True Crime Movies, TV, and Documentary
Our never-ending list of movies, television, and documentaries from the "true crime" genre. We will never have them all and it'll constantly be evolving. Can be "loosely based" or "based" on a true story. Anything with a touch of reality is fair game.
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- StarsBill KurtisDave ReichertKathy MillsCold Case Files shows how timing, persistence and high-tech police work combine to catch people who have slipped through the cracks for decades.
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
- StarsLester HoltKeith MorrisonAndrea CanningLong-running news-magazine/investigation series.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsRobert BlakeScott WilsonJohn ForsytheTwo ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.
- DirectorJames KnoxStarsLynnanne ZagerLynn TurnerGlenn TurnerThe coldest killers of all are the ones who carefully plan their crime. A perfect wife and daughter has something to hide, a star student invites death to dinner and a man in uniform is a man in danger.
- StarsMike AllenKurt BallmanCharles BealIn Tucson, a grandfather is shot after answering a knock at his front door. The suspect's getaway car crashes a few blocks from the crime scene and the suspect flees. Det. Bill Hanson and his team hope that clues from the car will lead them to the alleged killers.
- CreatorJames FarrStarsTish IcetonDavid BacqueCraig CyrTrue crime show about conflicts between neighbors that go terribly wrong.
- DirectorJoel BenderStarsLaura PreponMisha CollinsPatrick BauchauBased on real events, Paul Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls.
- StarsPeter ThomasRamona BarrettSandy MatthewsEleven children in an elementary school in Phoenix contracted childhood leukemia; nine of them died. And in Guilford, Connecticut, five people were diagnosed with brain tumors on a street where there were only nine homes. Two towns, two cancer clusters, two mysteries. The investigation answered some questions, but raised many more.
- DirectorJames CoxStarsVal KilmerLisa KudrowKate BosworthIn the police investigation of a brutal crime scene, one man was at the center of it all: legendary porn star John Holmes.
- DirectorJohn Alan SchwartzStarsMichael CarrSamuel BerkowitzMary Ellen BrightonA collection of death scenes, ranging from TV material to homemade super 8 movies.
- 1996–200553mTV-PG7.3 (13)TV EpisodeDirectorStuart TaylorStarsGene GalushaCarre AttardBob BartelsTelling the stories of the 1996 shooting of Dr. Darryl Sutorius; the 1978 murder of Karla Brown and the 1993 murder of Jerry Boggs.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
- DirectorBJ DavisStarsSusan C. BoutwellSteve CooleyBJ DavisAmerica's frontline defense and offense of heroes and heroines for the United States, domestically and internationally. The CIA motto, "The work of a nation the center of intelligence."
- CreatorStephanie AngelidesKurt TondorfStarsDon WildmanSeth PorgesKatherine WeatherfordThe stories behind interesting and unusual artifacts stored in museums are told.
- CreatorJohn CosgroveTerry Dunn MeurerStarsRobert StackDennis FarinaKeely Shaye BrosnanCombines dramatic re-enactments, interviews and updates, to tell stories of real mysteries, from human to the supernatural.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsEric BanaDaniel CraigMarie-Josée CrozeAfter the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.
- DirectorMarc TileyBen MoleStarsBrian DennehyRichard John EvansTerry CharmanMystery Files investigates why Adolf Hitler decided to go into politics. In World War I, Hitler as a young army private is injured during a poison gas and is taken to a psychiatric military hospital where he makes his fateful decision. Scholars argue that his traumatic experiences may have inspired his political outlook.
- 2003–20057.0 (13)TV EpisodeDirectorDavid BartlettStarsSarah AnthonyRobert AsheEdward BartlettCan we trust historical documents to be genuine - and how do we know that a dramatic news report is actually just an unusually skillfully acted play? About Orson Welles radio play "War of the Worlds"(1938) which led to panic around the US as people tried to escape the invading Martians that the program warned of. And the sensational publication in the German newspaper Stern in 1983 of what were claimed to be Hitler's handwritten diaries.
- DirectorJosé DelgadoStarsJonathan D. MellorVia stunning contemporary footage, freshly declassified discoveries, a brilliant script, insights from the greatest historians of the past seventy years and the unforgettable words of the dictator himself and the people who knew him best, we deliver History's Verdict on Stalin.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
- DirectorMarcus NispelStarsJessica BielJonathan TuckerAndrew BryniarskiAfter picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsBen AffleckKate BeckinsaleJosh HartnettA tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.
- DirectorRichard FleischerKinji FukasakuToshio MasudaStarsMartin BalsamSô YamamuraJason RobardsThe story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.
