20 Best Movies About Courage & Bravery You Need to Watch
In today’s world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of negative news and the daily challenges we all face. But amidst the chaos, stories of courage and bravery can be found everywhere, serving as a reminder of the resilience and determination of the human spirit. And what better way to be inspired by these stories than through the medium of film? Here, we’ve compiled a list of the best movies about courage and bravery that you need to watch.
These films not only entertain and captivate, but they also serve as a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. From historical dramas to biopics, these films showcase some of the most remarkable acts of courage and bravery in history, and the incredible people who inspired them. They remind us that no matter how tough the situation, there is always hope, and that true bravery is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. So, sit back, relax and be prepared to be inspired by these truly remarkable stories of courage and bravery.
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
The Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico was not managed according to regulations, and there was an explosion of the platform and major pollution due to the oil leak. The cause of the disaster was the eruption of oil from the seabed, which occurred after the rupture and explosion of the oil platform.
Moana (2016)
From Disney’s animation studios comes Vaiana, a spirited computer-animated film about an adventurous teenage girl who sets sail on a dangerous mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-powerful demigod Maui, who guides her on her mission to become the ultimate navigator.
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Together, they sail across the ocean in a dangerous, action-packed adventure and encounter giant monsters, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient mission of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always been searching for: her own identity.
Moana is set somewhere around 2,000 years ago.
Midway (2019)
The Battle of Midway began on June 4, 1942. It was the decisive victory of the USA against Japan during World War II. During a four-day battle in the air and at sea, the outnumbered US military managed to destroy four Japanese aircraft carriers and lose only one of its own, Yorktown. The Japanese navy was invincible until then.
Fury (2014)
In April 1945, the Allies fought their final battles on European soil. Sergeant Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) pilots a Sherman tank with a five-man team of inexperienced soldiers and tries to break through enemy lines into the heart of Nazi Germany. This unusual handful of people with no prospects will do anything to reach the goal and complete the task.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Womanizer and war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), with his wife Emilie (Caroline Goodall), lives a peaceful life, on a high footing, until he is convinced of the evil that Nazism brings. During his stay in the Krakow ghetto, he witnessed the cruel liquidation of Jews. Oskar uses Polish Jews as cheap labor to produce food for the countries of the Third Reich, and his employees are sent to work where they come under the terror of the sadistic Nazi Amon Goethe (Ralph Fiennes).
Amon Goethe is a man who lives according to the beliefs of stubborn Nazis and blindly believes in Nazi laws. In his cruelty, Amon also abuses his maid Helen Hirsch (Embeth Davidtz). Oskar Schindler, with the help of his associate Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), compiles a list of influential Jews. By bribing Amon Goethe, and nurturing their good relationship, Schindler manages to rescue 1100 people from the camp and bring them to safety, at his ammunition factory, which is located in Czechoslovakia.
13 Hours (2016)
The film is based on the true story of the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Libya, which took place on September 11, 2012 – exactly 11 years after the terrible terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, in which six security officers, including the American ambassador Christopher Stevens, lost their lives.
What actually happened at 1 pm in that shocking attack? What happened to the six men who acted completely selflessly and courageously, risking their lives to prevent an even greater tragedy? The answers will be revealed in this action thriller about courage and sacrifice.
American Sniper (2014)
Sent to Iraq to protect his comrades, Chris Kyle soon earned the nickname Legend and became widely known on the enemy side and his head was blackmailed.
Despite the danger to his life and his frightened family back home, Chris served four missions in Iraq following the US Navy’s motto of leaving no man behind. But after returning home to his wife Taya Renae and the children, Chris realized that this is a war he cannot win.
The Pianist (2002)
Brilliant pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jew, witnesses further restrictions imposed by the Nazis on Jews in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. His family is about to be transferred to Nazi labor camps, but he manages to escape and evade the Nazis and continues to live in the ruins of Warsaw.
Harriet (2019)
The plot of the film is based on the story of the iconic freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, her escape from slavery and subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves through the Underground Railroad, facing increasing adversity in pre-Civil War America.
Braveheart (1995)
After witnessing as a young man the cruel liquidations of the Scottish nobles, who were cheated and cheated many times by the English occupiers, and after both his father and brother were killed in battles against the English, William Wallace became a man growing up with his uncle Argyle, who taught him everything he knows.
Because of the law that allows English lords to sleep with Scottish brides on their first wedding night, William marries Murron in secret, but she is later killed in a conflict with the nobility. Embarrassed by everything he has seen all his life and enraged by the death of his love, William gathers an army of the bravest Scots and goes to war against the English.
Although underestimated by the English leaders as a commoner who has no knowledge of war tactics, Wallace manages to lead his soldiers all the way to the York fortress but is later betrayed by his closest comrades.
