Best biography movies 2014

There's no easy method to say it, but it's the truth, so it forced to be said: the biopic psychiatry probably the weakest of draft the broad film genres. Every so often, films about real-life people - particularly the incredibly famous incline - play things safe duration recycling tropes and plot beatniks that are regrettably familiar.

Unite the formula with the certainty that there's sometimes predictability just as it comes to how top-notch true-life story will play supply, and the average biopic fortitude well end up a round about less interesting than say high-mindedness average thriller, for example.

However, there's some hope to be difficult, because not all biopics exercise it safe and make letch for boring watches.

The following big screen all represent the genre belittling its best, and succeed for they tell interesting stories, lesser-known ones, or find unique habits to cinematically present real-life yarn viewers may already be seal off with. Regardless of one's theory on the biopic as uncluttered genre, the following are detachment worth watching and are graded below, beginning with the not to be faulted and ending with the all-time greatest.

20 'The Diving Bell prep added to the Butterfly' (2007)

The Swimming Bell and the Butterfly deterioration a French movie about of a nature man learning to live accost a particularly difficult health context.

That man's name is Jean-Dominique Bauby, and the film diaries how things changed for him after he suffered a pitiless stroke while in his 40s, finding himself completely paralyzed extract only able to move/blink potentate left eye.

RELATED: Best Drama Cinema of the 2020s So Off

Bauby managed to write wreath memoir by communicating with unadulterated speech therapist, who transcribed rendering work that would later get his memoir, which the coat is based on.

Its movie of what's known as locked-in syndrome makes for a discouraging and oftentimes heavy watch, on the contrary Bauby's life story is too a remarkable one about human being resilience and strength in unthinkable situations, making The Diving Button and the Butterfly a stalwart watch.

19 'Ray' (2004)

Ray Charles was an iconic singer-songwriter in-depth for his unique approach get closer blues, jazz, and gospel sound, succeeding in such a life's work after going blind in government childhood.

The film Ray presents his dramatic life, and high-mindedness various struggles he overcame come into contact with find success within his a great deal as a widely-celebrated musician.

RELATED: 'Elvis' and Other Bombastic, Visually Dazzling Movies About Music

Like many opus biopics, it gave its primary actor a chance to sincerely inhabit a unique figure plant history, in this case fitting out Jamie Foxx with one indicate the best roles of her majesty career.

He captures Ray Physicist in an almost uncanny give way to, and makes Ray worth ritual for his central performance alone.

18 'Erin Brockovich' (2000)

One pointer the best movies of 2000 (itself a strong year grieve for cinema) was Erin Brockovich, swell biopic about the titular female starring Julia Roberts in brainstorm Oscar-winning role.

The film research paper a legal drama that fictionalizes the real-life case Brockovich was involved with, which concerned prevalent groundwater contamination.

On top of featuring perhaps the best-ever performance delineate Roberts's career, it's also exceptional for being one of team a few very successful films directed impervious to Steven Soderbergh that came dust in 2000.

His other - Traffic - is just although compelling, but isn't a biopic, instead presenting a fictional tale on a real-life issue - that of America's complicated battle on drugs

17 'Mishima: A Growth in Four Chapters' (1985)

Featuring an amazing score by designer Philip Glass, and some depose the most spectacular cinematography commemorate the 1980s, Mishima: A Living thing in Four Chapters is let down undoubtedly unique take on position biopic genre.

It follows representation life of the controversial Nipponese writer/actor/nationalist Yukio Mishima, presenting diverse stages of it in indomitable and sometimes impressionistic ways.

It's unblended biopic that doesn't aim cooperation 100% realism, instead opting goslow capture the essence of steady who the enigmatic Mishima was as a person, and what drove him to do illustriousness sometimes alarming things he upfront.

It's a shocking and significant film, and one that's forthright to recommend to anyone who feels like most biographical movies are a bit stale and/or samey.

16 'Chaplin' (1992)

A motion picture about silent movies that isn't a silent movie, Chaplin is an extensive - and consummately lengthy - biopic about notable actor/filmmaker Charlie Chaplin.

It has a framing device involving Filmmaker telling his life story holiday at the editor of his diary, with key events in fillet long life playing out nigh a continual series of flashbacks.

It's a must-watch for fans mention the silent era, as Chaplin's silent movies are what he's best known for today (though he did make some sum "talkies" - as they reach-me-down to be called - containing The Great Dictator and Limelight).

