20 Powerful Movies Based on Real-Life Political Drama

Chronicling 16th president Abraham Lincoln’s historic fight to pass the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery and ensured the freedom of all America’s black men and women, Steven Spielberg’s film may cover a short period in the iconic figure’s life, but its sweeping stance on America’s bloodiest conflict is by no means limited. EW’s Lisa Scwharzbaum deemed the film ”one of the most authentic biographical dramas I’ve ever seen, adding, ”The movie is grand and immersive. It plugs us into the final months of Lincoln’s presidency with a purity that makes us feel transported as though by time machine.” —Lanford Beard

Who killed President John F. Kennedy? Everyone, if you believe Oliver Stone’s investigative thriller. The Mafia, the Cuban government, the military-industrial complex, a shady cabal of wealthy gay swingers, and even President Lyndon B. Johnson are all implicated as co-conspirators in the Kennedy assassination. As history, it’s a wash, but it’s a memorable portrait of old-school Americana (personified by Kevin Costner as a Gary Cooper-esque lawman) fighting a losing battle with late-century free-floating paranoia. —Darren Franich

The story of Valerie Plame — whose status as a CIA agent was outed by sources close to Vice President Cheney — is a small but pivotal tale in the long chronicle of Bush-era controversies. Doug Liman’s film may be the lowest of low-key thrillers, but it’s an intriguing peak behind the curtain. And give credit to character actor David Andres, whose ”Scooter” Libby is a memorably preening political grotesque. —DF?

English royals hold no real political power. Their duties are purely administrative. Their great strength lies with the public. So when the public turns against them, what purpose do they serve? That’s the anxious undertone of The Queen, which focuses on the immediate aftermath of the death of Princess Diana. As the troubled Queen, Helen Mirren is unforgettable. She won an Oscar, did you hear? The Queen is also the middle chapter of the Tony Blair trilogy in which Michael Sheen handed in a spot-on portrayal of the former British Prime Minister. —DF

One of the unexpected pleasures of Milk was the nimble way Gus Van Sant portrayed the nuts-and-bolts of political activism, etching Harvey Milk’s private rise to power on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors against the larger emergence of the Gay Rights movement. It’s a fine tale of the American democratic process with an unbearable true-life dénouement: The assassination of Milk and Mayor George Moscone by crazed city supervisor Dan White. —DF

Martin Scorsese’s decades-in-the-making dream project ran over-budget and had a famously troubled production, and the end result is a fascinating mess filled with bizarre tangents. Occasionally, Gangs becomes a portrait of late-19th century New York politics, and Jim Broadbent gloriously chews the scenery as infamous Tammany Hall politician Boss Tweed. —DF

The true-life tale of the fabulously corrupt Giulio Andreotti, former President of Italy, becomes — in the hands of writer-director Paolo Sorrentino — a film that’s simultaneously tragic and funny. Andreotti’s ties to the mob (and the possibility that he ordered political assassionations) are horrifying. Equally horrifying: The real-life Andreotti still walks free, with the title ”Senator for Life.” —DF

You may not remember Ray Blanton, the Governor of Tennessee whose administration was rife with cronyism and bribery. You may also not remember Marie Ragghianti, the head of the Tennesse Parole Board whose anti-Blanton crusade forms the basis of 1985’s Marie, with Sissy Spacek playing Ragghianti. But here’s a name you might know: Future Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson made his acting debut in Marie… as Ragghianti’s attorney, future Presidential candidate Fred Thompson. (Ain’t politics grand?) —DF

The fiction translation: Bob Woodward got a whole lot prettier as played by Robert Redford, but other than that, not much is changed. The entire Watergate scandal takes place off-screen, and other than a brief clip at the end, Nixon doesn’t appear at all. The consummate process film is a deliberate portrayal of shoe-leather journalism and uncovering the government rot from the outside in. —Keith Staskiewicz

Based on Joe Klein’s bestselling roman à clef, Primary Colors fictionalizes specifics and changes names, but there’s no doubt that John Travolta’s grey-haired charmer is supposed to be Bill Clinton. And, pursuant to real life, presidential candidate Jack Stanton’s campaign dreams are haunted by consequences of his sexual past. —KS

Tom Hanks plays Democratic congressman Charlie Wilson from Texas who facilitated the CIA’s covert efforts in Afghanistan against the Soviets. Made in 2007, the film foreshadowed the eventual blowback of the U.S. support of the Mujahideen. —KS

Neither Hollywood nor history has been kind to ol’ Tail-Gunner Joe, and for good reason. But in his black-and-white drama about journalist Edward R. Murrow, George Clooney, much like Murrow before him, used actual footage of Joe McCarthy as indictment enough. —KS

The third film by Oliver Stone about an American president, but the only made while that president was still in office, this take on George W. Bush was essentially a farce at heart, Buñuelian and broad. Also included was a parade of famous characters made caricatures like Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. —KS

Philip Baker Hall’s portrayal of Richard Nixon is both subtle and absurdly over-the-top, not immediately identifiable and spot-on. Refusing to parody the eminently parodiable president, Hall and director Robert Altman turn the one-man show into a slow and sad display of self-delusion, self-pity, and self-destruction. —KS

As Italy’s boisterous, sex-obsessed Prime Minister, the political success of Silvio Berlusconi is either a sad comedy or a hilarious drama. Nanni Moretti’s 2006 film hits the exact right tone with the meta-story of a director attached to a production about a thinly veiled version of Berlusconi. —KS

James Whitmore (a.k.a. Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption) was nominated for an Academy Award for his soft, almost grandfatherly portrayal of Harry S. Truman, the man who ordered the A-bomb dropped. —KS

Cate Blanchett brings Elizabeth I’s highly political ascent to the throne to the big screen in 1998’s Elizabeth. The Oscar-winning film follows as the 25-year-old Brit goes from prisoner in the Tower of London all the way to the highest throne in the land, all the while navigating royal marriages, Parliament, and diplomatic relations. —Madeline Boardman

A political scandal far juicier than any screenwriter could pen, the fall of President Richard Nixon is highlighted in the 1998 film Nixon. Anthony Hopkins stars as the infamous politican in the Oliver Stone film, looking back on the steps of the Watergate crisis as further drama unfolds in Nixon’s personal life. Adding another layer to the massive scandal, Nixon picked up four Oscar nods for its interpretation. —MB

Colin Firth picked up a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI in The King’s Speech (2010). Come for Firth’s gold-worthy acting chops, stay for the powerful depiction of the king’s personal struggles and a country on the brink of war. —MB

The relationship between a reporter and a president in delicate standing is examined in 2008’s Frost/Nixon. Michael Sheen stars as David Frost, a British journalist who finagles a series of sit-downs with former President Richard Nixon (played by Frank Langella) following the politician’s very public fall from grace. The Oscar-nominated film sheds new light on what happened behind-the-scenes and the true fragility of power. –MB