10 Best Political Movies Of All Time

In this era of political juggernauts and privatised power, it is good to remember that artistic licence still exists. With that licence being used by filmmakers past and present to shine a light upon attacks on freedom, bring attention to causes that have been buried in the sand, and revive lost leaders who are as relevant today as they ever were.

Political films come in all shapes and sizes, not all of them are about a lone man filibustering the floor of the United States Senate in order to procure the truth from corrupt bureaucrats, though that is in there. Some of them tell stories about powerful men and women who spoke because their voice needed to be heard, broken down former leaders fighting for their place in history, and media moguls who wielded power over nations themselves.

The film industry has long loved a good old tale, true or not, about the people who decide the fate of their nations, or the actions of a lone soldier fighting for what is good and honest in a system that is anything but.

On the screen, heroes from a time long passed have come back to life and fictional contests won and lost. So, here we rank the top 10 best political movies of all time for you.

When Steven Spielberg finally got round to making his film about the 16th President of the United States, amid several casting changes and date shift along the way, he delivered something special.

Over the years Spielberg has become corporate and has been accused by some of not being the Director he once was, in this he dispelled those critics with a powerful message about unity and compassion. Tony Kushner was wise to write a script that focused only on the latter period of Lincoln's life and his abolishment of slavery in the US. In doing so, it keeps the narrative tight and fast-paced without slipping into idealism.

Of course, for a film like this to work you need a great cast, with Sally Field, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, and countless others, the film had a brilliant shot at being as authentic and real as could be.

However, none of it would have worked without its Commander-In-Chief being the dominating force throughout, step up Daniel Day-Lewis. The greatest actor of the modern era, and one of the greatest of all time, he simply forms Lincoln before your very eyes in a fully realised depiction of a man, not a myth.

Lincoln's commitment to showing the ugly parts to both its eponymous character and to the era for which it is set is admirable and sets the tone for what is a brilliant movie about getting rid of America's original sin.