Some of the greatest films of all time are based on unique stories that can only be based on true events In an age when fantastic storytelling featuring superheroes and superhuman characters presents endless possibilities, films inspired by real-life events have a certain appeal and offer audiences a grounded perspective on the world as it exists or once existed world that exists or once existed

From inspiring dramas about the triumphs and tribulations of extraordinary characters to heartwarming comedies that find humor in real-life quirks, Netflix's best films based on true stories are ranked here

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is not an immediately appealing movie subject But "Vice," directed by screenwriter Adam McKay, takes an absurdist tone to the secretive vice president's time as a politician, with Shakespearean dialogue, a fake-out in the end credits, and the most shocking fourth wall breakdown in recent film history Christian Bale is barely recognizable as Dick Cheney, and an all-star ensemble of Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Justin Kirk, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, and Jesse Plemons The cast includes

The film may be an unorthodox approach to biopics, but it was a critical hit when it was released in 2018, earning eight Academy Award nominations that year, including Best Picture, Best Director (Adam McKay), and Best Actor (Christian Bale) It may be one of the stranger titles on this list, but one might argue that the life of this baffling politician was also stranger than fiction This gripping drama describes how Doss's beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist led his superiors to try to force him out of office

Doss perseveres, however, and plays a key role in the Battle of Okinawa, particularly in the attack on Maeda Cliff (aka "Hacksaw Ridge"), rescuing 75 wounded soldiers under heavy enemy fire and earning the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration

While the film does not shy away from depicting the cruelty and misery of war, its overall message about the power of peace is one that resonates deeply with audiences today

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A more traditional biopic, "Doremite is My Name" stars Eddie Murphy and is based on the life of Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian, singer and film producer in the 1970s Moore was inspired by a story he heard in a record store and created the character of Dremite, a flamboyant and lecherous pimp After successfully portraying this character on stage, Moore decided to bring him to the silver screen in a black-sploitation film However, when production problems and distribution cancellations nearly derailed his plans, Moore took Doremite's future into his own hands and refused to give up on his dream of bringing the character to life on film

The film seamlessly blends humor and heartfelt storytelling into a surprisingly heartfelt and hilarious film that shows how Moore, a real person, overcame incredible obstacles to bring his vision to the cinema

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You can't have 500 million friends without making enemies [25] [26] The tagline for David Fincher's The Social Network is not only the rise of Facebook, but the extent to which co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has gone to maintain control of what has become the world's largest social media platform It perfectly describes the tone of the film, which depicts how far he went [27] [28] The young Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is first encountered by the audience in this film as a student at Harvard University The film then explores the birth of the social media giant, along with the roles played by Zuckerberg's associates Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield) and Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer) The film's unique non-linear structure, which weaves together multiple timelines and court testimony, highlights how competitive and cutthroat the birth of Facebook was

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Spike Lee's 2018 film BlacKKKlansman is the remarkable story of Ron Stallworth, played by John David Washington, a black Colorado Springs detective who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan The film tells the true story

In the film, Stallworth poses as a white supremacist on the phone and uses his Jewish colleague Flip Zimmerman (played by Adam Driver) to actually attend a Ku Klux Klan meeting Together they go undercover to expose the Klan's activities and prevent potential acts of violence

Although the film is set in the 1970s, Lee draws sharp parallels with the present day The film's final sequence features a high-impact double dolly shot that may make the audience uncomfortable, but appeals to the film's themes in a very unique and powerful way

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Martin Scorsese's take on 1990s excesses, "The Wolf of Wall Street" tells the story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who became obscenely rich in the 1990s by perpetrating a massive securities fraud Leonardo DiCaprio plays Belfort, a brash, uniquely driven, borderline sociopath who not only tries to convince the other characters on screen that he is the smartest man in the room, but also by his frequent use of a fourth wall that speaks directly to the audience tries to convince them

The film is a chilling examination of the culture of greed and excess that pervades Wall Street, not only in the 1990s but also today The film also features strong performances from the supporting cast, including Margot Robbie, Matthew McGnahey, and Jonah Hill

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Directed by Aaron Sorkin, 2020's "The Trial of the Chicago Seven" is based on the real-life trial of a group of seven people charged with conspiracy related to a demonstration against the Vietnam War during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago

While primarily a courtroom drama, the film weaves in flashbacks to the events leading up to the demonstrations, giving background to the defendants' motives and actions, and illustrating how the fundamental right to protest was under attack during this era Featuring strong performances from the ensemble cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Jeremy Strong, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Frank Langella, this is a film about the power of free speech and its protection A painful reminder of the power of free speech and how it can often be threatened by those whose mission it is to protect it

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