These movies gave us new perspectives on war. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best films taking place within a combat setting. This means that we’ll be excluding non-combat war films such as “Schindler’s List.”
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00:00"-Are you an assassin?"
00:06"-I'm a soldier."
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:09And today we're counting down our picks for the best films taking place within a combat setting.
00:15This means it will be excluding non-combat war films such as Schindler's List.
00:21"-For your cooperation, you have my gratitude."
00:26"-Come on, come!"
00:30Number 20.
00:32All Quiet on the Western Front.
00:44It speaks volumes that Eric Maria Remarque's 1929 novel,
00:49All Quiet on the Western Front,
00:51has such an outstanding batting average when it comes to cinematic adaptations.
00:56Three separate film versions of Remarque's piece have been lauded by cinephiles and critics.
01:02The first from 1930,
01:04a second in 1979,
01:06and the most recent in 2022.
01:17The source material remains the same.
01:19A harrowing account of wartime idealism that descends into disillusionment.
01:24All Quiet on the Western Front is told from the perspective of a German soldier.
01:29But make no mistake,
01:31none of these adaptations glorify war.
01:34Instead, the sentiment here is very much the opposite.
01:39The intense sights and sounds vividly bring home to the viewer the horrors of combat.
01:55Number 19.
01:57Glory.
01:59"-Congratulations."
02:01"-I ain't sure I'm wanting this film."
02:04Here's a question.
02:06How much does historical accuracy mean when making a non-fiction film?
02:11Okay, now how about a war film specifically?
02:15Glory is one of those well-regarded efforts that's extremely well made and compelling.
02:21It's also been showcased often to students at the high school level,
02:25despite questions of inaccuracies with regard to its content.
02:29"-Oh, I see. So the white man give you a couple of stripes.
02:32Next thing you know, you hollering, ordering everybody around like you the master himself."
02:35This, of course, takes nothing away from the impactful messages behind Glory,
02:40nor the quality of its performances.
02:43This dramatized tale of a real African-American regiment during the American Civil War
02:48succeeds on an emotional level.
02:51Rather than a rational one.
02:53This is no insult.
02:54Glory is absolutely worth a watch.
03:06Number 18.
03:08Master and Commander.
03:09The Far Side of the World.
03:10"-To Lord Nelson."
03:11"-To Lord Nelson."
03:14"-To Lord Nelson."
03:16War films, though dealing with the past,
03:18will always be with us as society progresses into the future.
03:23Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World,
03:26may not be a title that one immediately associates with this genre.
03:30But the Napoleonic setting is just one of the elements that help make it unique.
03:35"-Their greed will be their downfall.
03:42England is under threat of invasion.
03:44And though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is our home."
03:47Russell Crowe presents a powerful performance as Jack Aubrey,
03:50a fictional British Navy man who rises in the ranks to rear Admiral.
03:55His friendship with co-star Paul Bettany takes a central place within the film's narrative.
04:00But the action set pieces also ensure that Master and Commander,
04:04The Far Side of the World, retains a thrilling atmosphere.
04:07"-Thank you."
04:08"-Huzzah for Captain Bullock.
04:10Hip hip."
04:12"-Huzzah."
04:16Number 17.
04:17Tora! Tora! Tora!
04:19"-That's in a far my own opinion.
04:24Don't anticipate hostile action."
04:28Perspective can be everything when it comes to crafting a well-actualized war epic.
04:34Tora! Tora! Tora! from 1970 tells the story of Pearl Harbor
04:38by utilizing American and Japanese directors to each side's stories.
04:44This dedication to accuracy and impartiality ensures that Tora! Tora! Tora! endures.
05:00It also remains a bold move for the time,
05:03since 1970 was only 25 years removed from the end of World War II.
05:09Tora! Tora! Tora! could have easily descended into flag-waving and grandstanding,
05:13but the film instead mulls over the tragedy from all sides.
05:18The film ends up being more successful overseas than in North America,
05:22but don't let this dissuade you from exploring what Tora! Tora! Tora! has to offer its audiences.
05:39Number 16. 1917.
05:43"-All I'm saying is that we wait.
05:46Yes, you would say that, because it's not your father, is it?"
