Last updated March 2024
Want to watch extraordinarily awesome Best Biography Movies 2008 ? Check out our compilation of 30 marvelous, critic- and user-adored Best Biography Movies 2008 ready for your viewing pleasure. Hailed as sensationally great by IMDB reviewers and our own legion of discerning users, these world-class titles represent the absolute best of the best. Help fellow fans uncover buried treasures by voting for your top picks. We value members who contribute stellar recommendations!
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Plot Summary:
Much awarded animated documentary, in which director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery, War
Country: Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia
Plot tags: war, politics, military, soldier, memory loss, nightmare, haunted by the past, guilt, mass murder, catastrophe, memory, israeli, tragic event, life is a bitch, introspection, atrocity, military life, enemy, against humanity, wartime, conflict, visceral, revolution, trippy, mission
Ip Man (2008)
Plot Summary:
A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 232000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Plot tags: martial arts, kung fu, wing chun, human spirit, master warrior, courage, bravery, training, warrior, martial artist, ambition, fight scenes, fight, culture clash, mentor, biopic, sino japanese war, leader, medieval, fighter, war, revenge, karate, racism, sword fight
Changeling (2008)
Plot Summary:
Christine Collins is overjoyed when her kidnapped son is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, the police captain has her committed to an asylum
Duration: 141 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 263000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: kidnapping, serial killer, investigation, missing child, fighting the system, missing person, twists and turns, uncover truth, police corruption, disorder, life is a bitch, trial, kidnapped child, corruption, insanity, disappearance, court, society, courtroom, dishonesty, tragedy, child abduction, child murder, brutality, manipulation
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Plot Summary:
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harboured doubts about their boss's ability to hold his own. But as the cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted
Duration: 122 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 112000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, France, USA
Plot tags: journalism, politics, president, reporter, journalist, loneliness, biopic, american politics, conspiracy, corruption, power struggle, scandal, politician, mind game, uncover truth, lie, character study, u.s. president, american history, secret, political corruption, life is a bitch, rivalry, media, state affairs
Milk (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who became an outspoken agent for change, seeking equal rights and opportunities for all. His great love for the city and its people brought him backing from young and old, straight and gay, alike – at a time when prejudice and violence against gays was openly accepted as the norm
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 178000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: gay, politics, homosexuality, protest, homosexual, murder, gays and lesbians, discrimination, politician, male homosexuality, biopic, gender, civil rights, human rights, glbt, election, homosexual history, gay relationship, lgbt, lgbtq, gay slur, lgbtqi, brutality, character study, gay love
Hunger (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike in which Republican prisoners tried to win political status. It dramatises events in the Maze prison in the six weeks prior to Sands’ death
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 73000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland
Plot tags: prison, ira, prison life, suicide, dying, rebellion, idealism, police brutality, resistance, suffering, death, male nudity, nudity, storytelling, prisoner, character study, humiliation, fighting the system, rebelliousness, tragic hero, violence, politics, rebel, convict, terrorist
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)
Plot Summary:
Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier, is back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido, Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Canada, Italy
Plot tags: organized crime, mafia, robbery, rise to the top, against the rules, prison, prison escape, gangster, mob boss, romancing a criminal, heist, biopic, character study, adaptation, visceral, criminal heroes, prison life, ambition, kidnapping, murder, shootout, violence, true crime, bank robbery, escape
North Face (2008)
Plot Summary:
North Face tells the story of two German climbers Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser and their attempt to scale the deadly North Face of the Eiger
Duration: 126 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Sport
Country: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Plot tags: climbing, mountain climbing, mountain, mountaineer, survival, disaster, adventurer, wehrmacht, man versus nature, rivalry, mountaineering, forces of nature, ambition, heroic mission, journalist, male female relationship, world war two, nature, escapades, danger, contests and competitions, buddies, nazi germany, frostbite, wilderness
Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of Jacques Mesrine, France's public enemy No. 1 during the 1970s. After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats -- from multiple bank robberies and to prison breaks -- Mesrine was gunned down by the French police in Paris
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Canada
Plot tags: gangster, mob boss, chase, organized crime, mafia, prison, biopic, heist, character study, notoriety, against the rules, realism, cruelty, criminal heroes, kidnapping, robbery, spy, police officer, gang, european, mobster, gangsta, violence spree, bank robbery, prison escape
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
Plot Summary:
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex depicts the political turmoil in the period from 1967 to the bloody "Deutschen Herbst" in 1977. The movie approaches the events based on Stefan Aust's standard work on Die Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF). The story centers on the leadership of the self named anti-fascist resistance to state violence: Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin
Duration: 150 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Germany, France, Czech Republic
Plot tags: terrorism, politics, anti war, revolution, protest, revolutionary, journalist, prison, idealism, capitalism, terrorist attack, assassination, rebellion, bomb, anarchy, rebel, german history, fighting the system, robbery, police brutality, judge, trial, suicide, banker, political unrest
Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Plot Summary:
Max Manus is a Norwegian 2008 biographic war film based on the real events of the life of resistance fighter Max Manus (1914–96), after his contribution in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. The story follows Manus through the outbreak of World War II in Norway until peacetime in 1945
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: Norway, Denmark, Germany
Plot tags: world war two, resistance, nazi, nazism, war, wartime, military, escape, nazi occupation, gestapo, courage, manhunt, terrorism, depression, soldier, loss of friend, world war, storytelling, life is a bitch, terrorist, rage, spy, fascism, idealism, leader
Il Divo (2008)
