Films have an extraordinary power to shed a spotlight on the past, and bring to life some of the most important moments in history. While the role of a film is first and foremost to entertain, stories about different periods in history can have immense educational power, and pass on lessons to future generations to learn from. While much of this excellence must be brought to life by a great director, actors are required to put in the work to ensure that these historical eras feel as accurate as possible under the circumstances.
Dramatic films about history often succeed when they give the audience reasons to care about the characters, so it is no surprise that some of the industry’s finest actors are often drawn to the genre. Here are the ten best historical drama movies with great acting, ranked.
10 ‘The New World’ (2005)
Directed by Terrence Malick
The New World may not be a particularly accurate depiction of the founding of America’s first colony in Jamestown, but it is a beautifully rendered love story that brings to life one of the nations’ greatest tragedies. Terrence Malick’s revisionist interpretations of the 17th century focuses on the life of the Native American princess Pocahontas, played in an extraordinary breakthrough performance by Q’orianka Kilcher.
Colin Farrell gives one of his best performances ever as John Smith, an English sailor who fell in love with Pocahontas after being stranded in North America and left for dead. Although the film does not ignore the inherent racism and genocide at play, the chemistry between Kilcher and Farrell surpasses any context to become an ethereal form of beauty. The love dynamic is complicated even further when Christian Bale makes an appearance as the young suitor James Rolfe.
The New World
The story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.
- Run Time
- 136 minutes
- Director
- Terrence Malick
- Release Date
- December 25, 2005
- Actors
- Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, Wes Studi, August Schellenberg, Q’orianka Kilcher
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9 ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
There Will Be Blood is one of the greatest American tragedies of all-time, as it shows just how dangerous rage and greed can be when mankind is left to their worst desires. Daniel Day-Lewis is often cited as one of (if not the single) greatest actors of all-time, but he has never played a character quite as nuanced as Daniel Plainview. A ruthless, cruel opportunist whose desire for power has no end, Plainview represents the very worst that humanity has to offer.
Day-Lewis won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in There Will Be Blood, but he’s not the only brilliant actor in the film. Paul Dano gives one of his best performances as a noble preacher who gradually sucked up into Plainview’s point-of-view, only to be cast out to dry in the most cruel way possible.
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8 ‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Directed by William Wyler
Ben-Hur is one of the greatest epics of all-time, as it brought to life an incredible Biblical story that was once deemed to be “unfilmable” because of the massive scope and scale that it is playing with. Charlton Heston has played no shortage of heroes throughout his career, but his performance as the spurned Roman leader Judah Ben-Hur is certainly one of his best, and ultimately won him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Although Heston’s star power is what Ben-Hur is often best remembered for, the film features an incredible performance from Stephen Boyd as Messala, a character who doesn’t fit the typical definition of a villain. Despite the acts of cruelty that he ends up committing, Messala does seem to genuinely care for Judah, and only ends up betraying him because he feels that his honor has been insulted.
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7 ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Apocalypse Now is a perfectly directed war film that gets into the dark side of the American military operation in the Vietnam War by showing the evils that mankind was capable of. While Marlon Brando had already earned a significant amount of praise for his work with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather, his performance as the crazed Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now may be the single most terrifying role of his career.
Martin Sheen proves that he is one of the most underrated American actors ever with his performance as a soldier assigned to assassinate Kurtz; it’s a role that often flirts with heroism, even if he is eventually proven to be just as malicious as his opponent. The film features an extraordinary cast of great actors, and even has smaller roles for Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall.
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6 ‘Barry Lyndon’ (1975)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Barry Lyndon is a masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick, who subverted all expectations of what a historical drama should look like by focusing on the career of an Irish soundreal and womanizer that changes sides throughout the course of the war between England and France. Ryan O’Neal may have been a heartthrob after his performances in Paper Moon and Love Stroy, but he succeeded with his work in Barry Lyndon by playing one of the most unlikeable protagonists of all-time.
The brilliance of Barry Lyndon is that the titular character is often the butt of the joke, as he only manages to succeed as the result of dumb luck and charisma. It’s to O’Neal’s credit that he was able to play a dynamic character who is just as hilarious as he is demonstrably horrific to everyone who ever gets close to him.
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5 ‘12 Years A Slave’ (2013)
Directed by Steven McQueen
12 Years A Slave is one of the most important Best Picture winners of all-time, as there hasn’t been another film that has shed a spotlight on the evils of American slavery in the same way. Chiwetel Ejiofer gives a heartbreaking performance as the famed musician Solomon Northup, who was captured by slavers and forced to spend a decade on a plantation without any contact with his family.
Lupita Nyong’o gave a heart-wrenching performance as the abused slave Patsey, which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, the film would not work nearly as well if not for the terrifying performance by Michael Fassbender as the ruthless slave owner Edwin Epps, who may be one of the most evil characters in the history of cinema. The film also features strong work from Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, and Brad Pitt.
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4 ‘In The Name Of The Father’ (1993)
Directed by Jim Sheridan
In The Name Of The Father is an important legal thriller that helped shed a spotlight on an important period in Irish history that is often ignored by historians. Although he had already won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Jim Sheridan’s previous film My Left Foot, Day-Lewis has an equally gripping role as an Irish man who is falsely accused of being involved in a bombing, and is forced to spend years behind bars with his father (Pete Postlethwaite).
In The Name of The Father differs from other historical crime films because of the importance that it places on the relationship between a father and son. Day-Lewis and Postlethwaite are absolutely captivating as men forced to bear the consequences for sins that they did not commit; In The Name of the Father is a film that has the power to change hearts and minds.
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3 ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Directed by David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most well-acted war movies of all-time, and is so massive in scope that its ambitions have never been rivaled. Although David Lean pulled off some of the most extraordinary action and military scenes ever committed to the silver screen, Lawrence of Arabia would not have been nearly as successful if it wasn’t for the dynamic performance by Laurence Olivier as the titular British leader who united the Turkish tribes to fight against the Germans during the height of World War I.
Lawrence of Arabia is a dynamic character study about a flawed man, and Olivier never risks turning the character into a flawless white savior. Although his performance is what makes the film so successful, Lawrence of Arabia also featured notable work from Omar Sharif and Alec Guinness in very memorable supporting roles.
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2 ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Schindler’s List is an immensely important historical biopic, as there hasn’t been another film in history that has captured the horrors of the Holocaust in the same way. Steven Spielberg would never have been able to capture every single tragedy that occurred amidst the genocide, but focusing on how the German businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) used his factories to transport Jewish workers to safety made for an inspiring stroy about the power men have to confront true evil.
Neeson gives what is easily the best performance of his career, giving a compassionate side of humanism that is often ignored within his action roles. Not to be discounted is Ralph Fiennes, whose performance as a ruthless Nazi officer who tortures and abuses Jewish workers is among the scariest villains in any historical drama. Schindler’s List may be hard to watch more than once, but it is worth it for the great acting.
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1 ‘Amadeus’ (1984)
Directed by Miloš Forman
Amadeus is the greatest Best Picture winner of the 1980s, indicating that the Academy Awards actually did have some foresight in choosing films that were bound to stand the test of time. The film captures the infamous rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), which grew so intense that it resulted in the former’s death.
Abraham is absolutely captivating as an artist who dreams of perfection, only to be met with bitter disappointment when he is unable to match the inherent genius of his rival. Hulce is equally captivating as Mozart, showing how easy it can be for true geniuses to discount the effect on each other. Although Mozart is the figure whose legacy remains strongest, it is ironically Abraham that walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actor, even if Hulce was also nominated.
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