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Truth is so frequently stranger than fiction, it's no wonder Hollywood turns to the real world for many of its stories. You couldn't invent a tale more inspiring
than Shine or Erin Brockovich, more harrowing than Schindler's List or
Midnight Express, more peculiar than Ed Wood or Cool Runnings, or more
outrageous than Stander or The Aviator. As compelling 9/11 drama Flight 93 comes to DVD,
Blockbuster.co.uk's Marshall Julius takes a look at some of the most remarkable true stories ever
filmed.
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"Mom, we've been hijacked, and I'm calling to say goodbye..."
A harrowing made-for-tv drama with the courage to face the events of 9/11 head on, Flight 93 tells the story of the courageous,
self-sacrificing passengers who fought to thwart the terrorists on board the plane intended for the White House. With a controversial
big screen version of the same story heading to cinemas soon, it's clear the floodgates are now open to heartbreaking 9/11 dramas.
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"You can't wear black. It looks like you're going to a funeral."
The fascinating life and tempestuous times of country legend Johnny Cash are thoughtfully captured with humour and style in this must-see biopic. Acting up a storm while performing all their own songs, leads Joaquin Phoenix and Oscar champ Reese Witherspoon are entirely believable as the man in black and the long term object of his affections, June Carter.
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"There will be no rescue, no intervention for us. We can only save ourselves."
Films rarely come more challenging than Hotel Rwanda, a heartbreaking true-life tale of humanity and heroism in the face of monstrous evil. This is the African Schindler's List, less artful maybe, but every bit as powerful. Don Cheadle delivers a moving performance as a hotel manager determined to save more than a thousand Tutsis refugees from the murderous Hutu militia.
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"They can rebuild the White House, but they will never forget me."
A powerful drama based on a startling real-life story, this compelling and occasionally amusing film stars Sean Penn as a disturbed office furniture salesman and divorcee who, in 1974, resolved to kill the President of the United States. A failure both at home and at work, his attempted terrorism didn't work out for him either, and today he's little more than a curious historical footnote, eclipsed - even in his own day - by the Watergate scandal.
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"The war is lost... But if you think that I'll leave Berlin for that, you are sadly mistaken. I'd prefer to put a bullet in my head."
A compelling account of Hitler's final days as seen through the eyes of the Fuhrer's stenographer (Alexandra Maria Lara), Downfall is both incredibly well played and chillingly realistic. Bruno Ganz delivers the performance of a lifetime as Hitler, ably supported by a distinguished German cast in a film guaranteed to leave you speechless.
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"I'm not a bad person. I'm a real good person."
Screen chameleon Charlize Theron is a revelation as minging lesbian hooker Aileen Wuornos in director Patty Jenkins' compelling biopic. It's no wonder she won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, dominating the screen as the saddest white trash ever born, a tragic figure destined for infamy as one of America's first female serial killers.
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"I'm tried for robbing banks. But I have killed unarmed people."
Tom Jane delivers a star-making performance in the startling true tale of Andre Stander, a South African cop turned bank robber whose daring heists earned him folk hero status in the early Eighties. An exhilarating crime flick with a strong social conscience, Stander is a deeply felt and thoughtful yet endlessly exciting crime thriller with a strong sense of humour, some wonderful performances and a powerful visual punch.
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"Are we supposed to fly that close to the mountains?"
A tortured tale of true-life survival, Alive focuses on the unfortunate Uruguayan rugby team who crash-landed in the remote and snow swept Andes with nothing to scoff but each other. In solidarity with those poor souls, we suggest that while you watch this you crank up your air-conditioning and maybe eat a little chicken.
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"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."
Arguably the best of master director Martin Scorsese's many great movies, this effortlessly cool and endlessly fascinating gangster drama tells the violent, drug-fuelled life story of joyfully amoral goodfella Henry Hill, played to perfection by Ray Liotta. Equally amazing are supporting players Robert De Niro and Oscar winner Joe "How am I funny?" Pesci.
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"If I should fall, remember what you see here."
Matthew Broderick takes the lead as the colonel in charge of the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, battling the prejudices of his own Union Army as well as the hated Confederates, in this sweeping historical epic from Last Samurai director Edward Zwick. A trio of Oscars went to this one, including Best Cinematography for Freddie Francis and Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington.
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