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Best movies — histoire on Apple TV+ : our Top 20

At Stream Tracker, we keep track of what’s available across the major services so you can find the best films without the search. Here’s our selection of the top History films currently streaming on Apple TV+. We focused on titles that offer strong storytelling, historical relevance, and solid production values, whether they’re dramatic retellings, wartime epics, or documentary work. This list is meant to help you quickly spot notable History films worth watching on Apple TV+.

Updated on 02/09/2026

#01
Schindler's List
Schindler's List

1993 · Steven Spielberg

During the Second World War, industrialist Oskar Schindler risks everything to defy the Nazi regime, using his factories and connections to employ, protect, and ultimately save more than a thousand Jewish people from deportation and death.

With Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz and Malgorzata Gebel

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#02
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

2007 · Julie Taymor

A chance reunion with Gwen Stacy propels Brooklyn’s young Spider-Man into the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society — a coalition of spider-powered heroes tasked with defending reality itself. When the group fractures over how to confront a dangerous new threat, Miles finds himself opposed to his fellow Spiders and must strike out on his own to protect the people he loves.

With Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, T.V. Carpio and Spencer Liff

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#03
Braveheart
Braveheart

1995 · Mel Gibson

After his childhood sweetheart and new wife Murron is brutally killed, Scottish warrior William Wallace retaliates by ambushing and killing a detachment of the local English lord’s soldiers — an act that sparks a village uprising which soon grows into a nationwide rebellion against English rule.

With Mel Gibson, Catherine McCormack, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, Brendan Gleeson and James Robinson

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#04
Hacksaw Ridge
Hacksaw Ridge

2016 · Mel Gibson

In World War II, American combat medic Desmond T. Doss serves at Okinawa but, driven by his convictions, refuses to carry a weapon or take a life; his extraordinary bravery in rescuing wounded soldiers on the battlefield ultimately makes him the first U.S. conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

With Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths

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#05
12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave

2013 · Steve McQueen

On the eve of the American Civil War, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted, stripped of his liberty, and sold into slavery. Enduring harsh cruelty and occasional acts of compassion, he fights to survive while holding fast to his dignity. After twelve years of captivity, a chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist sets in motion the possibility of his return to freedom.

With Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson and Adepero Oduye

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#06
Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda

2004 · Terry George

Set in Rwanda in the 1990s amid a genocide that claimed over a million Tutsi lives while much of the world looked away, this film is drawn from real events and follows hotelier Paul Rusesabagina. Facing chaos and danger, he converts his hotel into a refuge for more than a thousand people, risking everything to protect those seeking shelter.

With Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Fana Mokoena, Joaquin Phoenix, Jean Reno and Desmond Dube

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#07
The King's Speech
The King's Speech

2010 · Tom Hooper

When his older brother abdicates, Albert—nicknamed Bertie—is suddenly crowned king despite a debilitating stammer that saps his confidence and fuels doubts about his suitability. He reluctantly seeks out Lionel Logue, an unconventional speech therapist whose candid methods and insistence on emotional as well as vocal work forge an unlikely bond between them. Through persistence, surprising techniques, and growing trust, Bertie learns to master public speaking and summon the strength to address the nation as Europe edges toward war.

With Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon and Jennifer Ehle

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#08
The Great Escape
The Great Escape

1963 · John Sturges

Frustrated by repeated breakouts by a small number of Allied detainees, the Nazi authorities transfer them to a supposedly inescapable, high-security camp to keep them incarcerated for the duration of the war. Unwilling to accept confinement, the prisoners mount a bold, meticulously organized mass breakout—an audacious bid for freedom inspired by true events.

With Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence and James Coburn

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#09
Straight Outta Compton
Straight Outta Compton

2015 · F. Gary Gray

In 1987, five young men turned uncompromising rhymes and relentless, hard-edged beats into the only weapon they had to voice their anger and frustration about life in one of America's most dangerous neighborhoods. The film traces how these cultural insurgents—relying on provocative lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—confronted the authorities determined to keep them silent and built one of the most notorious hip-hop collectives, N.W.A. By laying bare the realities of life in the hood, their music unleashed a cultural and social uprising whose impact continues to resonate.

With O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Marlon Yates Jr. and R. Marcos Taylor

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#10
Apollo 13
Apollo 13

1995 · Ron Howard

In 1970, a critical malfunction turns an Apollo lunar expedition into a desperate survival mission, leaving Commander Jim Lovell and his crewmates stranded more than 200,000 miles from Earth. With the Moon landing abandoned, the astronauts and Mission Control must improvise, conserve dwindling supplies and devise bold technical fixes in a tense, high-stakes effort to bring the crew home—a pulse-pounding story of ingenuity and bravery.

With Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan and Roger Corman

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#11
The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland

2006 · Kevin Macdonald

Fresh from completing his medical training, young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan seeks adventure and travels to Uganda as President Obote’s rule collapses. When General Idi Amin seizes power, Garrigan is summoned to serve as the dictator’s personal physician, thrust into the perilous inner circle of a rapidly changing regime.

With Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Simon McBurney, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, David Oyelowo and Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga

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#12
Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon

2008 · Ron Howard

Three years removed from the presidency and largely withdrawn from public view, Richard Nixon broke his silence in the summer of 1977 by agreeing to a single, exhaustive television interview meant to confront the controversies of his administration and the Watergate scandal. Calculating and resolute, he handpicked David Frost—a personable British talk-show host he assumed would be easy to disarm—in hopes of outmaneuvering him and rehabilitating his image with the American public. Frost’s producers, skeptical of their boss’s ability to stand up to a seasoned political operator, prepared for a safe, controlled exchange. Once the cameras started rolling, however, the encounter transformed into a fierce, strategic duel of questions and counterpunches that neither side had fully anticipated.

With Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt and Rebecca Hall

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#13
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor

1987 · Bernardo Bertolucci

Pu Yi's life is traced from exalted beginnings—born into imperial privilege and installed as China's final sovereign within the seclusion of the Forbidden City, adored by a vast nation—to the abrupt end of his rule and a descent into moral decay and self-indulgence. The film follows his exploitation by Japanese occupiers and, after years of upheaval, his eventual reduction to an anonymous existence as an ordinary laborer under the People's Republic.

With John Lone, Peter O'Toole, Joan Chen, Vivian Wu, Dennis Dun, Ruocheng Ying and Victor Wong

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#14
Munich
Munich

2005 · Steven Spielberg

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, a Palestinian militant group abducts and murders eleven members of the Israeli delegation; in the aftermath, the Israeli government quietly assembles a covert Mossad team to track down and take out those behind the attack.

With Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Mathieu Amalric and Geoffrey Rush

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#15
Selma
Selma

2014 · Ava DuVernay

In Selma, Alabama, civil rights organizers mount a peaceful campaign for voting equality, but a brutal crackdown on marchers shocks the nation and forces President Lyndon B. Johnson to back decisive federal action that culminates in landmark voting-rights legislation.

With David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Giovanni Ribisi and Alessandro Nivola

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#16
Milk
Milk

2008 · Gus Van Sant

Set in San Francisco in the late 1970s, this true story follows Harvey Milk as he transforms from a local businessman into the first openly gay man elected to public office. Charismatic and determined, he rallies a diverse coalition of neighbors and activists, sparking a grassroots movement that confronts entrenched power and demands equal rights and dignity for all Americans.

With Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill and Victor Garber

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#17
United 93
United 93

2006 · Paul Greengrass

On September 11, passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93 confront a hijacking and, learning of the wider attacks, mount a desperate, improvised resistance. Their brave, split-second actions culminate in the plane crashing near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, denying the hijackers their intended target.

With Trieste Kelly Dunn, Starla Benford, Kate Jennings Grant, J.J. Johnson, Polly Adams, Trish Gates and Olivia Thirlby

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#18
Tetris
Tetris

2023 · Jon S. Baird

1988 finds American video-game entrepreneur Henk Rogers stumbling upon the addictive puzzle game Tetris. As he tries to bring it to a global audience, he becomes embroiled in a perilous maze of lies and political corruption within the Soviet bloc.

With Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle, Toby Jones, Igor Grabuzov and Ben Miles

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#19
Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness

2022 · Petr Jákl

An attractive department-store clerk named Ash, armed with a shotgun and a chainsaw, is suddenly hurled back to Dark Ages England, where he sparks a romance with a local woman while defending himself against relentless hordes of the undead.

With Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe, Michael Caine, Til Schweiger, Matthew Goode, Roland Møller and William Moseley

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#20
Elizabeth
Elizabeth

1998 · Shekhar Kapur

Set against the turbulence of post-Reformation England, the film follows Elizabeth I’s rise to the throne and the fragile consolidation of her early rule. Pressured by advisers determined to secure the nation through marriage, targeted by Catholic plots and hostility, and torn between sovereign duty and a charged, clandestine attachment to Robert Dudley, she must shape her own path as monarch.

With Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, John Gielgud, Richard Attenborough and Fanny Ardant

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Best movies Apple TV+ by genre

Apple TV+ offers history films that combine research and craft to tell compelling stories. We hope this roundup helps you pick your next watch. For more curated options on Apple TV+, browse our other genre-based selections to discover more titles that match your tastes. We update our lists regularly, so check back for new additions.