Top 18 History Movies Must-Watch Released in 2011

A young farm boy enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. His hopeful journey takes him out of England and onto the front lines as the war rages on. Find out about War Horse / IMDB / YouTube

J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life. Info on J. Edgar / IMDB / YouTube

Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India. Get info on The Way Back / IMDB / YouTube

An American finds refuge during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking in a church with a group of women. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety. Look into The Flowers of War / IMDB / YouTube

In thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John. Info on Ironclad / IMDB / YouTube

The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her. Check out Anonymous / IMDB / YouTube

Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life. Look into The Conspirator / IMDB / YouTube

In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders. See more about Texas Killing Fields / IMDB / YouTube

A black comedy about two 19th-century grave robbers who find a lucrative business providing cadavers for an Edinburgh medical school. Info on Burke and Hare / IMDB / YouTube

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity. Explore Cave of Forgotten Dreams / IMDB / YouTube

Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay. See more about Of Gods and Men / IMDB / YouTube

Continuing from Ong Bak 2's 1440s, Prince Tien fails to revenge his parents' murder by the evil new ruler. The beaten Tien is rescued. Can he bring peace to the kingdom? Learn about Ong Bak 3 / IMDB / YouTube

As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply. Explore Even the Rain / IMDB / YouTube

Based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary Busby Babes, the youngest side ever to win the Football League, and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of their number. Look into United / IMDB / YouTube

A homophobic Serbian gangster is forced to make a deal with wedding planner gay activist, to assemble a team which will protect the upcoming Pride Parade in Belgrade, and in exchange his fiancée can get her dream wedding. Get info on The Parade / IMDB / YouTube

A skilled Korean archer goes up against the mighty force of Manchus with the sole purpose of rescuing his kidnapped sister. More about War of the Arrows / IMDB / YouTube

A drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa. More about The Bang Bang Club / IMDB / YouTube

Grandpapa and his family were torn from their land, forced to migrate from Crete during the population exchange when he was just seven years old. Grands greatest desire is to see the land of his birth before he dies. It is this longing that makes him frequently drop bottles containing letters into the Aegean. Read about My Grandfather's People / IMDB / YouTube