Films about exceptional individuals have been popular since the early stages of the cinema industry, with the first biopic ever being “Joan of Arc,” released way back in 1900. They have always been recipients of accolades and praises both from the academy as well as from the audiences. We are attempting to name some of the best biopics and biographies released in the 21st century.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie depicts the tale of Jordan Belfort, a former stockbroker and financial criminal. The movie chronicles his rise from a wealthy stockbroker and CEO to his eventual downfall due to stock market manipulation, corruption, and tax fraud. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is an excellent film. Martin Scorsese brought his A-game here, as he always does. With his vibrant camerawork and use of tracking shots, he was able to express exactly what his characters were feeling. Leonardo DiCaprio surely deserved an Oscar for his performance here, as he blurs the gap between himself and his character with an intense performance. Jonah Hill also delivers one of the standout performances of the movie. The movie does a perfect job of depicting the life of the wealthy on Wall Street and their culture of excess and obsession over money. The movie is also extremely funny and involves quite a lot of cursing and explicit scenes. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is an exceptional movie with terrific dialogues, great scenes, amazing humor, and top-notch performances.
Into The Wild (2007)
Emile Hirsch plays the role of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate who decides to donate all his savings before opting to lead a nomadic life. The movie follows Christopher as he travels from one place to another, finding genuine, life-shaping friendships along the way up to his final destination, the Alaskan wilderness, where he plans to live by himself. “Into the Wild” is the ultimate traveler’s fantasy. The story of Christopher McCandless is unique, and it inspired thousands of people to start traveling. The abandoned van he stayed in Alaska got droves of visitors after the release of the film. Emile Hirsch portrays the character beautifully, and you can feel that the character of McCandless meant something to him. “Into the Wild” is also a very good-looking film and is excellently directed by actor-director Sean Penn. It is a must-watch for a travel buff.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
“A Beautiful Mind,” tells the story of John Nash, a genius mathematician who accepts a secret assignment that leads him to a path of life-changing revelations. Russell Crowe knocks it out of the park, along with Jennifer Connelly, who gives a brilliant and empathic performance here. The movie is directed by Ron Howard, previously known for directing “Apollo 13 (1995)”. “A Beautiful Mind” is a truly brilliant film with a strong narrative and excellent dialogue. The film is sure to surprise one through its twists and turns, leading to an emotional and heartwarming finale. It is also a great-looking movie featuring some of the best performances of the decade.
The Social Network (2010)
“The Social Network” is directed by David Fincher and is one of his more unique films. The film chronicles the life of Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, played wonderfully by Jesse Eisenberg, and it goes deep into the scandals and lawsuits behind the enormous success of the company. David Fincher’s attention to detail is clearly visible here, as each and every scene is intense and compelling, while every other shot is breathtaking. The movie also has some of the best dialogues in recent times. The script and screenplay here are world-class, and the performances back them up. Andrew Garfield was great here, along with Justin Timberlake, among others. “The Social Network” is a great film with meticulous direction, a great cast, and an exceptional screenplay.
Dangal (2016)
“Dangal” is a bollywood film directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and it follows Former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his quest to make his daughters successful wrestlers. The film is loosely based on his life, and it also explores the system of gender disparity in rural India and the struggles faced by female athletes from such places. Aamir Khan gives one of his best performances as the former wrestler, along with great performances from Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, and Zaira Wasim, among others. “Dangal” had moments of great tension while also featuring a good amount of comic scenes as well. The movie was a great hit with audiences and was the highest-grossing movie in the country at the time.
The Revenant (2015)
“The Revenant” is directed by Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Inarritu and is about Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a frontiersman in the 1820s who gets mauled by a bear while on a fur trading expedition and now has to fight for his survival in a freezing and hostile environment. “The Revenant” features some of the best nature cinematography ever put to screen and a chillingly real performance from the man himself, Leonardo DiCaprio, who faced a lot of physical struggles working in such a landscape. His performance here finally got him the much-deserved Oscar, an award he deserved a long time ago. The movie is a bit long and has little to no dialogues, but the director Alejandro has been able to tell the story purely through his visuals. It is a beautiful film that portrays the native Indians in an accurate manner and also has some of the most violent scenes ever seen in a movie.
Race (2016)
“Race,” tells the incredible story of Jesse Owens and his rise to stardom. Stephan James stars as the legendary sprinter along with Jason Sudeikis as Larry Snyder, his coach, and they have wonderful chemistry here, which proves to be one of the highlights of the movie. The film deals with racism in the 1930s and the resultant internal conflict among the characters on whether they should participate in the Olympics held in Hitler’s Berlin, a country where blacks are publicly oppressed. “Race” has a lengthy runtime, and there are multiple subplots that feel a bit disjointed from the main story, but apart from this, it is a really enjoyable movie that depicts the life of the legendary sprinter in an accurate and respectable way.
