Biopics and movies based on true stories often choose popular and well-respected subjects, so it’s oddly refreshing to see a movie about a controversial individual. The lives of divisive real-world figures often make for gripping and engrossing movie narratives, adding intrigue and insight to whatever the film is based on.

These stories represent a departure from the norm for biopics, which often choose revered world leaders, popular musicians, or other universally beloved people. The characters in these movies range from outright criminality to controversial business practices, and everything in between.

10

Lord Of War (2005)

Nicolas Cage Plays An Arms Dealer Inspired By Several Real-Life People

Regardless of one’s personal opinions on the arms trade in general, Lord of War presents the most evil and greedy side to the business. Nicolas Cage plays an arms dealer based on an amalgam of different people, although there have been some conflicting reports over who exactly the filmmakers took inspiration from.

Yuri Orlov has no firm morals in Lord of War. He’s happy to profit from both sides of a conflict, or to continue working with a dictator despite learning that his army is filled with child soldiers. It’s hard to ascertain how much of Lord of War is based on fact, but even a small percentage would make for a remarkable crime story.

9

The Social Network (2010)

David Fincher And Aaron Sorkin Examine Mark Zuckerberg’s Questionable Business Methods

Many of David Fincher’s best movies explore criminal psychology, but The Social Network is a different prospect. The story of Mark Zuckerberg’s founding of Facebook is told through an unflattering lens, with Jesse Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg always positioned as the focus.

Zuckerberg has become an even more controversial figure in the years since The Social Network was made, as he has become more prominent in politics and people have gained a clearer understanding of the ways that social media can manipulate public discourse. The Social Network focuses on the questionable moves he made at the beginning of Facebook to oust those he didn’t agree with, and it grapples with the Winklevoss twins’ claim that he’s a plagiarist.

8

The Founder (2016)

Michael Keaton Plays A Controversial Business Entrepreneur

The Founder stars Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the man credited with creating McDonald’s. The irony in the movie’s тιтle is that Kroc technically wasn’t the founder of the business, since he built off the work of the McDonald brothers, who owned a single hamburger restaurant where they pioneered several fast food practices.

Kroc initially worked with the McDonald brothers, but he later bought them out of their own business in an extremely controversial move. Whether people see Kroc as a savvy operator or a ruthless business person, The Founder shows both sides.

7

Chopper (2000)

Eric Bana Plays One Of Australia’s Most Famous Criminals

Chopper helped launch Eric Bana to stardom, since he was mostly known as a sketch comedian before he started getting into movies. He plays Mark “Chopper” Read, one of Australia’s most notorious criminals who spent most of his adult life in prison for crimes including ᴀssault, armed robbery and kidnapping.

Despite his litany of crimes, Chopper became a media darling and an unlikely celebrity. He wrote several semi-autobiographical crime novels which became bestsellers, and he appeared on talk shows like any other author. It’s always been difficult to sort the facts from the fantasy in Chopper’s life. During a 2013 60 Minutes interview shortly prior to his own death, Chopper claimed to have killed four people, but the truth remains murky.

6

I, Tonya (2017)

Margot Robbie’s Tonya Harding Biopic Is As Much A Crime Drama As A Sports Movie

Tonya Harding is one of America’s most famous Olympians, and her rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan turned figure skating into a popular sport during the early ’90s. I, Tonya captures the media frenzy that gripped the sport at the time, and it examines Harding’s downfall after a shocking physical ᴀssault on Kerrigan.

I, Tonya is one of Margot Robbie’s best movies. She brings a lot of pathos to the story of a young woman whose unorthodox childhood left her with insecurities and a devastating fear of failure. While her exact role in Kerrigan’s ᴀssault is left open to interpretation, I, Tonya remains a compelling depiction of one of sports’ most controversial figures.

5

JFK (1991)

Oliver Stone Looks At A Lesser-Known Side Of JFK’s ᴀssᴀssination

Oliver Stone has never been one to shy away from controversy, and JFK is probably his most divisive movie of all. Kevin Costner plays Jim Garrison, a New Orleans district attorney who publicly pursued the theory that Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy reaching to the top of the government.

There has always been speculation that Garrison had his own political agenda behind the trial of Clay Shaw, but he represents millions of Americans who take issue with the findings of the Warren Commission. JFK has been accused of stoking baseless conspiracy theories, reviving Garrison’s divisive trial almost 30 years after it ended.

4

The Laundromat (2019)

Steven Soderbergh Exposes Financial Executives

Steven Soderbergh has directed some classic heist movies, including the Ocean’s trilogy, Out of Sight and Logan Lucky, but The Laundromat is about a different kind of theft. It’s a strange blend of fiction and documentary, with a few different stories that examine the scandal of the Panama Papers and the sheer breadth of financial corruption that props up the global economy.

The Laundromat looks at plenty of shady characters, including bankers, other financial executives and wealthy clients who profit from their bending of the rules. Some stories are narrated by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas as Jürgen Mossack and Rámon Fonseca, two Panamanian lawyers at the center of the offshore finance scandal.

3

The Greatest Showman (2017)

The Musical Paints A Flattering Portrait Of PT Barnum

The Greatest Showman stars Hugh Jackman as PT Barnum, a pioneer of the circus in the United States and a man with a reputation as a legendary entertainer. While the musical generally casts him in a favorable light, even suggesting that he provided solace to some of society’s outcasts, the reality is less sweet.

Barnum had some exhibits and acts that were morally reprehensible, regardless of the time period. He paraded people from around the world in his “human zoos”, and he frequently exploited people with disabilities for profit. It would be impossible to get a well-rounded view of Barnum based on The Greatest Showman alone.

2

American Animals (2018)

American Animals Examines A Real-Life Heist

There aren’t too many heist movies based on real life, but American Animals is one of the few exceptions which explores a caper that’s just as ambitious and elaborate as fiction. Rather than targeting cash or jewelry, the thieves hatch a plan to steal a valuable Audubon book from a museum library.

American Animals mixes recreations of the story with some interviews with the actual culprits. This breaks down the amoral oasis that heist movies often try to create. It’s impossible to separate the fun of the criminal caper in American Animals from the psychological damage that the thieves inflict on the librarian who stands in their way.

1

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Jordan Belfort’s Actions Are Often Played For Laughs

The Wolf of Wall Street is one of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, although it’s a different kind of crime thriller to Goodfellas, Casino and Mean Streets, for example. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an outstanding performance as Jordan Belfort, the infamous New York City stockbroker.

The Wolf of Wall Street stirred up some controversy when it was first released, with some critics suggesting that it glamorizes Belfort’s bad behavior. The party atmosphere of the movie is ultimately linked to Belfort’s downfall. Like many of Scorsese’s characters, his hubris gets the best of him.