Seven great films about US presidents to watch on election night

From searing biopics to reconstructions of world-changing events, these titles offer insight into what goes behind the scenes at one of the world's most powerful jobs

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Photo: Dreamworks Pictures

Ever since film became a source of storytelling, directors and writers have tried to tell the stories of US presidents.

The importance of the job, socially and politically, brings a lot of interest in the person occupying it. Whether scandalous or celebratory, there’s always been a curiosity in what goes inside the walls of the White House.

As Americans head to the polls this week to elect their 47th president, here are seven films about past leaders that give an insight into their character, private lives and what they did during major world events.

Secret Honour (1984)

Robert Altman directs Philip Baker Hall in this fictionalised account of what went on inside the mind of President Nixon in his last days in office. There’s no one else in the film, all we see is a great performance by Hall as the tarnished president. He reasons with himself, discusses why he did what he did, and goes on rants to absolve himself. It’s a strong one-man performance that is worth experiencing to see just how much pressure there was on the man, and how much he admired himself in spite of all his mistakes.

Nixon (1995)

Oliver Stone might be best known for directing JFK, but he also directed Nixon, a film about the troubled president and his last days in office during the Watergate scandal, which ended his time in office. Hopkins expertly portrays the former president and shows him as a resilient and forceful personality.

The film was nominated for four Oscars and has a cast including Joan Allen, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, David Hyde Pierce and Mary Steenburgen.

Amistad (1997)

Steven Spielberg’s Amistad tells the story of Cinque, a man taken from Africa to the US on a slave ship, which then witnesses a revolt by the slaves against their captors. Cinque, as played by Djimon Hounsou in his first major Hollywood role, is then subject to a trial in which it must be decided whether the men are free or are still slaves.

Anthony Hopkins plays president John Quincy Adams in the time after his presidency, with Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman star in supporting roles. The film highlights the politics of the day and the changing tide in attitudes towards African slaves.

Primary Colours (1998)

While being a fictionalised tale, this film directed by Mike Nichols doesn’t shy away from retelling president Bill Clinton’s journey to the White House. John Travolta plays governor Jack Stanton, a stand-in for Clinton, while Emma Thompson plays Susan Stanton, loosely based on Hillary Clinton.

Written by Joe Klein and Elaine May, the film accurately portrays how a young smooth-talking politician worked his way and used his charms to the highest office in the land, despite having many skeletons in the closet in the shape of sexual misconduct allegations.

Thirteen Days (2000)

The Cuban missile crisis is perhaps the closest the world had come to an all-out nuclear warfare. In the space of 13 days, US President John F Kennedy and his administration successfully negotiated with the Soviet Union the removal of nuclear weapons from Cuba. During those two weeks, there was a rising tension between the two sides, and communication, direct or indirect, was slow and unreliable.

What happened behind the scenes would not be revealed for years after the event ended, and it's all laid bare in this film. Directed by Roger Donaldson, the film stars Bruce Greenwood as JFK, Steven Culp as Robert F Kennedy and Kevin Costner as White House appointments secretary Kenneth O'Donnell.

W. (2008)

The presidency of George W Bush included many flashpoints in history, ones that still reverberate even today. During his first year, the US was attacked on 9/11, which then led to the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Having won the election so narrowly, Bush, alongside his administration, made decisions and introduced policies that are contested and debated even today.

Stone directs his third US president film starring Josh Brolin as Bush, with Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush, Thandiwe Newton as Condoleezza Rice and Ioan Gruffudd as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Lincoln (2012)

Spielberg directs another film about a US president, this time focusing on the life of Abraham Lincoln, as played brilliantly by Daniel Day-Lewis who won an Oscar for his performance. There hadn’t been a great film about Lincoln since 1939’s Young Mr Lincoln, directed by John Ford.

Spielberg, alongside writer Tony Kushner, put together a tableau of the man’s life and all his accomplishments, as well as the relationships he had with the people closest to him. The film’s excellent cast included Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.