- StarsMalikha MalletteIke NewtonTraciy Curry-ReyesAn crime investigative and documentary series surrounding true life crime stories of love gone wrong. The series airs on the TV One cable channel.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsDavid StrathairnGeorge ClooneyPatricia ClarksonBroadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJack AbramoffTom DeLayWilliam BrannerA probing investigation into the lies, greed and corruption surrounding D.C. super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his cronies.
- DirectorDean WilsonStarsEric GunnDoris QuestKevin YonBased upon the true story of Philadelphia sex killer Gary Heidnik, BLIND FAITH follows the investigation of his grisly crimes through the eyes of Detective Will Lindsay and criminal psychologist Richard Stroud. The movie focuses upon police interviews with escaped victim Sandy, the killer's mentally handicapped accomplice Cole and ultimately, the killer himself, Ted Partridge.
- DirectorDavid Lowell RichStarsLindsay WagnerMartin BalsamPamela ReedThe movie tells the story of a woman who struggles and fights to escape the gas chamber being condemned with capital punishment because of her participation in a hold up in which a person was killed.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsSusan HaywardRichard ConteEddie AlbertSusan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsPaul NewmanPier AngeliEverett SloaneBoxer Rocky Graziano's biopic, based on his autobiography, from childhood to his World Middleweight Championship title win at age 28 in 1947.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeJulien DuvivierStarsNorma ShearerTyrone PowerJohn BarrymoreThe tragic life of Marie Antoinette, who became queen of France in her late teens.
- Beauty queens have been strutting the runways for pageant glory for over a hundred years and the winners have come to represent the ideal woman. An ideal that is hard to live up to. In today's 24/7 news cycle, society enjoys knocking beauty queens off of the pedestal as much as putting them on one. Every time a beauty queen falls to scandal or disgrace the news is magnified and our queens must run the tabloid gauntlet. Stories in this special cover beauty queen scandals involving drugs, alcohol, kidnapping, assault and porn. Fallen Beauty Queens chronicles these stories.
- DirectorNeema BarnetteStarsRichard GriecoCynthia GibbCheryl PollakA rape victim learns the truth about her husband when their daughter has a life-threatening illness.
- DirectorRichard BenjaminStarsJudy DavisJonathan JacksonChelcie RossBased on the true story of mother/son tag-team Sante Kimes and her offspring, Kenny, who crisscrossed the country and committed a string of crimes, among them robbery, fraud, arson, slavery, and murders that shocked the world.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsSigourney WeaverHenry CzernyRyan KelleyTrue story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.
- DirectorSergio Mimica-GezzanStarsDavid Clayton RogersRyan BrowningRachelle LefevreJust before the turn of the Century two young outlaws team up for a historic ride. Based on historical references, the "True Story" of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsJeremy DaviesClea DuVallAllison SmithA new take on the Manson Family murders, with a keen focus on Charles Manson himself.
- DirectorNoel NosseckStarsPeggy LiptonDanica McKellarTerry David MulliganA woman discovers that the accidental death of her daughter was tied to an insurance scam in this fact-based movie.
- DirectorJohn KortyStarsBrian DennehyTreat WilliamsEmbeth DavidtzAlan Masters is a despicable businessman with his hands in organized crime. He marries Diane, a kind and gentle woman, and abuses and batters her viciously. Sergeant John Reed has had enough of his city's organized crime and, against the wishes of his dirty-cop superiors, tries to get evidence against Alan Masters. After Alan finds out that Diane has been helping Reed, he beats her to death...and its up to John Reed to put him away for it, and clean up the dirty cops that want to stop him. Part I starts with Diane's death and then, in a flashback, details her struggles against abuse and Reed's struggles as he coaches her to gather evidence against Alan. Part II deals with Reed's struggles with intimidating cops.
- DirectorRichard A. CollaStarsVeronica HamelSusan RuttanStephen TobolowskyA pediatrician becomes trapped in a web of betrayal and guilt when her best friend, a nurse, seems to be a baby-killer.
- DirectorAnthony PageStarsCandice BergenJürgen ProchnowHector ElizondoA married couple from Poland emigrates to the U.S.,. but things don't turn out as well as they had imaged. The husband's business fails, while his wife's career really takes off. The husband, unable to cope with the pressures of his failed business, his failing marriage and the adjustments necessary to live in a completely different society, begins to take out his frustrations on his wife.
- DirectorAnthony PageStarsCandice BergenJürgen ProchnowHector ElizondoA married couple from Poland emigrates to the U.S.,. but things don't turn out as well as they had imaged. The husband's business fails, while his wife's career really takes off. The husband, unable to cope with the pressures of his failed business, his failing marriage and the adjustments necessary to live in a completely different society, begins to take out his frustrations on his wife.
