Crime Films Based on Real-Life Events

Helter Skelter is a 1976 American biographical crime drama film directed by Tom Gries and starring Steve Railsback, Sharon Tate, and George DiCenzo. The film is based on the book of the same name by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, which chronicles the investigation and trial of Charles Manson and his followers for the Tate-LaBianca murders.

Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by James Vanderbilt. The film is based on the true story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Boston Strangler is a 1968 American biographical crime drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, and George Kennedy. The film is based on the true story of the Boston Strangler, a serial killer who murdered 13 women in the Boston area between 1962 and 1964.

Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese. The film is based on the 1986 book Wiseguy by Pileggi, which chronicles the life of Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate who became a government informant.

The Bank Job is a 2008 British heist film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. The film is based on the true story of the Brink's-Mat robbery, which took place in London in 1983.

Patty Hearst is a 1988 American biographical crime drama film directed by Paul Schrader and starring Natasha Richardson, William Forsythe, Ving Rhames, and Dana Delany. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.

The Witness is a 1985 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, and Danny Glover. The film is based on the true story of the murder of Kitty Genovese, a young woman who was stabbed to death in front of her apartment building in Queens, New York City, in 1964.

The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey is a 2000 American television film directed by John K. Schlesinger and starring Brian Dennehy, Patsy Kensit, and John Ritter. The film is based on the true story of the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, a six-year-old girl who was found dead in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.

The People v. O. J. Simpson is a 1995 American television miniseries directed by Robert Dornhelm and starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, and Sarah Paulson. The miniseries is based on the true story of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, and the subsequent trial of O. J. Simpson, who was acquitted of the murders.

House of Gucci is a 2021 American biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. The film is based on the true story of the murder of Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of Guccio Gucci, the founder of the Gucci fashion house.

Till is a 2022 American biographical drama film directed by Chinonye Chukwu and starring Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, and Whoopi Goldberg. The film is based on the true story of the murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955.

One Night in Miami is a 2020 American biographical drama film directed by Regina King and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. The film is based on the true story of a meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown in a Miami hotel room in 1964.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 American biographical drama film directed by Shaka King and starring Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Dominique Fishback, and Jesse Plemons. The film is based on the true story of the betrayal of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, by William O'Neal, an FBI informant.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a 2021 American biographical drama film directed by Lee Daniels and starring Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Natasha Lyonne. The film is based on the true story of the persecution of jazz singer Billie Holiday by the United States government for her association with drugs and her refusal to stop singing the song "Strange Fruit", which protested the lynching of African Americans.

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. The film is based on footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a six-week music festival that took place in Harlem, New York City, and featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and Gladys Knight & the Pips.