Top 80 History/Political Movies
List activity
11K views
• 2 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
80 titles
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsBrahim HadjadjJean MartinYacef SaadiIn the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsBurt LancasterAlain DelonClaudia CardinaleThe Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the tumultuous social upheavals of 1860s Sicily.
- DirectorFlorian Henckel von DonnersmarckStarsUlrich MüheMartina GedeckSebastian KochIn 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsFrank SinatraLaurence HarveyJanet LeighAn American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsFrank WolffSalvo RandoneFrederico ZardiThe unclear and complicated twists between governal powers, independentist party and Mafia in the Sicily of the '40s culminate with the death of Salvatore Giuliano.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJean-Louis TrintignantStefania SandrelliGastone MoschinA weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsJames WoodsJim BelushiMichael MurphyA burnt-out photojournalist becomes involved in a Central American revolution.
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsYves MontandIrene PapasJean-Louis TrintignantThe public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsDominique SandaLino CapolicchioHelmut BergerThe story of the Finzi-Continis, a noble family of Ferrara, during the Jewish persecution in Italy's 1930s.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsMichael FassbenderMarion CotillardJack MadiganMacbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsJack LemmonSissy SpacekMelanie MayronWhen an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsRod SteigerSalvo RandoneGuido AlbertiPrior to a city council election, the collapse of a building leaves a land developer and his political backers defending themselves against a scandal.
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsGiovanna MezzogiornoFilippo TimiFausto Russo AlesiThe story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino.
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsToni ServilloAnna BonaiutoGiulio BosettiThe story of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti, who has served as Prime Minister of Italy seven times since the restoration of democracy in 1946.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsKevin CostnerGary OldmanJack LemmonNew Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsBroderick CrawfordJohn IrelandJoanne DruThe rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFranchot ToneLew AyresHenry FondaThe polarizing search for a new Secretary of State has far-reaching consequences.
- StarsAdriano LuzMaria João BastosRicardo PereiraFollows a jealous countess, a wealthy businessman, and a young orphaned boy across Portugal, France, Italy and Brazil where they connect with a variety of mysterious individuals.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonAngela BassettDelroy LindoBiographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsJean-Marie PatteRaymond JourdanCésar SilvagniAfter the death of Cardinal Mazarin, young king Louis XIV decides to assert his power to control the aristocracy.
- DirectorLuis EstradaStarsDamián AlcázarPedro Armendáriz Jr.Delia CasanovaA naive man appointed as an acting mayor of a small town turns into a corrupt politician capable of anything to stay in power.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoJean PetersAnthony QuinnThe story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of President Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJohn LoneJoan ChenPeter O'TooleBernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
- DirectorAndrés WoodStarsMatías QuerAriel MatelunaManuela MartelliTwo 12-year-old Chilean children from different social classes become friends in 1973. They both discover each other's world as political tensions in their country increase.
- DirectorHasan KiraçStarsSerkan SenalpHande SoralFikret HakanA look inside the story of two newlyweds who are parted from each other and spend the next half-century of their lives trying to reunite.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordFaye DunawayCliff RobertsonA bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
- DirectorGiuliano MontaldoStarsGian Maria VolontèRiccardo CucciollaCyril CusackIn 1920s Boston, Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are scrutinized for their anarchist beliefs while on trial for robbery and murder.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsBurt LancasterKirk DouglasFredric MarchUnited States military leaders plot to overthrow the President because he supports a nuclear disarmament treaty and they fear a Soviet sneak attack.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsGérard DepardieuWojciech PszoniakAnne AlvaroIn 1793, as the Terror begins in France, Georges Danton, a champion-of-the-people, returns to clash against Maximilien Robespierre and his extremist party.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsKam Woo-seongJung Jin-youngKang Seong-yeonTwo clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartJean ArthurClaude RainsA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGeorge C. ScottKarl MaldenStephen YoungThe World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.
- DirectorBruno BarretoStarsAlan ArkinPedro CardosoFernanda TorresBrazillian urban guerrilla fighters kidnap the American Ambassador. Now, the diplomat's life hangs in the balance - helplessly caught between a government unwilling to cooperate - and his fear of the captors themselves.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaStarsWagner MouraIrandhir SantosAndré RamiroAfter a prison riot, former-Captain Nascimento, now a high ranking security officer in Rio de Janeiro, is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsEric BanaDaniel CraigMarie-Josée CrozeAfter the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGregory PeckLaurence OlivierJames MasonA Nazi hunter in Paraguay discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsYves MontandMichel AlbertiniRoland AmstutzConspiracy thriller inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK. After a fictional president is assassinated, a determined, tough prosecutor investigates the emerging conspiracy behind it.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsFrank LangellaMichael SheenKevin BaconA dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward FoxTerence AlexanderMichel AuclairIn the aftermath of France allowing Algeria's independence, a group of resentful military veterans hire a professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" to kill President Charles de Gaulle.
