Historical Figures Who Deserve Their Own Movie: Mystery/Thriller Edition.

After I wrote my post about people who deserve their own theatrical tributes, it came to my attention that there are several people out there that I, like the rest of the world, had overlooked. And the more that I thought about it, the more I began to realize that these people could all fit into the same genre, that being mystery and thriller. So, since last time, I talked about people who would be the subject of epic war movies, this time, we are going to talk about people whose mystery continues to baffle historians to this day, as well as potential audiences

#5- DB Cooper

Of all the people who are overdue for their own theatrical tribute (and I can think of at least 5), few deserve it more than DB Cooper. Who is DB Cooper you ask? Isn't that the million dollar unanswerable question. DB Cooper was a hijacker from the early 1970's whose hijacking of a plane and disappearance sparked intrigue, controversy, and about a dozen thrillers all taking place on planes. To this day, his true identity remains a mystery, along with Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, and whoever wanted to cast Nick Cage as Superman. For all we know, he was the first recruit for the Men in Black.

Why do we need this movie?

Because quite frankly, we are over due for one. And because we have two directors that are prime for this kind of movie: David Fincher, whose credits include Zodiac, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Se7en, all about people trying to solve unanswerable mysteries. The second is Ben Affleck, who has really established himself as one of the finest working directors today, making the criminally underrated The Town and Argo.

 #4- Lafayette Baker

Who is he? Oh, only the guy who led the investigation that led to the capture of the Lincoln conspirators. That and he was a spy during the American Civil War. Apart from that, he was just a shady dude. To this day, there are still a number of unanswered questions surrounding the death of Abraham Lincoln, and my guess is that he knew some of it because he was killed by poisoning less than five years after Lincoln's assassination. Was it revenge from a disgruntled southern sympathizer or was someone ensuring his silence?

 #3- Inspector Frederick Abberline

This entree with the most white-sounding name this side of Benedict Cumberbatch has a claim to fame that, while it may not have been entirely successful, you have to give him credit for trying. Inspector Abberline's biggest exploit was the investigation of this guy...

 You understand what I mean by giving the guy credit for trying? Like DB Cooper, the true identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery, even after 125 years and truth be told, I don't think the mystery will ever be solved. But going back to Abberline, he was known to be quite the eccentric policeman with quite the enthusiasm for disguises, not unlike Sherlock Holmes. It would be interesting to see a movie about his starting out as a detective and how the Ripper case impacted his life and career.

#2- Wild Bill Donovan 



You ever heard of the CIA? Well, a lot of its existence is owed to this guy. Initially, he was a soldier and medal of honor recipient, and then he was appointed head of the OSS during World War II by FDR. He then went on the be a central figure of the Nuremberg trials for Nazi war criminals... He was also shady as all get out. In his time as America's number one spy, he was less like Captain America and more like Walter Donovan from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He played people on both sides of the line for his own benefit, he did everything he could to cement a legacy for himself, a lot of time at other people's expense, he ordered a number of political murders, and it is even believed that he had a hand in the death of General George S Patton. That last part has never been confirmed, but the rest of his resume is enough to warrant some kind of biographical film. It would be interesting to say the least.

#1-  HH Holmes



This one might be cheating because rumor has it that Leo Dicaprio is in talks to play HH Holmes. Who was he? Oh, nobody. Only a master of insurance fraud, a man with many lives, and he was also America's first known serial killer. To this very day, there isn't an exact estimation on just how many people Holmes killed, but authorities at the time figured it to be at least 200. A movie about his capture would be truly fascinating as well as a dive into the psychology of one of America's first known psychopaths.