Film feature
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This Easter weekend sees the release of action thriller Fifty Dead Men Walking, starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess. The film was inspired by the shocking real-life story of Martin McGartland, who was recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA during the Troubles in 1980s Belfast.
To celebrate the film’s release, we look at the history of successful films inspired by true-life stories.
Fifty Dead Men Walking
Inspired by Martin McGartland’s shocking real life story, Martin (Jim Sturgess) is a young lad from west Belfast in the late 1980s who is recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA. He works his way up the ranks as a volunteer for the IRA whilst feeding information to his British handler (Sir Ben Kingsley) and saving lives in the process; until one day he is exposed, captured and tortured to within an inch of his life. He escapes dramatically by throwing himself from a tower block window and is still in hiding today.
City of God
Taking place over the course of over two decades, City of God tells the story of Cidade de Deus (Portuguese for City of God), a lower class quarter west of Rio de Janeiro. The film is told from the viewpoint of a boy named Rocket (Busca pé in Portuguese) who grows up there as a fishmonger's son, and demonstrates the desperation and violence inherent in the slums. Based on a real story, the movie depicts drug abuse, violent crime, and a boy's struggle to free himself from the slums' grasp.
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde tells the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the bank robbers who operated in the central United States during the Great Depression. The film was directed by Arthur Penn, and stars Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. It’s considered a landmark film, and is regarded as one of the first films of the New Hollywood era, in that it broke many taboos and was popular with the younger generation. Its success motivated other filmmakers to be more forward about presenting sex and violence in their films.
American Gangster
Denzel Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a real-life gangster from Harlem who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Russell Crowe portrays Richie Roberts, a detective attempting to bring down Lucas' drug empire. Filming was done on location in New York City. The film topped the US box office chart during its weekend of release in 2007.
Blow
Blow tells the story American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by the late Ted Demme (nephew of Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia director Jonathan Demme). The screenplay was adapted from Bruce Porter's 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All, which was inspired by the real life stories of George Jung, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, and the Medellín Cartel. The film features a tremendous cast that includes Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ray Liotta and Jordi Molla.
Raging Bull
This Martin Scorsese masterpiece was inspired by Jake LaMotta’s memoirs Raging Bull: My Story. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake, a middleweight boxer whose sadomasochistic rage, sexual jealousy, and appetite exceeded the boundaries of the prizefight ring, and destroyed his relationship with his wife and family. Also featured in the film are Joe Pesci as Joey, La Motta's well intentioned brother and manager who tries to help Jake battle his inner demons, and Cathy Moriarty as his abused teen-aged wife. Together with Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, it is considered one of his best ever films.
Monster
This critically acclaimed drama thriller tells the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute who was executed in 2002 for killing seven men in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aileen Wuornos was played by Charlize Theron, and her lover Selby Wall was played by Christina Ricci (her real name, age and appearance having been changed for the film for legal reasons). It was written and directed by Patty Jenkins. Much of Theron's preparation for the role is credited to Nick Broomfield's 1992 documentary, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, of which Theron reportedly watched clips between takes. Theron went on to win several Best Actress awards for her performance.
Serpico
Sidney Lumet’s film is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico. Serpico eventually went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and intimidation they leveled against him. It stars Al Pacino, John Randolph and Tony Roberts.
Donnie Brasco
This critically acclaimed and Award nominated crime thriller was inspired by the real-life events of Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the Bonanno crime family, one of the Mafia's Five Families based in New York City during the 1970s, under the alias "Donnie Brasco". Johnny Depp actually met with Pistone several times while preparing for his role.
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