- StarsJ.R. CraigTasia ValenzaDavid HillBeauty pageants are the stuff of dreams for so many girls who fantasize about being a princess for the day. For these beauty queens, a sash and crown may empower them to reach for the stars but it can't defend against the terrible fate that awaits. BEAUTY QUEEN MURDERS shines the spotlight on women who lived their lives in the public eye as America's sweethearts. They were all so young. They were all so beautiful. They all held so much promise. And they were all killed before their limelight was up.
- StarsBill KurtisPaul SimonOliver StoneAnchored by Bill Kurtis, Investigative Reports is one of the most controversial, news-driven documentaries on television today. This award-winning series is the longest-running show of its kind and dives head-first into murky contemporary issues without apology or compromise.
- StarsBill KurtisDennis HaysbertJohnnie L. Cochran Jr.Bill Kurtis hosts this documentary series that profiles criminal cases involving high profile murders, serial killers, and organized crime. Each episode culminating with the justice dispensed by the American legal system in each case.
- DirectorScott HoloubekStarsBill KurtisSipe NicoleTerry ProbynThe true story of an 11 year old girl kidnapped and the abuse she survived. Her desire to survive and reunite with her family over 18 plus years is amazing and how she eventually escaped.
- DirectorLiz GarbusWilbert RideauJonathan StackStarsBernard AddisonBurl CainGeorge CrawfordDocumentary depicting day to day life in Angola Prison mostly from an inmate's perspective. Interviews are with several inmates including one with a life sentence who is about to die.
- StarsBill KurtisStephen R. FoxWilliam BalsamoBill Kurtis hosts this special seven part documentary series on the history of organized crime in America. Each episode focuses on a different facet of the Mafia and it's leaders from the 1930's to the 1990's.
- DirectorJay SilvermanStarsTaylor SpreitlerPeter CoyoteGil BellowsA troubled teenager falls victim to an online predator. Unable to cope with the trauma, Hannah Green becomes self destructive, and her parents make the heartbreaking decision to send her away to an alternative healing center in the wilderness.
- StarsSteven BauerElizabeth PeñaMiguel FerrerAn undercover DEA stationed in Mexico exposed large-scale marijuana trafficking, which led to his own murder and a high-profile investigation into government corruption.
- DirectorMel StuartStarsMichael LernerFrederic ForrestDoris RobertsA docudrama about the events surrounding the assassination of the 35th United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, in 1963, based on eyewitness and other testimonies.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsChristian BaleSteve CarellRyan GoslingIn 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
- StarsBill HemmerGregg JarrettPatricia SaidA report on the murders of Texas teenagers Amina and Sarah Said on New Year's Day 2008, and the search for the prime suspect - their father Yaser Abdel Said, who is believed to have killed them in anger over their dating non-Muslim boys.
- DirectorScott WalkerStarsNicolas CageVanessa HudgensJohn CusackAn Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events.
- DirectorPaul T. ScheuringStarsAdrien BrodyCam GigandetForest Whitaker26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
- DirectorRod LurieStarsTim MathesonCynthia NixonPatrick St. EspritA look at John Hinkley's 1981 assassination attempt against U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
- DirectorSeth JarrettStarsKatrina BowdenOlivia CrocicchiaMadeline MillarA friendship between two young mothers results in murder when one develops an attraction to the other's boyfriend.
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsVal LaurenJim ParrackJames FrancoThe last day in the life of the actor Sal Mineo, who was murdered on February 12, 1976.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean PennJosh BrolinEmile HirschThe story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.
- DirectorOsor Bat-Ulzii
- DirectorSharmeen Obaid-ChinoyStarsAsad JamalSabaA woman in Pakistan sentenced to death for falling in love becomes a rare survivor of the country's harsh judicial system.
- DirectorDon CheadleStarsDon CheadleEmayatzy CorinealdiEwan McGregorAn exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJake GyllenhaalRobert Downey Jr.Mark RuffaloBetween 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.
- DirectorPieter Jan BruggeStarsRobert RedfordWillem DafoeHelen MirrenAs an executive is held captive by a former employee, it's up to his wife to deliver the ransom.
- DirectorAndy TennantStarsJoanna KernsBruce DavisonJoseph MazzelloWhen a young girl is diagnosed with leukemia, her father and stepmother must decide if they should risk their son's life by exploring his potentiality as a bone marrow donor.
- DirectorLinda OttoStarsJill ClayburghBrad DavisSam BehrensThe story of child psychologists Dr. Laurie and Joseph Braga and their involvement in one of the worst child sex abuse scandals in the U.S.
- DirectorTim RobbinsStarsSusan SarandonSean PennRobert ProskyA nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.
