These history-loaded Netflix films [1] bring all the drama, and their detailed storylines are worth a binge session. From Roman rivalry to royal romance [2], the past is packed with stories so good that moviemakers had to borrow them — and Netflix is currently rounding out its catalog with some of the best around. Whether it's an adaptation of Shakespeare's group of historical plays called The Henriad in The King [3] or the moving and ever-shocking stories of World War II that catch your imagination, some of the biggest films with an eye on the past can be found on Netflix.
Looking for even more Netflix recs? Check out the films [4] and tv shows [5] available on Netflix in February here.
— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano, Haley Lyndes, and Corinne Sullivan
Outlaw King
Outlaw King is a true story starring Chris Pine [6] as Robert the Bruce, otherwise known as the "outlaw king." The adventure film takes place in 14th century Scotland, where Robert the Bruce fights to get his country's independence back from England.
Watch Outlaw King on Netflix now. [7]
Jodhaa Akbar
This 2008 historical romance movie is set in 16th-century India and tells the dreamy love story of Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar, the Mughal Emperor of Hindustan, and Rajput princess Jodhaa. It's a three-and-a-half-hour film, so be sure you have enough popcorn to tide you over!
Watch Jodhaa Akbar on Netflix now. [8]
The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game tells the true story of British mathematician Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who cracked the German Enigma Code and helped the Allies win WWII.
Watch The Imitation Game on Netflix now. [9]
Selma
Directed by Ava Duvernay [10], Selma follows the 1965 march that took the Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo) to Selma, Alabama, and culminated in the signing of the Voting Rights Act in America. The supporting cast includes Oprah Winfrey [11], who was also a producer on the film; Cuba Gooding Jr.; and Tim Roth as President Johnson.
Watch Selma on Netflix now. [12]
Defiance
Based on a true story, Defiance is about a group of brothers who escape to a forest in Eastern Europe during World War II. In an attempt to save their loved ones, the brothers use their survival plan as a way to battle the Nazis.
Watch Defiance on Netflix now. [13]
22 July
After a deadly terrorist attack on a youth camp in Norway, one boy survives to tell the tale. He and the citizens of Norway rally together to understand the situation, as well as to heal.
Watch 22 July on Netflix now. [14]
The King's Speech
King George VI struggled with a stutter all his life — not a great trait for a king expected to make public speeches. Enter Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who uses unorthodox techniques to help the king find his voice.
Watch The King's Speech on Netflix now. [15]
Mudbound
Based in the era of World War II, this drama digs into the roots of prejudices in the deep South and how two Mississippi families of different ethnic backgrounds make a living doing the same farm work.
Watch Mudbound on Netflix now. [16]
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom follows the titular blues singer (portrayed by Viola Davis) as she gathers with her band during a recording session in 1927 Chicago. But while Ma Rainey was very much a real blues trailblazer with an unforgettable persona, the film isn't a true story. The Netflix film is based on a play of the same title by August Wilson, who also penned Fences (also starring Davis). Regardless, it's a gift to see Davis pay homage to a musical legend and to witness Chadwick Boseman, who plays a trumpeter in her band, put everything into his last performance.
Watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Netflix now. [17]
Hurricane
Set in World War II, this adventure movie tells the story of a group of Polish pilots who, despite their prejudice, aid the Royal Air Force in protecting both Britain and Poland from Hitler's Nazis who are threatening to take over British skies.
Watch Hurricane on Netflix now. [18]
The King
Prince Hal (Timothée Chalamet [19]) is crowned King Henry V after his father passes away. As a new ruler, Hal has to face all the hostilities and politics that his father left behind as he battles for England.
Watch The King on Netflix now. [20]
Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose tells the controversial story of Edir Macedo, who founded The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and owned RecordTV in Brazil.
Watch Nothing to Lose on Netflix now. [21]
Paan Singh Tomar
Paan Singh Tomar was once known as a famous Indian athlete and a seven-time national steeplechase champion until he retired. After his retirement, Sign Tomar took on a new role as a feared rebel.
