10 Must-Watch Biopics About Antiheroes

Description: Jake LaMotta's life as a boxer is explored, focusing on his violent tendencies, self-destructive behavior, and his quest for redemption, making him an iconic antihero in cinema.

Fact: Robert De Niro won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as LaMotta.

Description: Tony Montana's rise from a Cuban refugee to a powerful drug lord in Miami is a quintessential antihero story, marked by his ruthless ambition, excess, and eventual downfall.

Fact: The film was initially banned in several countries due to its graphic violence and drug use.

Description: The life of George Jung, a key figure in the cocaine trade in the 1970s and 80s, is depicted in this film. Jung's journey from a small-time pot dealer to a major drug trafficker showcases the allure and downfall of the antihero lifestyle.

Fact: Johnny Depp, who stars as Jung, was also a producer on the film.

Description: Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life as a con artist, check forger, and impostor is dramatized in this film. His charm and cunning make him an antihero whose escapades are as thrilling as they are morally questionable.

Fact: The real Frank Abagnale Jr. served as a consultant on the film and appears in a cameo.

Description: Howard Hughes, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, is depicted as a visionary and an eccentric, whose life was marked by ambition, innovation, and personal demons, making him a complex antihero.

Fact: The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn.

Description: This biopic tells the story of Frank Lucas, a real-life drug lord who rose to power in Harlem in the 1970s. His ruthless tactics and business acumen make him an intriguing antihero whose life story is both cautionary and compelling.

Fact: Denzel Washington, who plays Lucas, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Description: Based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, this film follows his rise and fall as a stockbroker who engages in corruption and excess. Belfort's story is a classic tale of an antihero who lives life on the edge, making it a perfect fit for this list.

Fact: The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was directed by Martin Scorsese.

Description: Mark Zuckerberg's journey to creating Facebook is portrayed with a focus on his ruthless ambition and the ethical dilemmas he faced, painting him as an antihero in the tech world.

Fact: Aaron Sorkin won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for this film.

Description: This film explores the final years of the notorious gangster Al Capone, showcasing his decline due to syphilis and his attempts to reclaim his past glory. It's a gritty portrayal of an antihero whose legacy is as much about his criminal empire as it is about his personal downfall.

Fact: Tom Hardy, who plays Capone, gained 40 pounds for the role to accurately depict Capone's physical deterioration.

Description: While not a traditional biopic, this film, inspired by Pete Davidson's life, follows a young man struggling with his father's death and his own directionless existence, embodying the antihero's journey of self-discovery and redemption.

Fact: Pete Davidson co-wrote the screenplay, drawing heavily from his own experiences.