Throughout history, ordinary people have risen up against extraordinary injustice.
These films capture the fire, sacrifice, and impossible choices that define a revolution.
From Gandhi to modern uprisings — these are the best revolution movies ever made.
1. V for Vendetta (2006) 7.9
Genre: Action, Thriller, Science Fiction · Director: James McTeigue · Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea
In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman fr
2. 12 Years a Slave (2013) 7.9
Genre: Drama, History · Director: Steve McQueen · Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not on
3. Braveheart (1995) 7.9
Genre: Action, Drama, History · Director: Mel Gibson · Cast: Mel Gibson, Catherine McCormack, Sophie Marceau
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord’s soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, event
4. Selma (2014) 7.4
Genre: History, Drama · Director: Ava DuVernay · Cast: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson
“Selma,” as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately
5. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) 7.3
Genre: Drama, War · Director: Ken Loach · Cast: Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham
In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O’Donovan prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend’s farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is kill
6. Milk (2008) 7.2
Genre: History, Drama · Director: Gus Van Sant · Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join hi
7. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) 6.9
Genre: Drama, History · Director: Justin Chadwick · Cast: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela’s life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
8. Les Miserables (1995) 6.7
Genre: Drama, History · Director: Claude Lelouch · Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michel Boujenah, Alessandra Martines
In WWII France, poor and illiterate Henri Fortin is introduced to Victor Hugo’s classic novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels between the book and his own life.
9. Che: Part Two (2008) 6.6
Genre: Drama, History, War · Director: Steven Soderbergh · Cast: Benicio del Toro, Carlos Bardem, Demián Bichir
Seven years after his triumph in Cuba, Che winds up in Bolivia, where he tries to ignite the same revolutionary fires as before.
Revolution films remind us that history is made by ordinary people who decide enough is enough. Essential viewing for understanding how change happens — and what it costs.