by Chris C

Created on: January 30, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

There have been some amazing movies based on actual people and there are those that tend to stand above the rest.
Some of these movies are based on only one person, such as "A Beautiful Mind" and "Philadelphia". Then there are those that chronicle the lives of several people who were all historically connected, such as "Tombstone", "Walk the Line" and "Young Guns". I'm not sure how to separate the movies from each other so I won't.

I do find it amazing how many of the movies we watch end up being based on actual events and people. For instance, "Lord of War" starring Nicholas Cage ended up being based on actual events. I find this kind of scary though. The fact that our government would condone the actions of a gun runner is not really unexpected in light of some of the accusations that have been made against our government in recent years.
Charlie Sheen starred in a movie called "Beyond the Law" in which he was an undercover agent for the Arizona Attorney Generals Special Investigations Division. He was undercover in the world of Biker gangs and illegal guns and drugs. I watched the movie and was shocked when I found out it was true story at the end of the movie. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who likes police stories. It is NOT for children though, just a warning.
I actually got to take part of the making of a movie that was based on an actual person when I was in the Navy stationed aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, CVN-70. "Behind Enemy Lines" was based on the story of Scott O'grady, at least I believe thats the correct name. Owen Wilson did an amazing job of portraying a Navy pilot shot down behind enemy lines and having to find his way to a safe landing zone for extraction. The trials and tribulations he had to endure during his escape were scary, hair raising and dangerous. I also recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys military movies.
One thing to remember when watching these movies is that Hollywood directors usually interject "Creative Interpretation". They change the story to better fit a screenplay, they change names and locations to protect witnesses and such.
As long as we enjoy the movie and we know it's based on actual people and events, we can sit back, eat some popcorn and enjoy the show.

Learn more about this author, Chris C.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.