05:49There will probably never be a shortage of World War II era films presented to moviegoers,
05:55but more recent years have seen a welcome shift in focus.
05:59Author H.G. Wells may have erroneously claimed World War I to be the war that will end war,
06:05but this tragic conflict has seen a recent rise in serious-minded appraisals of this era.
06:12Sam Mendes' 1917 is one of the more successful and well-regarded of these entries.
06:18A big-budgeted epic that nevertheless eludes pitfalls associated with the style.
06:35The narrative of two soldiers attempting to stop military doom is tense right from the jump.
06:45The special effects are gruesomely convincing,
06:48and the long-take cinematography is absolutely breathtaking.
06:52In other words, 1917 is highly recommended.
06:56"-He saved my life.
07:02Oh, I'm glad you were with him.
07:05Thank you, Willard."
07:11Number 15.
07:13The Deer Hunter.
07:14"-To you, Michael.
07:16To everybody."
07:18The Deer Hunter takes a lot of time with its characters.
07:22In fact, director Michael Cimino's perfectionist tendencies are almost enough to exclude this film
07:28from our list due to a combat-focused criteria.
07:32Then we get to the actual wartime sequences.
07:35Male friendship is a central theme within the Deer Hunter,
07:38as is the trauma many soldiers face during combat.
07:42"-I do three bullets.
07:46We do three, huh?
07:47One, two, three."
07:48The scenes of Nick, Stephen, and Mike as prisoners of the Viet Cong
07:53pull no punches with regard to dehumanization and psychological torture.
07:58The violence here is grim.
08:00A brutal reminder of the mental hurdles vets face when they return home
08:04and attempt to reintegrate into civilian life.
08:07"-Come on, Nicky. Come home.
08:10Just come home. Home.
08:15Talk to me."
08:16Number 14.
08:18The Thin Red Line.
08:19"-We're living in a world that's blowing itself to hell as fast as everybody can arrange it.
08:26In a situation like that, all a man can do is shut his eyes, let nothing touch him."
08:31Director Terrence Malick's flair for compelling visuals meets highbrow narrative artistry
08:36with this 1998 war film, The Thin Red Line.
08:40Malick adapted a 1962 source novel from James Jones
08:44for what proved to be his first directed film since 1978's Days of Heaven.
08:49The end results proved to be indulgent.
08:52A lengthy film that attempts to navigate character arcs
08:55while also pontificating upon the cycles of life and death via war.
09:00"-My dear wife.
09:05You get something twisted out of your insides by all this blood, filth, and noise."
09:17Malick is aided by a cast that seems game for the task, however.
09:21Including Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Adrian Brody, and George Clooney.
09:26The Thin Red Line is perhaps not for Malickian newcomers
09:30who should start with Badlands, but absolutely worth your time.
09:52Number 13. Letters from Iwo Jima.
10:09Clint Eastwood managed to direct not one, but two separate war movies
10:13that were released back in 2006.
10:16Both films deal with the Battle of Iwo Jima from World War II.
10:20With flags of our fathers told from the Allied perspective
10:23and letters from Iwo Jima from the Japanese.
10:37Audiences can view both films as one whole story,
10:40but each film works as a standalone piece.
10:43Because of its Japanese perspective, Iwo Jima may be more challenging
10:48or enlightening for some western viewers.
10:52Critics found it compelling and thought-provoking,
10:54and the film garnered a Best Picture Oscar nomination as well as three others.
11:11Number 12. The Hurt Locker.
11:19Want to get back?
11:24Catherine Bigelow became the first woman to ever win a Best Director Oscar
11:28thanks to her efforts on the war film The Hurt Locker.
11:32Bigelow's action thriller follows a bomb disposal unit stationed in Iraq during the Iraq War,
11:37and the smoldering tensions that arise between new squad leader William James and his crew.
11:49Need your radio.
11:50Can we just shoot him?
11:52No.
11:52Jeremy Renner leads the cast as James,
11:55and it's these performances of Renner and his co-stars Anthony Mackie and Brian Garrity
12:01that really make The Hurt Locker shine as one of the best war films in recent memory.
12:06Every time we go out, it's life or death.