- DirectorJayantha ChandrasiriStarsUddika PremarathnaJackson AnthonyKusum RenuDutugamunu also known as Dutthagamani and Gamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was a Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for defeating and overthrowing Elara, the usurping Tamil prince from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Kingdom of Rajarata in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of his native Rajarata region across the island of Sri Lanka.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsGael García BernalAlfredo CastroAntonia ZegersAn advertising executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile's 1988 referendum.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsYves MontandIngrid ThulinGeneviève BujoldA middle-aged political activist tries to dissuade his young followers from taking radical action.
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsYves MontandRenato SalvatoriO.E. HasseUsing the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.
- DirectorLuis EstradaStarsDamián AlcázarAlfonso HerreraJoaquín CosioAfter accepting a colossal bribe, a powerful TV conglomerate gins up fake news stories to enhance the image of a notoriously corrupt politician.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLouis CalhernMarlon BrandoJames MasonThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsSarah AdlerNade DieuRony KramerAn indictment of modern times divided into three "kingdoms": "Enfer" ("Hell"), "Purgatoire" ("Purgatory") and "Paradis" ("Paradise").
- DirectorPierre SchoellerStarsOlivier GourmetMichel BlancZabou BreitmanTransport Minister Bertrand Saint-Jean is awoken in the middle of the night by his head of staff. A bus has gone off the road into a gully. He has no choice but to go to the scene of the accident. Thus begins the odyssey of a politician in a world that is increasingly more complex and hostile. Speed, power struggles, chaos, economic crisis... Everything follows in quick succession and clashes. Emergencies follow on each other's heels. What sacrifices are men prepared to make? Just how long will they hold up in a state that devours those that work for it?
- DirectorYoshishige YoshidaStarsRentarô MikuniYasuo MiyakeAkiko KuranoA freestyle biopic of Ikki Kita, the ultranationalist intellectual whose ideas inspired the failed military coup in 1936.
- DirectorDumitru FernoagaDoru NastaseStarsStefan SileanuErnest MafteiEmanoil PetrutVlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler and Dracula, fights the Ottoman Turks on the battlefield and the Hungarian Boyars in his court.
- DirectorStephen GaghanStarsGeorge ClooneyMatt DamonAmanda PeetA politically charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved in and affected by it.
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsTom HulceLolita DavidovichAleksandr ZbruevThe true story of Ivan Sanchin, the KGB officer who was Stalin's private film projectionist from 1939 until the dictator's death. Told from Sanchin's view, the sympathetic but tragically flawed hero maintains unwavering faith in his "Master" despite the arrest of his neighbors and his involvement with their daughter, his wife's affair with the chilling State Security chief Lavrentii Beria and her tragic decline, and the deadly political machinations within the Kremlin he witnesses firsthand.
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsGael García BernalLuis TosarKarra ElejaldeAs a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
- DirectorGiovanni ZelkoStarsBen YoucefCandice CokeHarry LennixA sleeper cell terrorist travels to America and hides in plain sight as an engineering student. As he waits for the rest of his terrorist cell to join him for a deadly mission, he falls in love which jeopardizes his beliefs and the mission
- DirectorNagisa ÔshimaStarsKei SatôKeiko SakuraiRokkô TouraOver the course of a night, a sex-obsessed young woman, a suicidal man, and a gun-crazy wannabe gangster are taken prisoner of a gang awaiting a shootout between a rival gang at dawn.
- DirectorNikolaj ArcelStarsAnders W. BerthelsenSøren PilmarkNastja ArcelElection for the Danish parliament is up and the main opposition party has a chance at winning and its leader at becoming the next prime minister. The leader is hospitalized and the scheming begins.
- DirectorAleksey GermanStarsYuriy TsuriloNina RuslanovaJüri Järvet Jr.Late winter 1953. The lives of nearly half the planet are in Stalin's hands.
- DirectorIstván SzabóStarsKlaus Maria BrandauerHans Christian BlechArmin Mueller-StahlSet during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl (Brandauer), an ambitious young officer who proceeds up the ladder to become head of the Secret Police only to become ensnared in political deception.
- DirectorVolker SchlöndorffStarsAndré DussollierNiels ArestrupBurghart KlaußnerA historical drama that depicts the relationship between Dietrich von Choltitz, the German military governor of occupied Paris, and Swedish consul-general Raoul Nordling.
- DirectorJohn MalkovichStarsJavier BardemLaura MoranteJuan Diego BottoA police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsMaya SansaLuigi Lo CascioRoberto HerlitzkaThe 1978 kidnapping of politician Aldo Moro as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants: a conflicted young woman in the ranks of the Red Brigade.
- DirectorAlex CoxStarsEd HarrisRichard MasurRene AuberjonoisAn unconventional retelling of the life of William Walker, a 19th century American mercenary leader who became the president of Nicaragua.
