I saw Defiance the other day, along with District 9. I loved both movies, particularly Defiance, simply because it is a true story. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the book the movie is based off of.
It struck me today as to why I love movies like these so much. In both, the main characters aren't some superhero built to save the world. They aren't paragons of virtue, they're not brilliant philosophers or men gifted with Herculean strength.
They're people, just like us, who rose to the occasion, and did whatever they could to make not only their own lives better, but also the lives of those around them.
When the pressure is on, I think these are the type of people we hope we will become. We may not be the strongest (well, some of us, lol), we may not be the brightest, or really exceptional in any fashion, but dammit, if we were there, we would have the pragmatism, the attitude, and the simple determination to do the right thing, whatever the cost to ourselves.
Does anyone have any recommendations (movie or book) of true stories like these, with unlikely heroes doing incredible things?