12:10You roll the dice and you deal with it.
12:15You recognize that, don't you?
12:25Yeah, I got it.
12:26Number 11. Le Grande Illusion.
12:28As Maya Angelou wrote,
12:43we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.
12:47This humanistic sentiment is one that's central to 1937's Le Grande Illusion.
12:52Director Jean Renoir and his co-screenwriter Charles Spock
12:57ensure that their characters receive a lot of light and shade
13:01to counterbalance the darkness of war.
13:14Le Grande Illusion celebrates similarities between soldiers on both sides of its World War I setting,
13:21and does so while simultaneously showcasing the inevitable violence of combat.
13:26The film's pacifist message, combined with its heavy thematic critiques of fascism,
13:32also saw Le Grande Illusion seized by officials in Nazi Germany.
13:46Number 10. Dunkirk.
13:48Director Christopher Nolan will probably never be accused of doing anything in half-measures.
13:54Fans braced themselves for greatness when it came time for the filmmaker to tackle a World War II-era setting.
14:01Thankfully, 2017's Dunkirk did not disappoint,
14:05utilizing sound and mood to create an unpredictable atmosphere of tension and drama.
14:12This isn't a dialogue-heavy film,
14:14but instead one that focuses upon the body language and facial expressions of its cast.
14:19Cillian Murphy, Finn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Karney, and even Harry Styles all bring their A-game to the table.
14:26Dunkirk is one of those films where you can't help but wonder if it's a good film.
14:31It's one of those films where you can't help but wonder if it's a good film.
14:34It's one of those films where you can't help but wonder if it's a good film.
14:37Dunkirk is one of those films where you can't help but wonder if it's a good film.
14:40Dunkirk is one of those films where you can't help but wonder if it's a good film.
14:43One that should preferably be viewed on a powerful home theater system or in a real theater setting.
15:02Number 9. Full Metal Jacket.
15:07Stanley Kubrick's unique and occasionally idiosyncratic style of filmmaking is set on full display here with 1987's Full Metal Jacket.
15:25The basic training setup of the film's first half takes a heavy turn around the film's halfway point,
15:32effectively setting the stage for war.
15:37This is where Full Metal Jacket spends its second half as these former trainees are now soldiers deep in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive.
16:02It's somewhat episodic and chaotic in execution, but also indicative of what was going on in war cinema from the 70s and 80s.
16:11The everyday horrors and unpredictability of combat are effectively laid out here,
16:16in Kubrick's incomprehensibly influential style.
16:33Number 8. The Bridge on the River Kwai.
16:39The British-American co-production has not only garnered praise from war film buffs since its original release back in 1957,
16:47but the National Film Registry, which selected The Bridge on the River Kwai for preservation for its cultural significance in the Library of Congress in 1997.
17:02Director David Lean helms a story of British prisoners of war who are assigned to a Japanese prison camp in Burma,
17:19and are put to work constructing a bridge connecting Bangkok and Rangoon.
17:23This, despite Geneva Conventions stating that officers are exempt from such work.
17:29The result is a film of world-class acting and memorable set-pieces.
17:51Number 7. The Great Escape.
17:59Even if you've never seen 1963's The Great Escape, it's more than likely you've heard or hummed the movie's main theme,
18:09a jaunting and infectious march composed by Elmer Bernstein.
18:13Steve McQueen stars as the leader of a group of World War II POWs who are intent on digging an escape tunnel from their German concentration camp prison.
18:30McQueen's charisma is undeniable here, as is the impressive stunt work on display in the film,
18:36particularly during a death-defying motorcycle scene.
18:39This sequence has gone on to become the stuff of war movie legend, and has earned The Great Escape a spot on our list.
18:47Do you think it was worth the price?
18:50It depends on your point of view, Henry.
18:55Yes, sir.
18:57Number 6. Platoon.
18:59There are times since I've felt like a child born of those two fathers.
19:06War is hell, and very few 80s films capture the realism of frantic combat better than films like Oliver Stone's
19:15Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon.
19:18In the latter, Charlie Sheen, Tom Barriger, and Willem Dafoe star as soldiers stationed during the Vietnam conflict
19:25in a platoon full of wildly varied personalities and levels of morality.
