150 Best War Movies of All Time

Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.

Synopsis: A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager charged with the care of his younger… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: A Man Escaped is blockbuster Bresson, a well-acted POW drama that builds with subtle, seat-gripping tension.

Synopsis: In a film based on the writings of French Resistance fighter and POW André Devigny, Fontaine is being held by the Nazis at Fort Montluc…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod

Directed By: Robert Bresson

Critics Consensus: An undisputed masterpiece and perhaps Hollywood’s quintessential statement on love and romance, Casablanca has only improved with age, boasting career-defining performances from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Synopsis: Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains

Directed By: Michael Curtiz, Jack L. Warner

Critics Consensus: A documentary-like depiction of a nation’s real-life efforts to expel a colonizing force, The Battle of Algiers puts viewers on the front lines with gripping realism.

Synopsis: Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to 1950s Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Brahim Haggiag, Tommaso Neri

Directed By: Gillo Pontecorvo

Critics Consensus: Schindler’s List blends the abject horror of the Holocaust with Steven Spielberg’s signature tender humanism to create the director’s dramatic masterpiece.

Synopsis: Businessman Oskar Schindler arrives in Kraków in 1939, ready to make his fortune from World War II, which has just started. After joining the Nazi… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall

Directed By: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

Critics Consensus: Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant Cold War satire remains as funny and razor-sharp today as it was in 1964.

Synopsis: A film about what could happen if the wrong person pushed the wrong button — and it played the situation for laughs. U.S. Air Force… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens

Directed By: Stanley Kubrick, Leon Minoff

Critics Consensus: Director Lewis Milestone’s brilliant anti-war polemic, headlined by an unforgettable performance from Lew Ayres, lays bare the tragic foolishness at the heart of war.

Synopsis: The film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War I by their jingoistic teacher. The story is… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Raymond Griffith

Directed By: Lewis Milestone

Critics Consensus: Taut, breathtakingly thrilling, and devastatingly intelligent, Das Boot is one of the greatest war films ever made.

Synopsis: A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch

Directed By: Wolfgang Petersen, Mark Damon, John W. Hyde, Edward R. Pressman

Critics Consensus: Perhaps Kenneth Branagh’s most fully realized Shakespeare adaptation, Henry V is an energetic, passionate, and wonderfully acted film.

Synopsis: In this gritty screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s play about the heroic and ruthless king, Henry V of England (Kenneth Branagh) determines to lay claim to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Ian Holm

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Evans

Critics Consensus: A wholly innovative, original, and vital history lesson, with pioneering animation, Waltz With Bashir delivers its message about the Middle East in a mesmerizing fashion.

Synopsis: Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman wrote, directed and starred in this autobiographical animated film. As a 19-year-old infantry soldier in the 1982 war with Lebanon, Folman… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yehezkel Lazarov, Mickey Leon

Directed By: Ari Folman

Critics Consensus: An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.

Synopsis: Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright

Directed By: William Wyler

Critics Consensus: Originally made in 1969, this recently reissued classic is a masterful examination of the inner workings of the World War II resistance efforts.

Synopsis: This adaptation of the book by Joseph Kessel paints an understated, unglamorous portrait of the French Resistance during World War II. Betrayed by an informant,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Paul Crauchet

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Melville

Critics Consensus: Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion is a masterful anti-war statement, bringing humane insight and an undercurrent of ironic humor to an unusual relationship between captor and captive.

Synopsis: A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin), grapple with their own class… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio

Directed By: Jean Renoir

Critics Consensus: A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is thus far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War.

Synopsis: Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce

Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow, Tony Mark

Critics Consensus: Grimly intense yet thoroughly rewarding, Son of Saul offers an unforgettable viewing experience — and establishes director László Nemes as a talent to watch.

Synopsis: During World War II, a Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Géza Röhrig, Kecske Molnár Levente, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsótér

Directed By: László Nemes, Judit Stalter

Critics Consensus: Powerfully directed and acted, ’71 stays true to its fact-based origins while remaining as gripping as any solidly crafted action thriller.

