9 More Films "Based On True Stories" That Missed Out The Best Part

1. The Heroes Were A Bit Rubbish - Zulu

Zulu was an incredible film that we should all thank for giving us Michael Caine in a heroic role that would propel him to stardom. Its story - of 150 British soldiers (some of whom were wounded) holding off the entire Zulu warrior army at Rorke's Drift in 1879 - is pretty much the archetypical heric last stand movie.

According to that movie, the heroes were typically impressive specimens: tall, chiseled and handsome. But in reality, they were a rag-tag group who would have actually fit with Hollywood's usual fascination with quirky underdogs sticking it to the man.

Caine's character Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead was a deaf cast-off, Colour Sergeant Bourne was a 5 feet 6 inch 24-year-old and Private Henry Hook was a Methodist preacher and teetotaler rather than a drunk. How this group of chancers fending off the combined might of the Zulu army wasn't more of a story is beyond logic.

Which other untold stories belong on this list? Share your picks below in the comments thread.