20 Best History Movies on AMC+ 2026
Discover 20 AMC+ movies that turn true events into gripping drama, sharp comedy, and eye-opening history, including BlackBerry and The Death of Stalin.
If you’re searching for smart, absorbing picks that bring real people, real events, and strange corners of the past to life, this roundup is for you. Our list of the best history movies on AMC+ spans sharp biographical drama, dark comedy, true-crime tension, and eye-opening documentaries, so there’s plenty here beyond the usual period piece. You’ll find recent standouts like BlackBerry (2023) and The Taste of Things (2023), alongside sharper-edged favorites such as The Death of Stalin (2017) and Burke and Hare (2010). For viewers who want something more unsettling or reflective, The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015), The Search for General Tso (2014), In Search of Darkness (2019), and The 12th Man (2017) each offer a different way into history. With 20 titles on the page, it’s easy to pick something that matches your mood.
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01
BlackBerry
biography · comedy · drama · history
Two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – joined forces in an endeavour that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.
Directed by Matt JohnsonCast Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Kelly Van der Burg, Gregory Ambrose CalderoneNetflixAMC+ -
02
The Death of Stalin
comedy · drama · history
When dictator Joseph Stalin dies, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains — just who is running the government?
Directed by Armando IannucciCast Olga Kurylenko, Tom Brooke, Paddy Considine, Justin Edwards, Adrian McLoughlinAMC+ -
03
Burke and Hare
comedy · crime · history · thriller
Two 19th-century opportunists become serial killers so that they can maintain their profitable business supplying cadavers to an anatomist.
Directed by John LandisCast Bill Bailey, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Smiley, Tim Curry, Paul DavisAMC+ -
04
In Search of Darkness
documentary · history · horror
An exploration of '80s horror movies through the perspective of the actors, directors, producers and SFX craftspeople who made them, and their impact on contemporary cinema.
Directed by David A. WeinerCast Tom Atkins, John Bloom, Doug Bradley, Lori Cardille, John CarpenterAmazon Prime VideoAMC+ -
05
The Search for General Tso
documentary · comedy · history · mystery
From New York City to the farmlands of the Midwest, there are 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., yet one dish in particular has conquered the American culinary landscape with a force befitting its military moniker—“General Tso’s Chicken.” But who was General Tso and how did this dish become so ubiquitous? Ian Cheney’s delightfully insightful documentary charts the history of Chinese Americans through the surprising origins of this sticky, sweet, just-spicy-enough dish that we’ve adopted as our own.
Directed by Ian CheneyCast Ian CheneyAMC+ -
06
The Taste of Things
drama · history · romance
Set in 1889 France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Directed by Tran Anh HungCast Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger, Patrick d'Assumçao, Galatéa BellugiHuluAMC+ -
07
The Stanford Prison Experiment
biography · drama · history · thriller
In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.
Directed by Kyle Patrick AlvarezCast Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano, Moises Arias, Nicholas Braun, Gaius CharlesAMC+ -
08
The 12th Man
drama · history · thriller · war
After a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, a Norwegian resistance fighter finds himself fleeing the Gestapo through the snowbound reaches of Scandinavia.
Directed by Harald ZwartCast Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Marie Blokhus, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Geir Vegar HoelAMC+ -
09
Witch
fantasy · history · horror · thriller
Small town, England. 1575. William embarks on a journey to prove the innocence of his wife, Twyla, falsely accused of being a witch and will be put to death if found guilty. William must hunt down the real witch, to save Twyla from death.
Directed by Craig Hinde, Marc ZammitCast Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino, Daniel C JordanAMC+ -
10
A Call to Spy
biography · crime · drama · history · thriller · war
The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.
Directed by Lydia Dean PilcherCast Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic, Radhika Apte, Linus Roache, Rossif SutherlandAMC+ -
11
Alone in Berlin
drama · history · war
Berlin in June of 1940. While Nazi propaganda celebrates the regime’s victory over France, a kitchen-cum-living room in Prenzlauer Berg is filled with grief. Anna and Otto Quangel’s son has been killed at the front. This working class couple had long believed in the ‘Führer’ and followed him willingly, but now they realise that his promises are nothing but lies and deceit. They begin writing postcards as a form of resistance and in a bid to raise awareness: Stop the war machine! Kill Hitler! Putting their lives at risk, they distribute these cards in the entrances of tenement buildings and in stairwells. But the SS and the Gestapo are soon onto them, and even their neighbours pose a threat.
