the best 25 war movies i have seen
There are numerous war movies but some are so well made that they leave a lasting impression on us. some make us adore the heroes of war and hate the villains while others make us question the rationale behind the bloodshed.
List activity
16K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
25 titles
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.terrific movie...with a slow absorbing pace. martin sheen at his best!!
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsAlan ArkinMartin BalsamRichard BenjaminA man is trying desperately to be certified insane during World War II, so he can stop flying missions.some extremely witty dialogues esp. the one where doctor explains the bombardier hero the meaning of catch 22. its a great dark comedy on war.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsJürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus WennemannA German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.slow...at times boring...but still its a gem of this genre
- 19641h 35mPG8.3 (519K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.another satire...this time on cold war...only minus was the ending which felt incomplete to me
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsChristian BaleJohn MalkovichMiranda RichardsonA young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.a tale of how innocents suffer in the war. a tale of how innocence of a kid can't take sides in a war...in the beginning a young christian bale says to japanese, 'i surrender' and in the end says the same to american forces. the 2 scenes sum up the movie as 'classic'
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.the best portrayal of hitler i've seen. well apart from that in 'inglorious basterds'
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.a powerhouse starcast in form of denzel washington, morgan freeman and matthew broderick. this one is for serious cinema lovers only.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenTom BerengerWillem DafoeChris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.the best one in oliver stones vietnam trilogy. charlie sheen, tom berenger and willem defoe deliver stunning performances. this one also marked the debut of johnny depp.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsTom CruiseBryan LarkinRaymond J. BarryThe biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country for which he fought.simply brilliant act by tom cruise..need not say more.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsHiep Thi LeTommy Lee JonesHaing S. NgorDuring the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese woman struggles hustling on the streets, where she comes face to face with those involved in the conflict around her.the weakest link of the vietnam trilogy and still it is not a weak film by any means.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsSam WaterstonHaing S. NgorJohn MalkovichA journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.the real life saga of dith pran. its slow in the second half but all together a good watch.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.the most authentic portrayal of world war. starring tom hanks this is in my opinion the best war movie EVER
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsJude LawEd HarrisJoseph FiennesA Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.this cat and mouse flick featuring jude law is a must watch before you die. the sniper warfare is really well conceived and equally well directed.
- DirectorJonathan MostowStarsMatthew McConaugheyBill PaxtonHarvey KeitelA German submarine is boarded by disguised American submariners trying to capture their Enigma cipher machine.the best submarine war movie.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsNicolas CageAdam BeachPeter StormareTwo U.S. Marines in World War II are assigned to protect Navajo Marines, who use their native language as an unbreakable radio cypher.good war sequences, a good plot and nicholas cage.
- DirectorChetan AnandStarsBalraj SahniDharmendraVijay AnandA platoon of Indian soldiers encounters harsh realities while fighting in the Sino-Indian War of 1962.only decent war movie from indian movie industry aka bollywood. i wish the other indian filmakers especially like the ones who made border and L.O.C. could learn from it and stop serving us war scenes that look easier than a water gun fight.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsSean ConneryRyan O'NealMichael CaineOperation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.inspired from true events..this was the best account of european war and airborne soldiers until they made 'band of brothers'
- StarsJames Badge DaleJoseph MazzelloJon SedaThe Pacific Theatre of World War II, as seen through the eyes of several young Marines.the first 5 episodes were a bit slow and at times tad boring but the last 5 really made up for it..must watch.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.a real stunner..it seemed like an ordinary war film till they added the twists and turns, back stabbing and more back stabbing in the ending.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsDonald SutherlandElliott GouldTom SkerrittThe staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and high jinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.not a war film in reality but its set in a war zone and looks at the life of doctors and nurses associated with war. it really had me in splits.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMatthew ModineR. Lee ErmeyVincent D'OnofrioA pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.stanley kubrick's take on vietnam war. the film was good but it lacked a single main plot so was a bit of a downer.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.this movie was not in the list as i was under impression that i had added it already. so now that i have been reminded, out goes pearl harbour and in come the 'basterds'. brilliant movie, had lots of fun, action was great and christoph waltz trumped brad pitt to become the USP of this one.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsJosh HartnettEwan McGregorTom SizemoreThe story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.this one has so many bullets fired and bombs hurled that they could have actually won a whole war in reality with that much ammo. the noise gave me a headache but the still kept me riveted to my seat. and inspite of getting a headache every time i see it, i've seen it a dozen times.
- StarsScott GrimesDamian LewisRon LivingstonThe story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.all other films fail in front of this. this is the pinnacle of war genre. realistic, based on true soldiers and their regiment, this is a must watch for every living soul on earth. if you have not seen this then you have not seen anything.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.this is not a war film or should i say just another war film. this is a poetry, this is a prose, this is a film with violence and a clean soul.
this is a war movie which heals the soul and calms the mind. this a combination which is hard to find. this may not be the best war movie but this is the best movie ever.