10 Movie Endings Spoiled By History

Biopics and historical flicks are mighty appealing for filmmakers and stars, but it's hard to create drama when the audience knows the ending. Here are 10 that tried to make it work, with varying results.

By: Premiere.com Staff

12/29/2008 09:00 am

Valkyrie/Courtesy of Fox

Valkyrie
Plot: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (played with eye-patched aplomb by Tom Cruise) and some of his army buddies take a crack at killing Hitler.
History Says: Epic fail, as the kids say. Hitler killed himself.
Execution:Valkyrie isn't really as bad as some of the critics are saying, but its schizoid history/action/thriller jumble doesn't quite satisfy the blow-'em'-up crowd.

Frost/Nixon
Plot: A posh playboy talk show hosts puts his money literally where his mouth is when he scores a series of interviews with Tricky Dick Nixon.
History Says: It happened, and we have the tapes to prove it.
Execution: The story takes some liberties with the characters, especially Frost's background – he was actually quite experienced in interviewing heads of state and covering more serious topics before the Nixon interviews.

Titantic
Plot: Two young folks have a torrid love affair while traveling on the Titanic, punctuated by nude modeling and the worst Celine Dion song ever.
History Says: The "unsinkable" Titanic hit a giant iceberg, and over 1,500 people met their untimely and unpleasant demise.
Execution: It's almost like director James Cameron did this film to prove a point. "Give me any topic and I'll make it a blockbuster!" "How about the Titanic?" "Sure, whatever." He acknowledges how it sank in the first part of the movie and made it a love story. The dynamic duo of Kate and Leo had packed audiences (and Oscar voters) swooning so by the time the iceberg hits you're actually nervous for how it all turns out.

Star Wars Episodes I, II, III
Plot: The prequels to the original trilogy try to fill in the blanks in the Star Wars mythology.
History Says: I am your father!
Execution: True Star Wars fans generally abhorred everything about the modern takes on their beloved trilogy, from Jar Jar Binks to that crappy makeup on Darth Maul. We slept on the sidewalks for this?! (Patton Oswalt's stand-up routine nails it. Warning: Language NSFW.)

United 93
Plot: United 93 was one of four hijacked planes on 9/11; the passengers decided to kick ass and take names.
History Says: Tragically, the plane still crashed, killing all onboard.
Execution: If you're able to sit through this movie without hyperventilating, let us know how it is.

The Passion of the Christ/Courtesy of Fox

The Passion of the Christ
Plot: An excruciatingly detailed depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus's life, according to Mel Gibson.
History Says: Depends on who you ask, but we all have a general idea of what went down.
Execution:Passion was critically reviled, but it raked in the box office bucks due to grassroots support from churches and horror aficionados captivated by the endless river of blood and gore.

Pearl Harbor
Plot: A big-budget actioner courtesy of Michael Bay, featuring romance, explosions, and heart-rending friendships leading up to and during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
History Says: Pearl Harbor was bombed in what was possibly the most tragic day in American history.
Execution:The Observer called it "Titanic with bombs." Historians, war buffs and regular hard-working Americans have picked it apart for inaccuracies or for turning a tragedy into a mindless action flick. The song in Team America, "The End of An Act," sums up our feelings perfectly.

The Doors
Plot: Director Oliver Stone chronicles the self-destruction of the legendary band and its drug-addled lead singer, Jim Morrison.
History Says: Morrison wrote poetry, wore tight pants, screwed a lot of groupies, did a lot of drugs, fought with his band mates, and died young.
Execution: Not at a bad trip. The remaining Doors have criticized the movie and pointed out many inaccuracies but Kilmer turned out to be a great choice as The Lizard King. He sang some of the songs on the soundtrack and definitely lit some fires in the pants of fans.

Sid and Nancy
Plot: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen screw, fight, try and kill each other, do a lot of drugs, and eventually die.
History Says: Nancy was killed, no one really knows Sid's role in her death, Sid died of an overdose.
Execution: Sid and Nancy has become the romantic date movie of the nihilist set, and one of Gary Oldman's most iconic roles to date. Keep your eyes peeled for Courtney Love's cameo, too.

