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All 1,028 Ranked History Movies, Best First

1,028 of the 6,614 history films on the site are ranked, and this list starts with the best: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929), then Dead to Rights (2025). Filter by decade, year, language, box office or plot summary; the list updates as you choose.

history films on the site
6,614
ranked by score
1,028
worldwide gross of 1,729 films
$29.2B
with a plot summary
1,427
History movies illustration
History movies
Best first

Filter History Movies by Decade, Language & Box Office

Ranked by Echo Score; 606 of these 1,028 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. 1,028 of the 6,614 history films are ranked. Switch the sort to see the newest releases, the biggest box office hits or every film from A to Z.

Filter and sort

1,028 ranked history films

History movies, best first. Page 1 of 22.

  1. Apollo 11 (2019) movie poster Rank#15

    Apollo 11

    2019 · 1h 33m

    89 Echo

    • Documentary
  2. Dunkirk (2017) movie poster Rank#18

    Dunkirk

    2017 · 1h 46m

    88 Echo

    • Action
    • Drama
  3. Richard III (1956) movie poster Rank#18

    Richard III

    1956 · 2h 41m

    88 Metascore

    • Biography
    • Drama
  4. Chronovisor (2026) movie poster Rank#18

    Chronovisor

    2026 · 1h 40m

    88 Metascore

    • Fantasy
    • Mystery
  5. Woodstock (1970) movie poster Rank#25

    Woodstock

    1970 · 3h 4m

    95 Metascore

    • Music
    • Documentary
  6. The Right Stuff (1983) movie poster Rank#26

    The Right Stuff

    1983 · 3h 13m

    91 Metascore

    • Adventure
    • Biography
    • Drama
  7. Balloon (2018) movie poster Rank#27

    Balloon

    2018 · 2h 5m

    87 Echo

    • Drama
    • Thriller
  8. Hamilton (2020) movie poster Rank#34

    Hamilton

    2020 · 2h 40m

    86 Echo

    • Biography
    • Drama
  9. Togo (2019) movie poster Rank#34

    Togo

    2019 · 1h 53m

    86 Echo

    • Adventure
    • Biography
    • Drama
  10. Spotlight (2015) movie poster Rank#40

    Spotlight

    2015 · 2h 8m

    93 Metascore

    • Biography
    • Drama
  11. Ben-Hur (1959) movie poster Rank#40

    Ben-Hur

    1959 · 3h 32m

    90 Metascore

    • Adventure
    • Drama
  12. Harakiri (1964) movie poster Rank#40

    Harakiri

    1964 · 2h 13m

    85 Metascore

    • Action
    • Drama
  13. Das Boot (1982) movie poster Rank#45

    Das Boot

    1982 · 2h 29m

    85 Metascore

    • Action
    • Drama
  14. Barry Lyndon (1975) movie poster Rank#47

    Barry Lyndon

    1975 · 3h 4m

    89 Metascore

    • Adventure
    • Drama
FAQ

The Full History List: Questions & Answers

How the 1,028 ranked history films on this list are ordered, why the other 5,586 are not ranked and how to narrow the list down.

How is the full list of history movies ranked?

Best first. Ranked by Echo Score; 606 of these 1,028 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929) is #1, ahead of Dead to Rights (2025). A film is ranked when it runs at least an hour and has a score, box office, an award nomination or enough votes.

The history ranking

Why are only 1,028 of the 6,614 history films ranked?

A film is ranked when it runs at least an hour and has a score, box office, an award nomination or enough votes; shorts, films with too few ratings and re-release records stay off the ranking, which leaves 5,586 history films unranked. They are still on the site: sort the list by newest, oldest or title A–Z to reach them.

How do I filter history movies by decade or language?

Use the filters above the list: a decade or year, an original language, or only films with a plot summary, the ending explained or an after-credits scene; the sort switches between rating, release date, box office, budget and title. The 2010s have the most ranked history films (469), then the 2020s (283). Outside English, French (547 films) and Spanish (344 films) have the most history films.

Filter history movies