Directed by Vincent PerezCast Louis Hofmann, Emil von Schönfels, Katrin Pollitt, Sammy Scheuritzel, Joachim BißmeierAMC+Paramount Plus -
12
Lakota Nation vs. United States
documentary · history
Poet Layli Long Soldier crafts a searing portrait of her Oyate’s connection to the Black Hills, through first contact and broken treaties to the promise of the Land Back movement, in this lyrical testament to resilience of a nation.
Directed by Jesse Short Bull, Laura TomaselliCast Bill Horn CloudAMC+ -
13
Lion of the Desert
biography · drama · history · war
This movie tells the story of Omar Mukhtar, an Arab Muslim rebel who fought against the Italian conquest of Libya during the second Italo-Senussi War. It gives western viewers a glimpse into this little-known region and chapter of history, and exposes the savage means by which the conquering army attempted to subdue the natives.
Directed by Moustapha AkkadCast Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Irene Papas, Raf Vallone, Rod SteigerAMC+ -
14
Red Joan
biography · drama · history · romance · thriller
London, England, May 2000. The peaceful life of elderly Joan Stanley is suddenly disrupted when she is arrested by the British Intelligence Service and accused of providing information to communist Russia during the forties.
Directed by Trevor NunnCast Judi Dench, Nina Sosanya, Laurence Spellman, Nicola Sloane, Sophie CooksonNetflixAMC+ -
15
MLK/FBI
documentary · biography · history
Based on newly declassified files, the film explores the US government’s surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Directed by Sam PollardCast Shaun Bowman, Tom Martin, Ben Mehl, Tim NicolaiAMC+ -
16
Black '47
action · drama · history
In 1847, when Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years, Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, returns home to reunite with his estranged family, only to discover the cruelest reality, a black land where death reigns.
Directed by Lance DalyCast Hugo Weaving, James Frecheville, Stephen Rea, Freddie Fox, Andrew BennettAMC+ -
17
Mary Shelley
biography · drama · history · romance
The love affair between poet Percy Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin resulted in the creation of an immortal novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.”
Directed by Haifaa Al-MansourCast Elle Fanning, Bel Powley, Owen Richards, Joanne Froggatt, Stephen DillaneAMC+ -
18
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
documentary · biography · history
Writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs fights to save historic New York City during the ruthless redevelopment era of urban planner Robert Moses in the 1960s.
Directed by Matt TyrnauerCast Vincent D'Onofrio, Marisa TomeiAMC+ -
19
Tales from the Golden Age
comedy · history
Composed of six unconventional vignettes, each one dealing with the late communist period in Romania, a narrative is told through its urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. The title refers to the alluded "Golden Age" of the last 15 years of Ceaușescu's regime.
Directed by Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana UricaruCast Diana Cavallioti, Radu Iacoban, Vlad Ivanov, Tania Popa, Liliana MocanuAMC+ -
20
Brooklyn 45
drama · history · horror
Five military veterans, best friends since childhood, gather together in a Brooklyn brownstone several months after the end of World War II, and the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal.
Directed by Ted GeogheganCast Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden, Ezra BuzzingtonAMC+
Wrapping Up
Whether you want political satire, a tense dramatization, or a documentary that reshapes how you see the past, this AMC+ lineup has a strong mix of style and substance. The titles here move between biography, comedy, drama, history, and crime, giving you plenty of ways to explore real stories from different angles. Keep this page bookmarked so you can come back when you want a thoughtful movie night without endless scrolling. We update it regularly, so the recommendations stay fresh as the catalog changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is this list updated?
We refresh this list regularly as titles are added or removed from streaming catalogs, so rankings and availability stay current.
Do I need a AMC+ subscription to watch these?
Yes — every title on this list is currently available on AMC+. Availability can change, so we recommend checking the streaming link on each title before you start watching.
How are these history movies ranked?
We rank by a combination of audience rating and current popularity, so you're seeing the history titles people are actually watching right now, not just an old fixed list.
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Last updated: September 8, 2026