depicts Solomon Northup's struggle to survive under the oppression and cruelty of the slavery system. He is transferred from one owner to another, experiencing inhumane treatment, violence, and incredible physical and emotional suffering.

These are the best-rated and highly inspiring biographical films. Don't forget to watch them!

(kpl/ska)