Plot Summary:
The narration spans the period since the seventh election of Andreotti as Prime Minister of Italy in 1992, until the trial in which he was accused of collusion with the Mafia
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Italy, France
Plot tags: politics, political corruption, italian history, corruption, assassination, prime minister, murder, state affairs, idealism, blackmail, head of state, dishonesty, chases and races, incompetent police, organized crime, mafia, cosa nostra, secret, trial, loneliness, conspiracy, italian mafia, lawyer, violence, court
The Express (2008)
Plot Summary:
Based on the incredible true story, The Express follows the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany
Plot tags: american football, african american, racism, athlete and trainer, football, college, human spirit, biopic, friendship, courage, mentor, ambition, success, rise to the top, follow your dream, rivalry, society, contests and competitions, against the odds, hopes, teacher, student athlete, black, black history, unstoppable
Che: Part One (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Argentine, begins as Che and a band of Cuban exiles (led by Fidel Castro) reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. Within two years, they mobilized popular support and an army and toppled the U.S.-friendly regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Spain, USA
Plot tags: revolution, cuban revolution, dictatorship, communism, violence, military, biopic, freedom, rebel, idealism, civil war, cold war, politics, execution, fighting the system, leadership, political unrest, state affairs, exile, rise to the top, society, cultural icon, renegade, hopes, health situation
Flash of Genius (2008)
Plot Summary:
In this David vs. Goliath drama based on a true story, college professor Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) goes up against the giants of the auto industry when they fail to give him credit for inventing intermittent windshield wipers. Kearns doggedly pursues recognition for his invention, as well as the much-deserved financial rewards for the sake of his wife (Lauren Graham) and six kids
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Plot tags: business, inventor, underdog, lawsuit, legal, entrepreneurship, courtroom, entrepreneur, lawyer, inventions and discoveries, betrayal, corruption, courtroom drama, biopic, legal action, powerful corporation, human spirit, fighting the system, rivalry, ambition, against the odds, hopes, rebellion, obsessive quest, marketing
Cadillac Records (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Plot tags: musician's life, music, rock and roll, blues, jazz, biopic, african american, pop music, success, music business, singer, greed, rags to riches, showbiz, ambition, fame, lifestyle, artists and showbiz, performer's life, rising to stardom, chess, hip hop, black, segregation, rock
The Duchess (2008)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK, Italy, France, USA
Plot tags: royalty, love story, duchess, love triangle, love affair, aristocracy, duke, infidelity, adultery, high society, marriage, nobility, marital rape, destiny, marital infidelity, mother daughter relationship, heir, family problems, love, women, life philosophy, lovers, estate, mistress, love and romance
Che: Part Two (2008)
Plot Summary:
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Spain, France, USA, Germany
Plot tags: revolution, communism, dictatorship, rebel, idealism, leadership, biopic, hopes, heroes, life is a bitch, historical character, political unrest, folk hero, downfall, state affairs, military, dictator, revolutionary, rebellion, war, civil war, cold war, resistance, protest, struggle
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Plot Summary:
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: queen, love triangle, royal family, intrigue, british history, royalty, royal court, king, medieval, politics, family relations, betrayal, ambition, siblings relations, kingdom, tudors, seduction, aristocracy, marriage, sister sister relationship, sisters, jealousy, rivalry, sex, mistress
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Plot Summary:
A British writer struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York. Based on Toby Young's memoir "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People"
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 71000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Plot tags: journalism, starlet, workplace romance, love triangle, journalist, obsession, love story, rags to riches, fashion, rise to the top, love and romance, love affair, showbiz, ambition, fame, fish out of water, celebrity culture, workplace situations, writers, overnight success, success, media, lifestyle, artists and showbiz, dating
Little Ashes (2008)
Plot Summary:
About the young life and loves of artist Salvador Dalí, filmmaker Luis Buñuel and writer Federico García Lorca
Duration: 112 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, Spain
Plot tags: poet, friendship, artist, gay, painter, gay relationship, political unrest, lgbt, friends, closeted homosexual, art, spanish civil war, writers, homosexual, student, lgbtq, lifestyle, coming of age, writer's life, forbidden love, art history, buddies, artists and showbiz, state affairs, gay interest
The Red Baron (2008)
Plot Summary:
Richthofen goes off to war like thousands of other men. As fighter pilots, they become cult heroes for the soldiers on the battlefields. Marked by sportsmanlike conduct, technical exactitude and knightly propriety, they have their own code of honour. Before long he begins to understand that his hero status is deceptive. His love for Kate, a nurse, opens his eyes to the brutality of war
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany, UK
Plot tags: world war one, airplane, war, soldier, fighter pilot, aviation, flying, great war, rise to the top, fall in love, pilot, airplane shot down, heroes, tragic love, love affair, military life, unfulfillment, world war, aerial combat, fighter plane, brother brother relationship, german history, military, race, world war two
W. (2008)
Plot Summary:
Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that George W. Bush is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. W takes viewers through Bush’s eventful life -- his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush’s decision to invade Iraq
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History
Country: USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, China
Plot tags: president, politics, election, oil, ambition, patriotism, rise to the top, u.s. president, iraq war, parents and children, leadership, american history, society, head of state, doubts and hesitations, usa president, propaganda, father son relationship, drinking, 9/11, war on terror, george w. bush, biopic, husband wife relationship, religious conversion
The Edge of Love (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Edge of love is a love story of two feisty women and a brilliant, charismatic poet who love both women. One woman Vera Phillips who is his first love and whom he lost for ten year, while other one is his present wife Caitlin who is adventurous and felt same adventurous nature in this charismatic poet, Dylan Thomas, also
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK
Plot tags: love triangle, marriage, husband wife relationship, jealousy, rivalry, infidelity, writers, pregnancy, world war two, intrigue, unfulfillment, love, dishonesty, couple relations, poet, biopic, women, relationships, passion, wartime, forbidden love, world war, bisexuality, sex, lesbian