Life's Truth About Crime: 11 Best Movies Based on True Facts

Films about gangsters, criminals and con men have always had an audience success. At the same time, the events described in crime movies are often not a figment of the imagination of screenwriters and directors. Here are 11 of the best movies in the history of cinema, based on real events, which every cinephile will appreciate.

Casino

Scorsese's not-so-famous, yet underrated film is the thematic sequel to "Goodfellas" starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. "Casino" is what National Casino fans will love. It's based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi and Larry Schallings, in turn inspired by the scandal between the gangster casino manager Frank Rosenthal and his wife Geri McGee, a former stripper.

Catch Me If You Can 

Not the most significant, but one of Steven Spielberg's most fascinating works. The film tells the story of Frank Abignale, a young man who amazed the world with his daring machinations in the 1960s. Leonardo DiCaprio received a Golden Globe nomination for his brilliant performance as the charming con man.

Zodiac

Zodiac is the nickname of a deranged serial killer who kept the people of San Francisco terrified for a quarter of a century. Fincher's reconstructed history of the years-long investigation and his precise staging turn this film into something more sinister than the usual serial killer movie.

American Hustle

Academy favorite David O. Russell has made an adventurous retro movie based on a real-life ABSCAM anti-corruption operation conducted by the FBI in the 1970s. The film is full of unexpected twists and double transitions, but its key advantage is the recreated atmosphere of the era with its pop music and trendy dances.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter adapted the most scandalous episodes from the memoirs of broker Jordan Belfort, convicted of fraud. Perhaps the maestro's most audacious and liberated film is a hilarious crime comedy that realistically depicts a world of criminals steeped in lust and luxury.

A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth

Robert Bresson used for the script the story of Lieutenant Devigny's prison escape, which was printed in the literary supplements to Le Figaro. The director wanted to achieve the utmost truthfulness of life on screen, so he dispensed with professional actors so that their recognizability wouldn't impair the integrity of the viewer's perception.

The Untouchables

Brian De Palma's gangster epic starring Kevin Costner as FBI agent Eliot Ness and Robert De Niro as famed American gangster Al Capone. The plot is based on the struggle between the police and the king of the underworld.

Wolf Creek

It's one of the scariest horror movies of the 21st century. Three students arrive in this country to find a mysteriously shrouded crater formed by a meteorite fall, but end up becoming part of a terrifying story themselves. This crater actually exists and is called Wolf Creek.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Toob Hooper's classic horror movie is a free interpretation of the crime story of serial killer Ed Geen. Although the main villain of the picture was a fictional maniac "Leatherface", the picture is characterized by striking naturalism and realism.

Bonnie and Clyde

The movie is based on the true story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, famous American burglars who operated during the Great Depression. The film's sharp, bloody climax is revolutionary to this day.

All the President's Men

A four Oscar-winning movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. The screenplay is based on the documentary book of the same name by The Washington Post journalists who investigated the Watergate scandal.