Watch Paan Singh Tomar on Netflix now. [22]
The Most Hated Woman in America
Get a peek into the life of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an outspoken activist for American atheists. She was known for her role in the Supreme Court ruling to ban Bible readings in schools, as well as her abduction and murder in the mid '90s.
Watch The Most Hated Woman in America on Netflix now. [23]
Enola Holmes
Stranger Things [24] star Millie Bobby Brown plays Enola Holmes, a young girl who is left under the care of her two brothers after she wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her mother gone. While her brothers want to send Enola to finishing school, she escapes to London to find her mother and becomes a detective in her own right.
Watch Enola Holmes on Netflix now. [25]
The Highwaymen
Former Texas rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault take on capturing the infamous Bonnie and Clyde in a drama that's based on a true story.
Watch The Highwaymen on Netflix now. [26]
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
In an attempt to save his village from famine, a 13-year-old boy sneaks into his school's library and learns to build a wind turbine to create energy.
Watch The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind on Netflix now. [27]
Radium Girls
This 2018 drama tells the story of the women who worked at the U.S. Radium Factory in the early in the 20th century. Battling unexplained illnesses, a young girl and her coworkers decide to find out what's really going on.
Watch Radium Girls on Netflix now. [28]
Rebecca
Netflix's adaptation of Rebecca expertly encapsulates the mystery and suspense felt in the Daphne du Maurier novel it's based on. Set in 1938, film, follows a nameless woman as she becomes the second Mrs. de Winter and finds herself overshadowed by a dead woman.
Watch Rebecca on Netflix now. [29]
First They Killed My Father
Directed by Angelina Jolie [30], this thriller tells the story of a 5-year-old girl who survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, where a political party tried to create a master race that led to genocide. As a survivor, we follow Loung Ung's experiences of hope and pain throughout the Khmer Rouge's reign, and how she and her family fought for their lives.
Watch First They Killed My Father on Netflix now. [31]
Kardec
This biopic follows the life of influential French author Allan Kardec, who's known as the founder of spiritism (or spiritualism), as he evolves from an educator to one of the greatest contributors to the spiritist codification.
Watch Kardec on Netflix now. [32]
The Ruthless
Follow the life of a teen boy who doesn't play by the rules, and watch as he grows up to become one of the most well-known criminals of Milan.
Watch The Ruthless on Netflix now. [33]
Gun City
This crime drama, set in 1920s Barcelona, follows a double agent who is assigned to work his way into the local mafia to find out the source of the weapons being sold to anarchist groups. It's sure to give you major The Departed vibes, and with the threat of civil war looming, this one might be even more thrilling.
Watch Gun City on Netflix now. [34]
Elisa & Marcela
Elisa & Marcela is a Spanish biographical romantic film based on the story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas, the first two women to have a same-sex marriage in Spain. They were able to do so only because Elisa had assumed a male identity.
Watch Elisa & Marcela on Netflix now. [35]
Da 5 Bloods
Directed by Spike Lee, this war drama revolves around four Black Vietnam vets (played by Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) who return to Vietnam in search of their former squad leader's remains — as well as some rumoured buried treasure.
Watch Da 5 Bloods on Netflix now. [36]
A Beautiful Mind
Russell Crowe [37] stars as John Nash, an American economics prodigy who achieves great statistical and mathematical breakthroughs while also struggling with paranoid schizophrenia. Though some critics said it wasn't an accurate portrayal of the Nobel Prize winner's life, the film did receive the best picture Academy Award in 2002.
Watch A Beautiful Lifeon Netflix now. [38]
The Endless Trench
Based on a true story, this Spanish historical drama takes place during the Spanish Civil War, telling the tale of newlyweds who spend 33 years hidden away in their home to avoid possible retaliation. That may not sound like a terribly compelling plot, but this film manages to justify its 147-minute runtime by developing near-constant tension and accurately depicting the fear felt during that time in the country's history.
Watch The Endless Trench on Netflix now. [39]
The Gospel of John
Aramaic-speaking actors re-create the story of Jesus's life from the fourth gospel as told by apostle John.
Watch The Gospel of John on Netflix now. [40]
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