15 Incredible Films Based On Real-Life Tragedies
8. Bonnie And Clyde
Based On: The rampage of Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s.
Bonnie and Clyde was the Pulp Fiction of its day. It brought new levels of graphic violence into the mainstream, tore up the cinematic rule-book and re-defined American cinema. Its influence can still be felt, but while other influential films might fade a little with age, Bonnie and Clyde is still as moving, thrilling and entertaining as it's ever been.
This landmark film is still primarily remembered for Bonnie and Clyde's insanely graphic death scene at the end, but the entire film is a smartly-written, well-played and brilliantly directed work that announces itself as something fresh and new from the very first shot. It isn't actually a particularly accurate representation of history, but it likely wasn't intending to be.
Possibly the first film in the New Hollywood Era and still one of the best, Bonnie and Clyde is both glamorous and ultra-cool yet also filled with pathos and nuance, making it both a thrilling work of 1960s counterculture and a great drama in its own right.
Fun fact: During the legendary gaffe at the 2017 Oscars, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were presenting Best Picture together to mark the film's 50th anniversary.