Historical Event backdrop

Historical Event movies

Stories centered on a specific real-world event or crisis, tracking cause, consequence, and human cost.

Black Hawk Down

1. Black Hawk Down

Action War History Military Action Modern Conflicts
7.7
20012h 25min

Overview

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.

Themes

Famine tension, Gunfight dynamics, Ambush risk, Helicopter crash consequences, Prisoner of war risk, Militia pressure

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Lost Battalion

2. The Lost Battalion

History Drama War TV Movie Historical Event
7.0
20011h 32min

Overview

Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.

Themes

Army hierarchy under stress, Immigrant workers, Duty vs endurance, World war i class tension, Frontline isolation, Communication under fire

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Cat's Meow

3. The Cat's Meow

Drama Mystery Thriller Crime History
6.4
20011h 54min

Overview

Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.

Themes

Deception and reputation, Ambition and risk, Power dynamics under glamour, Blackmail pressure, Gossip economy, Loyalty versus self-interest

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Grey Zone

4. The Grey Zone

Drama War History Historical Drama World War II
7.0
20011h 48min

Overview

The story of Auschwitz's twelfth Sonderkommando — one of the thirteen consecutive "Special Squads" of Jewish prisoners placed by the Nazis in the excruciating moral dilemma of assisting in the extermination of fellow Jews in exchange for a few more months of life.

Themes

Deception as tactic, Survival under oppression, Collective resistance under threat, Moral compromise under coercion, Accountability after war, Loyalty vs betrayal under duress

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Warrior

5. The Warrior

History Drama Action War Historical Event
7.1
20012h 35min

Overview

In 1375, China was in chaos between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Coryo (an ancient kingdom of Korea then) sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave to make peace with the new Chinese government. However, this delegation got charged as spies and sent in exile to a remote desert.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Duty under tyranny, Homeland longing, Exile as constraint, Slavery and coercion, Battle as disruption


Conspiracy

6. Conspiracy

History Drama War TV Movie Historical Event
7.6
20011h 36min

Overview

At the Wannsee Conference on January 20, 1942, senior Nazi officials meet to determine the manner in which the so-called "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" can be best implemented.

Themes

Bureaucratic complicity, Euphemistic violence, State-sponsored extermination, Dehumanization under duty, Historical accountability, Mass coercion and control

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Enemy at the Gates

7. Enemy at the Gates

Drama War History Romance World War II
7.5
20012h 11min

Overview

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.

Themes

Duty versus desire, Deception and loyalty, Propaganda and morale, Information warfare and double agents, Romance amid warfare, Winter warfare hardship

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Dish

8. The Dish

Comedy Drama History Historical Drama Historical Event
7.2
20001h 41min

Overview

A group of maverick scientists on a remote Australian sheep farm are the globe's only hope for obtaining the epic images of man's first steps on the moon.

Themes

Deception and accountability, Expertise vs bureaucracy, Local ingenuity under pressure, Local pride vs national expectations, Trust under collaboration, Risk management under crisis

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
blue TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Patriot

9. The Patriot

Drama History War Action Historical Event
7.2
20002h 45min

Overview

After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.

Themes

Patriotism under pressure, Guerrilla warfare ethics, Family resilience under war, Cost of violence, Loyalist rebel conflict, Foreign aid and alliance

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Saving Private Ryan

10. Saving Private Ryan

War Drama History World War II Historical Drama
8.6
19982h 49min

Overview

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

Themes

Duty under fire, Self sacrifice, Military operation, Rescue mission, Bloody deaths, World war ii

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.