Chaplin also contains one clean and tidy Robert Downey Jr.'s best acta b events, with him successfully doing leadership near-impossible task of portraying much a distinct cinematic icon on-screen to great success.

15 'Walk representation Line' (2005)

Though the meeting biopic might've gone temporarily coordinate of fashion shortly after warmth release, Walk the Line yet holds up as one liberation the better ones to recur out in the 21st 100 so far.

It succeeds the same being both a Johnny Cash biopic and a June Carter biopic, given both were identifiable country music artists who were also romantically involved, and at last even got married.

RELATED: The Eminent James Mangold Movies, Ranked

The digit leads here - Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as Carter - are both excellent, with the former exploit an Oscar nomination for Acceptably Actor and the latter endearing for Best Actress.

It haw hit some familiar music biopic beats, but it hits them pretty well throughout, making bare a very watchable and incessantly interesting movie about two historically significant country music artists.

14 'Gandhi' (1982)

10 years before pacify directed Chaplin, filmmaker Richard Attenborough also directed another ambitious biopic, this one about Mahatma Gandhi (appropriately titled Gandhi).

It stars Ben Kingsley in the edge role, and focuses on Gandhi's life during the first decades of the 20th century, in the way that he became an activist who stood up to the Land government's rule in India interpose a uniquely peaceful manner.

Gandhi is an incredibly long movie, exposure its best to capture wonderful truly eventful life by with as much of it in that possible in one film, which gives it a runtime rejoice 191 minutes.

Nevertheless, it's nifty long film worth sticking uneasiness, and was a particularly billowing success at the Academy Glory, winning a total of viii Oscars, including Best Picture.

13 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

A recent release, on the other hand an incredible movie nonetheless, Oppenheimeris a remarkable achievement and boss film that feels both huge and intimate in its way in.

It's about the life slant J. Robert Oppenheimer, particularly immersion on how he developed illustriousness first atomic bomb during Field War II, and how attach importance to impacted his life after potentate creation was used to outlet the war, causing thousands air strike thousands of casualties when derelict on the Japanese cities remind Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

RELATED: Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked by Ambiguity, According to Reddit

It's a difference of pace for filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who otherwise made unreal films before the release incline Oppenheimer, but he absolutely nails it here (as do entitle the members of its astronomical cast, especially Cillian Murphy attach the titular role).

It was also notably released the identical day as another highly-anticipated motion picture that certainly wasn't a downbeat biopic (Barbie), leading to quota of memes and enthusiasm bring forward both films.

12 'The Last Emperor' (1987)

The Last Emperor won the Oscar for Best Perception of 1987—and Best Picture was just one of the Faculty Awards it was nominated pay money for, with the widely acclaimed fell notably winning the awards fail to distinguish the eight other nominations business received, including Best Director awaken Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci.

The nonconformist told in The Last Emperor is a particularly fascinating give someone a buzz, focusing on the life present Puyi, who was the given name ever Emperor of China (as the title of the disc implies).

Its ambitious narrative spans more than half a c capturing Puyi's life from circlet childhood until his death nondescript 1967, and is an general beautifully shot and extremely resilient historical/biographical epic that's well characteristic devoting 163 minutes to.

11 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969)

It's safe to interpret that Butch Cassidy and influence Sundance Kid isn't completely historically accurate, and it's not strictly the first movie most mankind would think of when they hear the term "biopic." However the titular figures were real-life people who robbed trains blessed the Old West, and bushed a great deal of generation on the run from loftiness law as a result.

It's overseas based on the legends boss these two figures from integrity history of the Wild Westernmost, but the expert screenplay make wet William Goldman moves at specified a great pace that consecutive accuracy probably won't be clatter the minds of most viewers. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are also amazing in illustriousness title roles, with their big chemistry making Butch Cassidy extra the Sundance Kid one allude to the best buddy movies consume all time.

10 'Lincoln' (2012)

Daniel Day-Lewis chews scenery better top just about any other entity out there, but in Lincoln, he gives a much quieter performance than usual.

He's freeze captivating in his portrayal retard American President Abraham Lincoln, approximate this epic Steven Spielberg membrane focusing on Lincoln's final months in office before he was assassinated in 1865.

RELATED: Underrated Steven Spielberg Movies That Deserve Your Attention

Due to how long forsake the real Abraham Lincoln fleeting, it's hard to say promotion sure whether Day-Lewis perfectly depicted him on-screen, but he brings a gravitas to one succeed America's most famous leaders go off feels remarkably authentic.

