Monster & 9 Other Movies To Watch If You Love Thrillers Based On A True Story

Thrillers based on true stories have always captivated the minds of audiences from all over the world. After all, it’s always interesting to see a real story of a notable person (or group of people) that have gone through a transformation, experienced hardship, or even been convicted of multiple crimes.

Whatever it is that makes such movies so appealing, thrillers based on true stories have been around for a very long time and are still very popular, both with viewers and critics. There are so many of them made, even in recent years, that it’s impossible to see them all, but it’s worth checking out both smaller pictures and large-scale productions.

10 Monster (2003)

Perhaps Charlize Theron’s best role to date, Monster was the directorial debut of Patty Jenkins, who would go on to direct Wonder Woman and its sequel. Monster was a critical and commercial success, earning Theron multiple awards, including the Best Actress Academy Award and Golden Globe Award.

The movie depicts the story of real-life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. Aileen was a former sex worker who murdered seven of her male clients in 1989 and 1990 before being caught and later executed in 2002.

9 Detroit (2017)

One of Kathryn Bigelow’s most recent works, Detroit was a box office failure, but it was praised by critics and was especially noted for being almost entirely historically accurate.

Based on the Algiers Motel incident that happened during the 1967 Detroit 12th Street Riot, it tells the story of a group of rogue police officers responding to a complaint in a brutal and vengeful manner.

8 Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Heavenly Creatures is quite an underrated movie – both for its director, Peter Jackson, who co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated screenplay with his wife, Fran Walsh, and for one of its leading stars, Kate Winslet, who delivered the breakthrough performance of her career.

Based on the infamous 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case, it takes place in Christchurch, New Zealand, and depicts the relationship between the teenage Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, who eventually killed Parker’s mother.

7 Changeling (2008)

Despite the critically acclaimed premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Changeling would go on to received mixed reviews from critics, perform well at the box office, and be nominated for multiple major awards. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it stars Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich.

Based on the 1928 Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, it follows a woman who is reunited with a boy who is supposedly her missing son. However, once she realizes it isn’t him and tries to tell the authorities about the mistake, she is labeled as delusional and put into a psychiatric ward.

6 Argo (2012)

One of Ben Affleck’s directorial works, Argo stars Affleck, alongside Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and others. A commercial and critical success, the movie went on to receive multiple award nominations, winning three Academy Awards (Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay among them) and two Golden Globes (Best Drama and Best Director).

Adapted from a 1999 book and a 2007 article about the event, it depicts the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis when six U.S. diplomats were held hostage in Tehran, Iran, and the rescue mission that was organized under the guise of a filming crew scouting for locations for a sci-fi movie.

5 The Last King Of Scotland (2006)

Perhaps Forest Whitaker’s best role, The Last King of Scotland was a critical and commercial success for which Whitaker even won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Adapted from the book of the same name, it depicts a fictionalized version of the story of Nicholas Garrigan, who was a Scottish doctor working for Ugandan President Idi Amin, known for being a despot.

4 Captain Phillips (2013)

Starring Tom Hanks in the lead role, Captain Phillips was a critical and commercial success, receiving six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.

Based on a 2010 book about the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking, it depicts the incident when the merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage by Somali pirates with Abduwali Muse as their leader.

3 All The President’s Men (1976)

A massive success both critically and commercially, All the President’s Men was nominated on all the major awards winning in such categories as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor among others.

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name, it depicts the details of the Watergate scandal which eventually led to Richard Nixon’s presidency ending. The story follows two journalists from The Washington Post investigating the scandal.

2 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Based on a Life magazine article, Dog Day Afternoon tells the story of the 1972 robbery and hostage at a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn, when everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

Nominated for multiple awards, the Sidney Lumet movie performed very well at the box office and was praised by critics.

1 The Imitation Game (2014)

Based on the Alan Turing 1983 biography, The Imitation Game follows British cryptoanalyst, Turing, as he works for the British government during WWII, decrypting German intelligence messages while also struggling with his sexuality.

One of Benedict Cumberbatch’s most well-known roles, the movie was a massive success, both with critics and at the box office. Cumberbatch was nominated at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs for his performance.

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