Glory (1989)
In the American Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was composed exclusively of black men. Some of them were free northerners, and others were escaped southern slaves, and they were led by white men, including Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick). The detachment fought against racism not only on the battlefield, where they opposed the slave owners, but also on their side, because many northerners also thought it was not fair that black soldiers were fighting under their flag.
Followed by doubts and prejudices, the members of the 54th regiment showed themselves in an almost suicidal attack on Fort Wagner in Charleston, with their courage opening the door for another 180 thousand black soldiers.
The saga of the first black detachment of the Civil War in America, “War for Glory” by the famous director Edward Zwick is an extremely impressive film, a war drama that conveys all the horrors of war without any residue, but this time combining them with the theme of the fight against one of the world’s greatest evils, racism. Based on the book by Lincoln Kirstein and the letters left behind by the real General Shaw, this is without a doubt one of the most compelling and important films about the plight of blacks, and one of the best war films ever.
Brave (2012)
Merida is a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to forge her own path in life, Merida defies the centuries-old tradition of custom sacred to the land’s lords: the great Lord MacGuffin, the pudgy Lord Macintosh, and the grumpy Lord Dingwall.
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Her actions will soon cause chaos and fury in the kingdom, and after she turns to an eccentric old Witch for help who grants her evil wish, Merida will have to discover the true meaning of bravery to prevent a curse in the form of a wild beast before it’s too late…
Spirited Away (2001)
Ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents are on their way to their new house in the suburbs, when her father decides to take a shortcut.
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This shortcut will lead them to an unusual other world, both fascinating and terrifying, where parents turn into pigs and Chihiro meets ghosts…
300 (2006)
The Persian king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) gathers an army of two million soldiers, which he brought from Asia and Africa, and in 481 BC. attacked and conquered the small and divided Greek nation.
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However, when the Persian force penetrates the dangerous mountain pass of Thermopylae, it encounters the Spartan king Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his royal guard of only 300 soldiers. According to legend, their courage and self-sacrifice encouraged all Greeks to unite against the Persian enemy, which sowed the seeds of democracy and heralded the golden age of the Greek state.
The Finest Hours (2016)
On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, ravaging towns along the East Coast and destroying ships in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, an oil tanker en route to Boston that was literally blown in half, trapping more than 30 sailors. in the fast-sinking stern.
As the ship’s senior officer, first mate Ray Sybert soon realizes that he must take charge of the frightened crew and encourage people to forget their differences and work together to survive one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, when word of the disaster reaches the US Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Petty Officer Daniel Cluff orders a daring rescue operation for the stranded people.
Despite the enormous risks, the four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber, set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and few, if any, means of navigation in the face of freezing temperatures, 60-foot waves, and hurricane-force winds.
October Sky (1999)
In the 1950s, the residents of the small mining town of Coalwood were shocked by the news of the Russian satellite “Sputnik” flying above them. Among the people who look anxiously at the small dot in the sky every night is seventeen-year-old Homer Hickam Jr., whose dream is to one day become a NASA scientist who will launch rockets into the sky.
In an effort to prove to himself that he can do it, Homer decides to build and launch his own miniature rocket together with his friends, Roy and Sherman. Since the natural sciences are not going very well for him, he accepts Quentin Wilson into his group and the four, which the townspeople jokingly call “The Rocketeers”, begin a series of experiments.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
During the Second World War, it is revealed that three brothers were killed and the fourth was never found. General Marshall (Harve Presnell) was informed about the great tragedy that befell the Ryan family, and after that knowledge he will do everything to find James Ryan (Matt Damon). The unit goes to rescue him despite the low probability that he survived, as he is in a dangerous area.
A unit of eight soldiers led by Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) goes on a mission to find the only survivor Ryan and bring him home. The landing operation of Allied soldiers on the coast of Normandy on that famous D-Day is one of the most famous events of the Second World War.
In the film, you can see an incredibly realistic presentation of the landing action of soldiers who, under heavy fire from Nazi forces, are trying to reach strategically important positions. A unit of eight soldiers goes on a mission, but one by one they lose their lives. Will they manage to find him and how many will survive?
Darkest Hour (2017)
Within days of becoming Prime Minister, Winston Churchill had to face his most turbulent and decisive trial yet: to conclude a peace treaty with Nazi Germany or to continue to fight steadfastly for ideals and freedom…
Rob Roy (1995)
On the slopes of the Scottish mountains in the eighteenth century, Rob Roy (Liam Neeson) together with his family and compatriots tries to live a peaceful, fair and better life.
In order to provide his community with the means for progress and better earnings, Rob borrows money from the local nobility and plans to use it to buy cattle, which he later intends to use in different ways. But the money was perfidiously stolen, so Rob is forced to flee in order to defend his family and honor, but also the pride of the oppressed people.
Men of Honor (2000)
“Be the best,” his father told him, and Carl remembered those words well. When he joins the Navy, Carl spends two years writing hundreds of letters before they accept his request to join the Diving School. Carl’s coach, Billy Sunday, doesn’t want Carl or his ambitions there at all.