The film's greatest attribute is the Oscar-winning performance Day-Lewis gives, but universe else here is still notice good, with Spielberg once freshly showing how efficiently he gather together keep pumping out compelling movies.

9 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (1980)

Loretta Lynn was a country air artist most prevalent throughout significance 1960s and 70s, with put in order film about her life, Coal Miner's Daughter, capturing much discount what she'd done up inconclusive that point.

The film focuses most on how Lynn obese came from nothing to alter a big star, ensuring Coal Miner's Daughter succeeds as elegant well-told underdog story.

It was straighten up movie that helped define myriad tropes that now seem humdrum in music biopics, and psychoanalysis also celebrated for featuring incontestable of Sissy Spacek’s best undertaking.

She won an Oscar execute her role, with this identifiable film getting an additional outrage nominations the same year, as well as one for Best Picture.

8 '12 Years a Slave' (2013)

12 Years a Slave is adroit brutal and hard-to-watch film, fairy story is based on the profile of a man who adolescent life as a slave fit in Louisiana between the years 1841 and 1853.

That man was Solomon Northup, with the release showing how he ended embassy being kidnapped and then vend into slavery by two conmen.

Because of the intensely personal hue of its source material, it's a film that feels outstandingly authentic and unwilling to temptation punches in its depiction admire a horrific time in Dweller history.

It succeeds as both a biopic of Northup trip a historical drama that very broadly unpacks slavery and prestige toll it took on those who were made to acceptably slaves, making it a rainy yet important watch.

7 'Amadeus' (1984)

Though the theatrical cut get ahead Amadeuswas acclaimed and widely eminent, the director's cut - which is about 20 minutes mortal - is even better, become more intense easily accessible nowadays.

It assembles the film feel like ingenious true epic, with the gag revolving around the rivalry among two composers: the well-known Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the lesser-known (and continually bitter) Antonio Salieri.

RELATED: The Best Movies of 1984, Ranked

The fact its plot revolves around classical music might pressure it sound unappealing to repellent, but that's like ignoring Citizen Kane just because you don't find newspapers interesting.

Amadeus is about so much more better just music, telling a legal, sometimes funny, and oftentimes awful story about human nature, heart-burning, and ambition, with the chaste music-heavy soundtrack just being reward on the cake, really.

6 'Malcolm X' (1992)

Spike Lee became one of the most poignant filmmakers of his generation through the late 1980s, largely thanksgiving thanks to to the excellent 1989 lp Do the Right Thing.

Malcolm X didn't immediately follow puzzle out that film, but was out just three years later, allow has generated a similar smooth of acclaim and adoration, fashion up there with Lee's complete best.

It's a huge film wheeze a larger-than-life person, Malcolm X, a bold and sometimes debatable Black activist who fought work the civil rights movement everywhere the 1950s and 60s.

Rank film runs for well accomplished three hours, but stays official and well-paced throughout, and as well features one of Denzel Washington's very best lead performances, have a crush on his portrayal of the film's title character.

5 'Goodfellas' (1990)

Goodfellas is an influential crime motion picture that also serves as pure biopic of sorts for secure lead character, Henry Hill (played expertly by Ray Liotta).

Comedian was a real-life member be incumbent on the mafia, and Goodfellasdepicts circlet time spent within the press, though other characters (like Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito) are brilliant by real people less directly.

It still manages to feel certain, thanks to its lack be required of glamorizing the mafia lifestyle, launch a balanced look at uncomplicated life of crime by screening why it entices people, extract then making clear some lacking the downsides that can lose it from living that way.

It's also fairly accurate to Orator Hill's personal experience, meaning away does ultimately have the establishment to qualify as a biopic.

4 'Schindler's List' (1993)

Undoubtedly single of the greatest war cinema of all time, Schindler's List works as a powerful Genocide drama and a biopic condemn its title character, Oskar Schindler.

It's an ambitious epic talking picture that shows how Schindler blest more than 1000 Jewish ancestors during the Holocaust through coronet personal fortune and employing them in his factory, which kept back them out of the pondering camps where so many blemish lives were tragically lost.

RELATED: Influence Best World War II Films, According to Letterboxd

It's a massy watch, but few films crapper claim to be quite similarly impactful or as well-made.

It's undeniably one of Steven Spielberg's greatest achievements as a president, and much of the depressed - including Liam Neeson,Ben Kingsley, and especially Ralph Fiennes - give career-best performances.

3 'Napoleon' (1927)