Tag Archives: based on true story

City by the Sea

IMDB Rating: 6.20
7694 votes

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Storyline
New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are higher for Vincent—the suspect he's investigating is his own son. He and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach, Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD. He lives his life in solitude, keeping his girlfriend at arm's length; the closest relationship he maintains is with his partner, Reg—and Vincent makes sure that stops at the precinct door. As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he doesn't have to deal with the pain of his past—or his sorrow over his broken relationship with Joey. But this murder investigation is drawing Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed City by the Sea, where the past has been waiting for him to return. The agonizing memory that has tortured him all his life—the death of his father, a convicted murderer who was executed when Vincent was just a boy—still plagues him. In the course of the investigation, he discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have deeply influenced Joey's life, and now his 18-month-old grandson may be fated to follow their self-destructive paths.
Actors
Vincent LaMarcaRobert De Niro
MichelleFrances McDormand
JoeyJames Franco

Ted Bundy

IMDB Rating: 5.40
1045 votes

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Storyline
Michael Reilly Burke's portrayal of the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy is exceptional. This account begins in 1974 with Bundy as a sympathetic counselor at an emergency hotline center in Seattle as well as a struggling law student. Bundy was handsome, intelligent, and well spoken, but something disturbing lurked just beneath the facade and his sociopathic behavior set forth a series of events that would shock the world. "Ted Bundy" moves from the 1974 Seattle killings to Utah, Colorado, and to his final killing spree in Tallahassee, Florida shortly after he escaped (for the second time) from incarceration and ends with his humiliating demise in the electric chair on January 24th, 1989. Theodore Robert Bundy confessed to killing 28 women, but the actual number Bundy carried with him to his grave. Some say, however, that he is responsible for as many as 33 to 100 murders of young women.
Actors
Ted BundyMichael Reilly Burke
LeeBoti Bliss
ProfessorJulianna McCarthy

K-19: The Widowmaker

IMDB Rating: 6.50
12836 votes

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Storyline
The story of USSR's first nuclear ballistic submarine, which suffered a malfunction in its nuclear reactor on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961. The submarine's crew, led by the unyielding Captain Alexi Vostrikov, races against time to prevent a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster which threatens not only the lives of his crew, but has the potential to ignite a world war between the super powers.
Actors
Alexei VostrikovHarrison Ford
DmitriSam Spruell
KuryshevPeter Stebbings

The Laramie Project

IMDB Rating: 7.20
2485 votes

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Storyline
'Moisés Kaufman' (qv) and members of New York's Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyoming after the murder of 'Matthew Shepard (I)' (qv). This is a film version of the play they wrote based on more than 200 interviews they conducted in Laramie. It follows and in some cases re-enacts the chronology of Shepherd's visit to a local bar, his kidnap and beating, the discovery of him tied to a fence, the vigil at the hospital, his death and funeral, and the trial of his killers. It mixes real news reports with actors portraying friends, family, cops, killers, and other Laramie residents in their own words. It concludes with a Laramie staging of "Angels in America" a year after Shephard's death.
Actors
Romaine PattersonChristina Ricci
Doc O'ConnerSteve Buscemi
Sherry JohnsonLaura Linney

City of God

IMDB Rating: 8.80
37754 votes

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Storyline
Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a housing project built in the 1960's that—in the early 80's—became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro. The tale tells the stories of many characters whose lives sometimes intersect. However, all is seen through the eyes of a singular narrator: Busca-Pé, a poor black youth too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also to smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. He grows up in a very violent environment. The odds are all against him. But Busca-Pé soon discovers that he can see reality differently than others. His redemption is that he's been given an artist's point of view as a keen-eyed photographer. As Busca-Pé is not the real protagonist of the film—only the narrator—he is not the one who makes the decisions that will determine the sequence of events. Nevertheless, not only his life is attached to what happens in the story, but it is also through Busca-Pé's perspective of life that one can understand the complicated layers and humanity of a world, apparently condemned to endless violence.
Actors
Buscapé - RocketAlexandre Rodrigues
Zé Pequeno - Li'l ZéLeandro Firmino
Bené - BennyPhellipe Haagensen

Catch Me If You Can

IMDB Rating: 7.60
70535 votes

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Storyline
An FBI agent tracks down and catches a young con artist who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries.
Actors
Frank Abagnale Jr.Leonardo DiCaprio
Carl HanrattyTom Hanks
Frank Abagnale, Sr.Christopher Walken

We Were Soldiers

IMDB Rating: 7.00
17524 votes

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Storyline
In a place soon to be known as The Valley of Death, in a small clearing called landing zone X-Ray, Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and 400 young fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons, all troopers from an elite American combat division, were surrounded by 4,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history. We Were Soldiers Once...And Young is a tribute to the nobility of those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another.
Actors
Lt. Col. Hal MooreMel Gibson
Julie MooreMadeleine Stowe
Maj. Bruce 'Snake' CrandallGreg Kinnear

Black Hawk Down

IMDB Rating: 7.60
52537 votes

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Storyline
Action/war drama based on the best-selling book detailing a near-disastrous mission in Somalia on October 3, 1993 where nearly 100 U.S. Army Rangers, commanded by Capt. Mike Steele, were dropped by helicopter deep into the capital city of Mogadishu to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord which lead to a large and drawn-out firefight between the Rangers and hundreds of Somali gunmen which led to the destruction of two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu, and the heroic efforts by various Rangers to get to them, centering on Sgt. Eversmann, commanding one Ranger unit named Chalk Four, leading Rangers to the first black hawk crash site, to Warrant Officer Durant who was only survivor of the second black hawk crash site and whom was captured, to Col. McKnight who leads a rescue convoy for the Rangers only to get lost within the hostile city, to Sgt. Sanderson desperately trying to get to the first crash site, to Staff Sgt. Yurek who leads two fellow Rangers, Nelson and Twombly to meet with up their squad, Chalk Four, at the first crash site, to many others involved who where either killed or survived.
Actors
SSgt. Matt EversmannJosh Hartnett
Spec. John GrimesEwan McGregor
Capt. Mike SteeleJason Isaacs

Pearl Harbor

IMDB Rating: 5.30
52048 votes

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Storyline
The above summaries do a great job of describing the dynamics of the love triangle that develops between the two pilots that fall in love with the same nurse. The movie also does a credible job of displaying the war from the American side with FDR and our side. It also shows the strategy of Japan as they plan for and execute all facets of the attack on Pearl Harbor. While all details may not be historically correct, I believe that they do the job well - all things considered. Historic events that were altered were probably done so in an attempt to also make this movie the entertaining epic that it is.
Actors
Capt. Rafe McCawleyBen Affleck
Capt. Danny WalkerJosh Hartnett
Nurse Lt. Evelyn JohnsonKate Beckinsale

Enemy at the Gates

IMDB Rating: 7.30
30850 votes

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Storyline
During the WWII battle of Stalingrad, two snipers, a Russian (Law), and a German (Harris), are locked in a battle of wills and marksmenship, while the Russian is boosted to the status of hero by a political official (Fiennes).
Actors
Vassili ZaitsevJude Law
Maj. KönigEd Harris
Tania ChernovaRachel Weisz