19:31Stay out of this, fly ass. This ain't your show.
19:34You ain't a fighter in squad, you piece of shit!
19:38Stone's purpose in writing the film was to offer a stark contrast to the Vietnam
19:43portrayed in 1968's The Green Berets starring John Wayne.
19:47In fact, Platoon utilized the director's own first-hand experiences as an infantryman for inspiration.
19:54The results are harrowing and haunting, making Platoon one of the finest war movies ever made.
20:13Number 5. Paths of Glory.
20:19I'm depending on you, Colonel. All France is depending on you.
20:25Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick may be known among his fans for his infamous 1987 Vietnam-era picture
20:31Full Metal Jacket, but the director actually worked in the war movie genre much earlier
20:36with this 1957 tale of a French battalion during World War I.
20:41Kirk Douglas stars as the troop's commanding officer, who attempts to defend his men against
20:46charges of cowardice due to their failure of what's essentially a mission of self-destruction.
20:52The case made against these men is a mockery of all human justice.
20:56Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty
21:01will be a crime to haunt each of you to the day you die.
21:07Stanley Kubrick's filmography is crowded with classics,
21:10but the anti-war flick Paths of Glory may be one of the director's more underrated efforts.
21:16I apologize for not revealing my true feelings.
21:20I apologize, sir, for not telling you sooner that you're a degenerate,
21:24sadistic old man, and you can go to hell before I apologize to you now or ever again.
21:30Number 4. Das Boot.
21:37Fans may remember seeing this film as either a theatrical release or a TV mini-series,
21:46depending on where they lived, but Das Boot has continued to earn fans on home video over the
21:52years. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and follows the crew of a German U-Boat during
21:58World War II. Das Boot was notable for capturing not only the thrill and danger of battle,
22:20but also the dullness that came to define the often long stretches of downtime in between
22:27sporadic conflict. Add to this the memorable score by Klaus Doldinger and you have one
22:32unique war film for the ages. Number 3. Lawrence of Arabia.
22:57Don't let the nearly four-hour runtime of 1962's Lawrence of Arabia dissuade you from catching
23:03this masterpiece for the first time. Director David Lean crafted a true classic with this
23:08dramatized adaptation of T.E. Lawrence's diplomatic experiences in World War I.
23:14Lawrence of Arabia features a stellar cast including Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, and
23:20Alec Guinness. Yep, Obi-Wan Kenobi himself co-stars in this sprawling and breathtaking epic,
23:39a film full of action and visceral thrills. There's emotional depth to the picture too,
23:43however, as well as an all-time Hall of Fame score from composer Maurice Jarre.
23:48Lawrence of Arabia is the real deal. Number 2. Apocalypse Now.
24:19The word epic doesn't even begin to describe this massive film from director Francis Ford Coppola
24:30and co-screenwriter John Milius. Apocalypse Now is a dark and violent thrill ride that follows
24:37Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin Willard, a detached military man in search of a mission.
24:42That mission turns out to be an assassination attempt on a reclusive renegade colonel by the
24:47name of Kurtz. Marlon Brando's magnetic performance as the mentally unhinged Kurtz may
24:52not appear until the film's final sequences, but its immense power continues to haunt viewers to
24:58this day as one of the best war film performances ever committed to celluloid. Before we continue,
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25:27Number 1. Saving Private Ryan. Realistic violence is a staple of war films,
25:39but not everyone was ready for the astonishing level of grit director Steven Spielberg put on
25:44screen in Saving Private Ryan. The film's opening sequence alone, which details the invasion of
25:50Normandy on June 6, 1944, is a visceral gut-check that places the audience directly in the middle
25:57of combat. Spielberg's film also focuses on people, however, specifically a squad whose
26:03mission is to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have perished during the conflict.
26:14This balance of action and emotion, along with its immense critical and commercial success,
26:30more than justifies Saving Private Ryan's top position as the greatest war movie ever.
26:44Number 2. Cliff Notes.
26:56Are you willing to go all-in for an epic length war movie,
27:00or do you prefer the Cliff Notes version? Let us know in the comments.
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