History has its fair share of heroes, both famous and unsung, yet their life may not be that heroic at times. Movies like The Imitation Game humanize such humans on the silver screen.
The award-winning script of this Alan Turing biopic shows this brilliant mathematician’s efforts to shorten World War II with his decoding machine—an early ancestor of our modern-day computer. But it also shows how heroes are treated badly at times.
Want to know others who deserve the red-carpet treatment? Read on to find my recommended movies like The Imitation Game that will reintroduce you to awesome individuals.
10 Unbelievably True Movies Like The Imitation Game
1. Hidden Figures (2016)
In the early 1960s when putting a human into space remained unthinkable, ostracized black women contributed to calculating the possibility of launching this improbability. Yet within the space program, racism still reeks—subtly and overtly.
Taraji P. Henson plays NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson who, together with other equally brilliant black women mathematicians, worked hard to crunch the numbers to make John Glenn become the first American in space. Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae co-star.
Just like The Imitation Game, this film champions marginalized people who could be heroes, too, if given the chance—regardless of their race or their sex.
2. The Theory of Everything (2014)
The world knows physicist Stephen Hawking as one of the most brilliant minds the human race has produced. But this film shows his life before the scientific spotlight.
Eddie Redmayne clinched the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Hawking, while Felicity Jones held her own as Hawking’s lady love. It focused on how he found love early on, and faced the onset of a debilitating disease that never crippled his intelligence—only his spirit, at times.
If you like biographical movies, this one’s a treat. Discover why it garnered major nominations at the Oscars, BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes.
3. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash, whose theories in economics remain useful today, is at the center of this tale set during his graduate years in Princeton where his brilliance slowly sparkled. But it also showed how he developed and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
Russell Crowe played Nash under the direction of Ron Howard. Their story focused on how Nash’s intelligence could somehow be held hostage as his debilitating mental issues plagued him in his adult life.
If you like films that show how even geniuses could have tortured souls and troubled lives, you might like this Oscars Best Picture winner.
4. Valkyrie (2008)
At the height of Adolf Hitler’s horrific reign, some of his own high-ranking military officers band together to plot against him, with the aim of assassinating him to stop World War II.
Bryan Singer directs Tom Cruise and other formidable actors in the cast of this conspiratorial plot of a film. While the real-life July 20 plot failed, it’s still magnanimous to see how, within the evil confines of the time, heroic attempts still prevailed—to save humanity.
If you’re looking for biographical movies like The Imitation Game with more conspiratorial plots and edge-of-your-seat scene-to-scene excitement, watch this intriguing story.
5. The Monuments Men (2014)
An unlikely crew of men uses their unique talent and skills in fighting another kind of war—the eradication of the world’s greatest artistic treasures stolen by the Nazis. They need to retrieve the loot before they’re destroyed for good.
George Clooney directs Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett in this interesting yet riveting film that told another tale from the Nazi war-laden era of history. The artistic twist reveals a thought-provoking story that showcases another side of humanity.
If you like war movies with less fighting and less violence, then this one is definitely for you!
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
This biopic of German industrialist Oskar Schindler focused on his awakening as a Nazi Party member, as he saw how Jews are being treated during World War II. He secretly saved his Jewish factory workers from the Holocaust.
Director Steven Spielberg told this painfully heroic tale of how humans, when faced with life’s harshest realities and truths, could still turn over a new leaf and choose to serve the good amidst reigning evil. Liam Neeson delivered a powerful performance as Schindler.
Watch this epic and see why Spielberg bagged the Academy Awards’ Best Director and Best Picture trophies for it!
7. Harriet (2019)
This biopic of Harriet Tubman traces the courageous abolitionist’s early life as a slave who escapes to freedom. But she willingly goes back to rescue other enslaved family and friends, over and over, even if her life is endangered each time.
Cynthia Erivo headlines this story of how slavery was fought in various ways during the 1800s in a racially divided America. It depicts a unique angle of a person often discussed in history books.
Biographical movies like The Imitation Game and Harriet present great ways to learn in-depth accounts of heroes we often overlook, and they’re Oscars-blessed to boot!
8. The King’s Speech (2010)
Even a British king has his share of troubles, and stammering shouldn’t be unusual. But if he needs to be the voice of a nation about to declare war with Germany, he seeks help to speak clearly.
Colin Firth acts up a storm as King George VI who tries to battle his stammering affliction with the help of a speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. Helena Bonham Carter completes the formidable cast to tell this unique heartwarming pre-wartime tale.
When looking for historical movies like The Imitation Game that don’t focus directly on the war aspects, this one’s for you!
9. Darkest Hour (2017)
Even a courageous man like Prime Minister Winston Churchill would have his brightest days and his darkest hours—and this film shows both during the time the United Kingdom nearly feels defeated by Adolf Hitler.
Gary Oldman received an Academy Award for his acting performance as the cumbersome yet strong-willed prime minister who tried to balance his self-doubts and arrogance amidst the lack of support from officials but with the utmost support of ordinary constituents—the people he served to protect.
As a “companion film,” you could also watch Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk since it connects with the story presented here.
10. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
A conscientious objector joins World War II but refuses to touch a gun or fire one, especially in the line of duty. But he becomes a hero nonetheless as he tries to save the lives of soldiers in battle—peers who initially branded him a coward.
Braveheart actor-director Mel Gibson helms this war epic behind the scenes as Andrew Garfield takes center stage and plays Desmond Doss who received a Medal of Honor for his war efforts.
War movies like The Imitation Game and Hacksaw Ridge strive to present heroic storylines with great cinematography and riveting musical scoring to boot.