300/Courtesy of Warner Home Video

300
Plot: 300 soldiers, who can get away with fighting in capes and loin clothes because they're in really good enough shape, hold off an army of millions
History Says: The Battle of Thermopylae, where a small group of Spartans led King Leonidas fought off the massive Persian army for seven days.
Execution: This movie is about kicking ass in style. The fact that it's based in truth doesn't matter.

Stumble It

Valkyrie

A laborious labor of love.

Cruise and Singer on 'Valkyrie'

Mega-star Tom Cruise and director Bryan Singer discuss killing Hitler in 'Valkyrie.'

Comments

They forgot a movie...|

on May 8, 2009

WOLVERINE

on March 10, 2009

It says “Titantic” instead of “Titanic”. Cheers.

Reply to Passion

on March 2, 2009

You're saying that Passion of the Christ is based on a book instead of history? What was Star Wars? If anything that is based on a book instead of history instead of the Passion of the Christ!

Passion

on February 16, 2009

Passion of the christ was based on a book not history

C'mon Premiere.

on January 9, 2009

This article sounds like it was written by one of the many adolescent trolls on the IMDb.com forums or the crass punks over at FilmThreat. C'mon Premiere, you don't have to pander to millennials with this kind of lunch period film critiquing. Be the grownups. Leave this kinda' stuff to the kids.

Girls in the basement

on January 7, 2009

Problem being - Do we choose "An American Crime" or "The Girl Next Door"?

You know what? The innacuracies in 300 do matter.

on January 7, 2009

Because as well as the iconic '300' there were about 500 slaves held by the Spartans there as well. That kind of undercuts all the Bush style jingoism about freedom that came out of the mouth of the big oiled up dudes.

Unique Topic

on January 3, 2009

This is the first time someone has written a list like this, and I love it. I think "An American Crime" should be on there.

You missed

on December 31, 2008

The Perfect Storm

#11

on December 30, 2008

Apollo 13

Yes, the writer of this article is a boob

on December 30, 2008

No, this is what civilization has already come to, see if we were still coming to it this article wouldn't have been writen yet.

What's wrong with 15 years olds?

on December 30, 2008

Just because our lives aren't failures like yours yet, and our prostates not swollen to the size of watermelons, doesn't mean we don't know movies. Jerks.

Missing one...

on December 30, 2008

You missed Apollo 13 on the list. Ron Howard deserves credit for keeping it tense and thrilling despite the audience knowing the outcome. Plus he did it without puffing it up with a typical Hollywood device (like a cheesy romantic sub-plot, take that Perl Harbor).

Reviewer is a 15 yr old kid

on December 30, 2008

This reveiwer has the intellect (and insight) of a 15 yr old. What an arse. Is this what civilization is coming to?

Milk

on December 30, 2008

Why was this not mentioned? maybe i just think of it right away w/ Frost/Nixon b/c i saw them a day apart and b/c my boyfriend wondered why i wanted to c them b/c i knew how they eneded but still....

Cruise

on December 30, 2008

I would love to watch Valkrie but I refuse to finanace that Scientology cult by doing so! Jess www.anonymity.at.tc

Analysis of a movie and the personal skill-building.

on December 30, 2008

Kudos. It is a great research. Movies reflect world..and our life. We see all emotions of life in movies. Sometimes, life is more cruel than movies, which a certification body approves. Whatever they do in Saudi Arabia and hidden in Saudi society will never come out even in a movie. Recently when I was in Behrain, I came across a skill-building product called Smarten Your English through Movies. ENglish from basic to advanced (upto IELTS / GRE level) is explained with reference to more than 1300 Hollywood movies! It seems it is the result of a 30 member team working two-years time! Great effort and great product.

Milk

on December 30, 2008

I was standing in-line to see this movie with a friend when a woman and I began discussing current events (California's Prop 8 had passed a month prior). She said something like "this movie is culturally relevant to our times." Apparently it wasn't as relevant when it took place in 1978: off-the-cuff, I mentioned that Harvey gets shot. Before I continued with his death, Dan White's "twinkie defense" and his suicide in 1986, she quickly interrupted, "I didn't know that. Don't tell me anything else." For real?

300 was a piece of crap. /nt

on December 30, 2008

Valkyrie

on December 30, 2008

Ok... Tom Cruise is an American actor, portraying a German assassin wannabe, who happens to have an American accent.. This really can't be any good...