- DirectorViktor ChouchkovStarsYavor BaharovRadina KardjilovaOvanes TorosianTILT is a love story set against the backdrop of the changing political and social environment in Europe in the late 1980s and early '90s. Can this love survive the challenges of emigration, a violent homeland and immoral social atmosphere thanks to a gang of adventurous friends?
- DirectorWonsuk LeeStarsHan Suk-kyuGo SooPark Shin-hyeStory of a rivalry between two tailors Dol-Seok, who is the best master artisan in charge of royal attire and Kong-Jin - genius like designer, born with dexterity and an excellent sense, plunges the court into scandal and tragedy.
- DirectorAleksandr SokurovStarsLouis-Do de LencquesaingBenjamin UtzerathVincent NemethA history of the Louvre during the Nazi occupation and a meditation on the meaning and timelessness of art.
- DirectorRoberto SneiderStarsAna Claudia TalancónDaniel Giménez CachoJosé María de TaviraSet in 1930's in Puebla, Mexico, a young woman finds herself in an arranged marriage to a prominent politician (Andres Ascencio). As his career progresses, she finds it more difficult to remain a loyal, loving wife.
- DirectorJerrold TarogStarsJohn ArcillaArron VillaflorMon ConfiadoSet during the Philippine-American war, a short-tempered Philippine Revolutionary Army general faces an enemy more formidable than the American army: his own treacherous countrymen.
- DirectorHur Jin-hoStarsSon Ye-jinPark Hae-ilRa Mi-ranThe last remaining princess of the Joseon Dynasty leaves her home for Japan, under Japanese colonial rule. Her childhood friend makes a vow to retrieve her and help her make her way back to Korea.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsFrances McDormandMaurice RoëvesRobert PattersonWhen an American human rights lawyer is assassinated in Belfast, it remains for the man's girlfriend, as well as a tough, no nonsense, police detective to find the truth.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJulia OrmondBenicio Del ToroOscar IsaacIn 1956, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.And Part Two
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsSigourney WeaverBen KingsleyStuart WilsonA political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.
- DirectorLee Kyoung-miStarsSon Ye-jinKim Ju-hyukHan Cheol-wooTHE TRUTH BENEATH follows a mysterious 15-day scandal of a politician and his wife as their daughter goes missing just before the national elections.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsSong Kang-hoYoo Ah-inMoon Geun-youngSet in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.
- DirectorRadu JudeStarsTeodor CorbanMihai ComanoiuToma CuzinSet in early 19th century Romania, a policeman, Costandin, is hired by a nobleman to find a Gypsy slave who has run away from his estate after having an affair with his wife.
- DirectorMohammad RasoulofStarsAnonymousAnonymousM. Ali NazarianKhosrow and Morteza set out on a mission to kill someone. The assassination ought to be arranged as a suicide. At the last minute however, they are obliged to change their initial plans...
- DirectorDong-hoon ChoiStarsJun Ji-hyunLee Jung-jaeHa Jung-wooWhile Korea is occupied by the Japanese Army in 1933, the resistance plans to kill the Japanese Commander. But their plan is threatened by a traitor within their group and also the enemies' forces are hunting them down.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsSam NeillNevan RoweIan MuneA New Zealand man recently estranged from his family gets unwittingly caught up in a revolution.
- DirectorPasquale SquitieriStarsGiuliano GemmaClaudia CardinaleStefano Satta FloresIn 1925, Cesare Mori - known as the "Iron Prefect" for his iron-fisted methods - wages a one-man war against the Mafia in Fascist Sicily.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsGian Maria VolontèLuigi SquarzinaPeter BaldwinAn Italian industrialist died in a plane crash. An accident or an assassination?
- DirectorDavid TruebaStarsAriadna GilRamon FontserèJoan DalmauWhen the professor and writer Lola Sánchez is assigned to write a column in the newspaper about the Spanish Civil War, she researches and finds for the first time about the shooting of Rafael Sánchez Mazas. Lola has lost her passion for writing, and she becomes intrigued about Rafael, who was a writer and journalist that returned to Spain from the Italy of Mussolini and founded the fascist party Spanish Falange, becoming advisor of the leader Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. When the lefts won the election in 1936, the Falange became illegal, and later there was a military coup d'stat. Rafael miraculously escaped from the shooting and was spared by an unknown soldier. Lola decides to write a book about the historic event and to disclose the identity of the unknown soldier. But her acquaintance Conchi advises that her work is affected by her lack of passion. When Lola reads a work of a student about the heroic former soldier Miralles, Lola becomes obsessed to find him and see of he is connected to the event.
- DirectorMohsen MakhmalbafStarsMikheil GomiashviliDachi OrvelashviliIa SukhitashviliA brutal dictator comes face to face with the injustices committed by his regime when his country is taken over by revolutionists.