The best historical movies on Netflix offer a direct portal to the past, blending authentic period detail with compelling storytelling for the discerning history buff. This curated list of films prioritizes both historical significance and cinematic quality, helping you find your next immersive watch from the platform's extensive library.
Best historical movies on Netflix: Ip Man (2008)
This biographical martial arts film dramatizes the early life of Ip Man, the grandmaster who mentored Bruce Lee, set against the brutal backdrop of the Second Sino-Japanese War. It is a biographical film and one of the best historical films on Netflix, following Ip as he is forced from his home by the invading Japanese army and reluctantly joins the fight for his community.
2. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
An epic Indian historical romance, this film depicts the 16th-century love story between the Mughal emperor Akbar and his Rajput wife, Jodhaa.
3. The King's Speech (2010)
This Oscar-winning drama focuses on King George VI and his unlikely friendship with Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, which helped the monarch overcome his stammer on the eve of World War II.
4. 12 Years a Slave (2012)
It is a historical drama film based on the memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, and it was hailed by various publications as the best film of 2013.
5. Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan's intense war film offers a fictional reimagining of the real-life evacuation of Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, in 1940.
6. The Imitation Game (2015)
This thrilling biopic follows Alan Turing, the brilliant English mathematician and cryptanalyst who led a team to crack the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. It is a spy thriller and one of the best historical movies on Netflix, based on Turing's biography and his work for British intelligence.
7. Suffragette (2015)
This British historical drama depicts the struggle for women's right to vote in Britain before the passage of the suffrage acts of 1918 and 1928. It is a British historical film depicting the struggle for women's right to vote, with events largely accurate to the real-life beginnings of the feminist movement in Victorian Britain.
8. Mudbound (2017)
Set in the post-World War II Mississippi Delta, this drama explores the intersecting lives of a black family and a white family as two veterans return home to face the demons of racism and PTSD. It is a historical movie and one of the historical films on Netflix with a fictional story but a realistic setting, earning praise for its screenplay, direction, and cast performances.
9. Darkest Hour (2017)
Gary Oldman delivers a transformative performance as Winston Churchill in this war drama depicting the early, perilous days of his leadership as Prime Minister of the UK during World War II. It is a war drama depicting the early days of Winston Churchill's leadership, focusing on his refusal to align with the Germans amidst the threat of invasion.
10. The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
Based on a true story, this film dramatizes the efforts of a Warsaw couple who used their zoo to shelter over three hundred Polish Jews during the Holocaust.
11. Manto (2018)
This biographical drama explores the most turbulent years in the life of Saadat Hasan Manto, the celebrated Indo-Pakistani short story writer, against the backdrop of post-war political and social strife.
12. The Highwaymen (2018)
A period crime drama, this film follows the retired Texas Rangers who came out of retirement to hunt down the notorious criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. It is a period crime drama film depicting the hunt for one of history's most notorious crime couples, staying faithful to the sequence of events in the original case.
13. A Twelve-Year Night (2018)
This Uruguayan drama tells the true story of political prisoners from a left-wing guerrilla group who were subjected to solitary confinement during a military dictatorship. It is a historical drama film about the incarceration of a left-wing guerilla group in Uruguay amidst a military dictatorship, inspired by the story of the Tupamaros.
14. The Angel (2018)
A spy thriller based on the true story of Ashraf Marwan, an Egyptian official who became a top spy for Israel during the conflicts of the early 1970s.
15. Outlaw King (2018)
This medieval action drama chronicles Robert the Bruce's rebellion against English rule in 14th-century Scotland, culminating in the 1307 Battle of Loudoun Hill. It is a historical movie about Robert the Bruce, a 14th-century figure who fought against the English takeover of Scotland.
16. Operation Finale (2018)
This historical thriller recounts the 1960 mission by Israeli Mossad agents to track down and capture Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. It is one of the most accurate and notable historical films on Netflix, based on source materials including the memoir Eichmann in My Hands.
17. Elisa and Marcela (2018)
18. The Last Duel (2019)
Ridley Scott's medieval drama is based on the true story of the last officially sanctioned duel in France in 1386, sparked when a knight's wife accused his former friend of rape. It is a movie adaptation of the 2004 novel of the same name by Eric Jaeger, based on the true story of a duel that took place in 1386.
19. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
This crime thriller is told from the perspective of Ted Bundy's girlfriend, chronicling how she remained oblivious to his secret life as a serial killer until his arrest.
20. The King (2019)
Based on Shakespeare's plays, this film follows a young, reluctant King Henry V as he navigates war and politics in 15th-century England, including the famous Battle of Agincourt.
21. The Endless Trench (2019)
A Spanish-French thriller, this film tells the story of a man who hides in the floorboards of his own home for decades to avoid political persecution after the Spanish Civil War.
22. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
This spy thriller is based on the true mission by Mossad agents to rescue Ethiopian-Jewish refugees from Sudan to Israel, using a fake, abandoned diving resort as a cover. It is a contemporary spy thriller film about the rescue of Ethiopian-Jewish refugees from Sudan to Israel by Mossad agents.
23. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Aaron Sorkin's legal drama tells the true story of the infamous trial of seven anti-Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It is a historical and legal drama about the countercultural riots that took place during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the trials that followed.
24. The Forgotten Battle (2020)
This Dutch World War II film depicts the lesser-known but crucial Battle of the Scheldt in 1944 from three different perspectives: Dutch, British, and German.
25. The Dig (2021)
A quiet British drama, this film depicts the events leading up to the Sutton Hoo excavation in 1939, where an Anglo-Saxon burial ship filled with dazzling riches was uncovered on the eve of World War II.
Find your next era to explore
You can create up to five individual profiles on an account, each with its own personalized experience and recommendations based on ratings and tastes. Use this feature to refine your queue and dive deeper into the specific historical periods that fascinate you most, whether it's ancient empires, wartime dramas, or cultural revolutions.
