10 Based On True Story Movies That Left Out The Craziest Part
There are some movie true stories that are too unbelievable, even for Hollywood.
We all love a movie based on a true story. Knowing that the events unfolding on-screen actually happened allows the viewer to become more emotionally invested than if they were simply watching a piece of fiction.
Since cinema has to be entertaining above all else, a "true story" usually has to be embellished a little to keep it as exciting as possible. More often than not, this will involve adding characters, inventing scenarios, or leaving out the boring stuff entirely.
But there are some movies that do the exact opposite. Instead of fabricating scenes, they leave out the most interesting part. Sometimes, the scene in question is condemned to the cutting room floor because it doesn't fit the tone. Other times, it's cut simply because the director couldn't fit every part of the story in a two-hour movie.
But there are some moments that are so crazy, they can't be included in the supposedly historically-accurate film because it sounds unrealistic... even though it actually happened. If scenes like these were included, viewers would likely complain that creative liberties have gone way too far even if the film was 100% accurate.
10. Solomon Northup Never Got His Happy Ending - 12 Years A Slave
In 12 Years A Slave, a free black man called Solomon Northup is kidnapped and sold as a slave in the Deep South. After spending 12 years living under the brutal conditions of several slavemasters, Northup is reunited with his wife and children.
Even though 12 Years A Slave shows Northup being lynched, beaten, and tortured, Steve McQueen's film could've been even more heart-wrenching by adding in one more detail.
In the final scene, Northup wins his freedom and embraces his family. Although this ending implies he lived happily ever after, Northup vanished without a trace four years later. At first, it was assumed he was sold into slavery again. But because he was 50 years old at the time, he would be considered far too old for enslavement. The other theory was that he was tracked down and killed by disgruntled slavemasters. The truth is nobody has a clue what really happened to him.
Although it's horrific that Northup was torn away from his family for over a decade, it's made even worse knowing he only enjoyed his reunion for four years.