- DirectorDon Michael PaulStarsJulie BenzAmy BaileyJeffrey MeekAfter her daughter is abducted in Russia, an NYPD detective goes out of her way to find and save her.
- DirectorJames D. SolomonJessica RobinsonStarsWilliam GenoveseShannon BeebyAaron AdlerThe brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.
- DirectorAtom EgoyanStarsColin FirthReese WitherspoonAlessandro NivolaThe savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.
- DirectorLawrence SchillerStarsWilliam HurtMary-Louise ParkerDavid StrathairnTrue story about the cat and mouse game between the FBI trying to find a Soviet mole in their ranks and Robert Hanssen, one of the top FBI agents and said mole.
- DirectorJoshua Michael SternStarsAaron EckhartIan McKellenBrittany MurphyA psychiatrist searches for insight into the life of his father, who was an acclaimed children's author. But he is shocked when his journey leads him to believe that the fantasy-land his father wrote about might actually exist.
- DirectorCharles BinaméStarsWendy CrewsonJohn CorbettStipe ErcegThe heroic struggle of Louise Arbour, Chief War Crimes Prosecutor at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as she battles world politics and fierce opposition to indict Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.
- StarsEmile HirschHolliday GraingerSarah HylandBonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, an American robbery team, were responsible for a 21-month crime spree from 1932. They robbed gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks, chiefly operating in Texas, Oklahoma, as well as other states.
- DirectorTom TykwerStarsBen WhishawDustin HoffmanAlan RickmanJean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.
- StarsSteven AveryDolores AveryLaura NiriderFilmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
- StarsRobert DurstAndrew JareckiDick DeGuerinFilmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
- DirectorGeorge MendelukStarsMax IronsSamantha BarksTerence StampSet in 1930s Ukraine, as Stalin advances the ambitions of communists in the Kremlin, young artist Yuri battles to save his lover Natalka from the Holodomor, the death-by-starvation program that ultimately killed millions of Ukrainians.
- DirectorScott CooperStarsJohnny DeppBenedict CumberbatchDakota JohnsonThe true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
- DirectorDaniel AlfredsonStarsJim SturgessSam WorthingtonRyan KwantenThe inside story of the planning, execution, rousing aftermath, and ultimate downfall of the kidnappers of beer tycoon Alfred "Freddy" Heineken in 1983, which resulted in the largest ransom ever paid for an individual.
- DirectorMarco KreuzpaintnerStarsKevin KlineKathleen GatiPaulina GaitanAdriana, 13, is kidnapped in Mexico City by Russian sex traffickers. Her criminal 17 y.o. brother starts looking for her. Across the border in Texas, he gets help from a cop.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJonah HillMiles TellerSteve LantzLoosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.
- StarsJoanne FroggattMaxine PeakeSean HarrisA vivid drama which documents the notorious Moors murderers; Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.
- DirectorDuncan StaffStarsDuncan StaffAlan BennettIan BradyAn investigation into a collection of photographs owned by murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley that police claimed may have led to the identification of the sites of their victims' graves.
- DirectorAlan WhiteStarsJohn CusackRyan PhillippeRachelle LefevreA desperate American couple discovers all is not what it seems when they uncover a high-stakes underground scam while traveling abroad. To expose the truth and get back to the U.S., they must risk their lives to save their daughter.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsChristian BaleSteve ZahnJeremy DaviesA U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.
- DirectorDaryl DukeStarsShelley LongHelen ShaverDavid McIlwraithFact based story about a woman who after 20 years starts having memories of her own molestation by her father and the murder of one of her childhood playmates by him.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsStockard ChanningShane MeierWendy CrewsonOpenly gay college student Matthew Shepard (Shane Meier) was murdered in an act of a hate crime with a senseless violence and such cruelty that attracted global attention. His death has changed the whole world forever.
- DirectorStephanie SoechtigStarsPam BosleyKatie CouricTed CruzA look at the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre where 20 children were murdered at their school by a resentful, gun-obsessed shooter, but led to no changes in American federal gun laws.
- DirectorThomas MarcheseStarsMichael ChiklisA humanizing look at line-of-duty police deaths across the country, and how these losses effect those close to the fallen, as well as the communities they serve.
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsSam RileySamantha MortonCraig ParkinsonA profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to die by suicide at the age of 23.
- DirectorRob RosenStarsChris AndersonMelissa LewkowiczDiane Fleming was a quiet, God fearing mom and a respected member of her community. But that all changed the day her husband was murdered and police accused her of spiking his Gatorade. Now, Diane's best friend from church is asking Chris and Melissa to re investigate the case. Was Diane really who she seemed to be? Or was she hiding a dark secret from her small town friends and neighbors?