10 Movies that are based on real life controversies

Movies based on real-life controversies that occurred in the past provide the viewers with a dramatic look at the incident, giving them a fresh narrative of a scandal or wrongdoing that caused a controversy.

From a sportsperson (such as in I, Tonya), a game show host to a tech developer, no field is immune to controversies. When these real-life controversies occurred, they gained huge media attention and often resulted in tragic events in their aftermath.

In this article, we have listed 10 such movies that were based on real-life controversies.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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10) BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee’s biographical crime drama inspired from Ron Stallworth’s memoir, Black Klansman, gives the viewers a glimpse of America’s struggle with racism and the real-life controversies surrounding the Klu Klux Klan.

In the film, John David Washington’s Ron Stallworth sends his Jewish colleague, Adam Driver’s Flip Zimmerman, in his place to join the infamous KKK. Interestingly, the film highlights the events revolving around the KKK trying to harm the African Americans of the country.

Moreover, at the end of the movie, footage of the 2017 white supremacist rally, Unite the Right, was shown, including then-President Donald Trump’s controversial comments.

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9) Quiz Show

Another interesting film surrounding real life controversies is Robert Redford’s Quiz Show.

Based on the memoirs of US Congressional lawyer Richard N. Goodwin, the film depicts the story of Goodwin investigating the cheating scandal of the popular game show Twenty One. After a contestant files a legal case citing the show being fixed, Goodwin starts investigating the rumors about the same.

He finds evidence that the show was fixed after several contestants reveal to him that they were provided the answers before the game show. However, in the end, the producers of the show took the fall and confessed that they were responsible for the cheating, which gave the network head and sponsors an easy way out from the controversy.

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8) The Social Network

With Aaron Sorkin’s impeccable screenplay, The Social Network is one of the best movies that came out in the 2010s.

Based on Ben Mezrich’s novel The Accidental Billionaires, this film is based on the real-life controversies revolving around the foundation of Facebook.

From being accused of stealing someone else’s idea to being sued by a partner who claimed that his shares were diluted fraudulently, the film depicts the controversial early life of Mark Zuckerberg, who became one of the youngest billionaires.

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7) Fair Game

A movie that brings forth the controversies surrounding former US President George W. Bush and his unjustified attack on Iraq, Fair Game stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

The film depicts the controversy surrounding Sean Penn’s Joseph C. Wilson, a diplomat who revealed that President Bush’s claims about Iraq extracting yellowcake Uranium to weaponise it as the justification of the infamous attack on Iraq as false. To portray him as a liar, the White House and its officials started to leak information about Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, a CIA operative, making their life difficult and in constant threat.

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6) The Insider

The Insider revolves around the real-life controversies involving the account of a Brown & Williamson tobacco company executive’s whistleblowing statement and the in-house struggles faced by CBS producer Lowell Bergman in airing his 60 Minutes interview.

Bergman, played by Al Pacino, faces many challenges, such as the CBS network’s head trying their best in not airing Jeffrey Wigand’s ( Russell Crow) interview. In his last attempt, he reveals the whole story to The New York Times, who print the controversial story, condemning CBS’s handling of such an important issue and risking Journalistic integrity in the process.

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5) Just Mercy

This biographical legal drama revolves around the story of Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, an attorney who defends Jamie Foxx’s Walter McMillian accused of murdering a young white woman. However, McMillian denied all the allegations.

This film depicts the real-life controversies of wrongfully convicting poor African Americans for crimes. Stevenson spent his life fighting for these people’s rights in the court.

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4) Casino Jack

George Hickenlooper’s Casino Jack follows the controversial life of Jack Abramoff, a businessman played by Kevin Spacey.

This movie reveals one of the real-life controversies involving corruption. Spacey’s Abramoff is a lobbyist who commits various forms of corruption, from fraud to tax evasion, just for the sake of political favors from government officials.

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3) The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese’s film, The Wolf of Wall Street, is based on the controversial life and rise and fall of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The film follows Belfort’s story of how, with the help of his friends, he created a brokerage company. His company became successful after he and his employees started to post false positive statements to sell stocks at higher prices. However, he is later found out by the officials and convicted of corruption and fraud.

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2) All the President’s Men

All the President’s Men depicts the highly appalling controversial Watergate scandal that cost Nixon’s presidency.

The film follows two young reporters of The Washington Post who investigate the Watergate scandal. Through their investigation, journalists Carl and Bob reveal the fraudulent activities of Nixon’s Committee to Re-elect the President. They unraveled the money that was poured into two of the most important people in Nixon’s Presidential campaign, revealing the level of corruption committed.

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1) The Apprentice

The Apprentice follows the controversial life of US President Donald Trump’s rise as a real estate businessman.

The film also depicts the formation of Trump’s friendship with US Attorney General Roy Cohn. He helped Trump’s father in a case against racial discrimination by blackmailing the lead prosecutor; that’s how their infamous friendship started forming.

However, their relationship eventually had a fallout, and they started drifting apart with Trump continuing to grow his business, which initially Cohn helped with his blackmailing techniques.

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