Synopsis: A young British soldier (Jack O’Connell) must find his way back to safety after his unit accidentally abandons him during a riot in the streets… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Sean Harris, Richard Dormer

Directed By: Yann Demange, Sam Lavender, Tessa Ross, Dan MacRae

Critics Consensus: This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.

Synopsis: Adaptation of the Pierre Boulle novel about POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins

Directed By: David Lean

Critics Consensus: Akira Kurosawa’s sprawling, epic take on King Lear should be required viewing for fans of westerns, war movies, or period films in general.

Synopsis: At the age of seventy, after years of consolidating his empire, the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to abdicate and divide his domain… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa, Katsumi Furukawa

Critics Consensus: Paths of Glory is a transcendentally humane war movie from Stanley Kubrick, with impressive, protracted battle sequences and a knock-out ending.

Synopsis: During World War I, commanding officer General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), to attack a German trench position, offering a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready

Directed By: Stanley Kubrick

Critics Consensus: A complex and timely satire with as much darkness as slapstick, Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not To Be delicately balances humor and ethics.

Synopsis: Acting couple Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are managing a theatrical troupe when the Nazis invade Poland. Maria is having an affair… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart

Directed By: Ernst Lubitsch, Alexander Korda

Critics Consensus: As taut as it is timely, Eye in the Sky offers a powerfully acted — and unusually cerebral — spin on the modern wartime political thriller.

Synopsis: A lieutenant general (Alan Rickman) and a colonel (Helen Mirren) face political opposition after ordering a drone missile strike to take out a group of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi

Directed By: Gavin Hood, Xavier Marchand, Benedict Carver, Anne Sheehan

Critics Consensus: Well-acted and dramatically moving, The Pianist is Polanski’s best work in years.

Synopsis: In this adaptation of the autobiography “The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945,” Władysław Szpilman, a Polish Jewish radio… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman

Directed By: Roman Polanski, Timothy Burrill, Henning Molfenter, Lew Rywin

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by exceptional cinematography, powerful storytelling, and an Oscar-winning performance by Denzel Washington, Glory remains one of the finest Civil War movies ever made.

Synopsis: Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is offered command of the United States’ first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Critics Consensus: Narratively lean as it is deliriously gory, Sisu is an inspired pastiche that gives bloody satisfaction to action aficionados.

Synopsis: During the last desperate days of WWII, a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo

Directed By: Jalmari Helander, Mike Goodridge, Gregory Ouanhon, Antonio Salas

Critics Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg’s unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.

Synopsis: Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Critics Consensus: Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War.

Synopsis: Just after the end of the Gulf War, four American soldiers decide to steal a cache of Saddam Hussein’s hidden gold. Led by Sergeant Major… View Full Synopsis

Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze

Directed By: David O. Russell, Bruce Berman, Gregory Goodman, Kelley Smith-Wait

Critics Consensus: Subsequent war epics may have borrowed heavily from the original Best Picture winner, but they’ve all lacked Clara Bow’s luminous screen presence and William Wellman’s deft direction.

Synopsis: Wings is the first film to win the Academy Award® for Best Picture. Featuring a meticulous restoration and a newly recorded soundtrack based on the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston

Directed By: William A. Wellman, Harry D'Abbadie D'Arrast

Critics Consensus: With its impeccably slow-building story and a cast for the ages, The Great Escape is an all-time action classic.

Synopsis: Imprisoned during World War II in a German POW camp, a group of Allied soldiers are intent on breaking out, not only to escape, but… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson

Directed By: John Sturges

Critics Consensus: Thrilling, earnest, and buoyed by Gal Gadot’s charismatic performance, Wonder Woman succeeds in spectacular fashion.

Synopsis: Before she is Wonder Woman, she is Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

Directed By: Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, Wesley Coller

Critics Consensus: The epic of all epics, Lawrence of Arabia cements director David Lean’s status in the filmmaking pantheon with nearly four hours of grand scope, brilliant performances, and beautiful cinematography.

Synopsis: Due to his knowledge of the native Bedouin tribes, British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness)… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif

Directed By: David Lean

Critics Consensus: Sisu: Road to Revenge consistently and creatively kills the competition.

Synopsis: SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE is a wall-to-wall cinematic action event, a sequel to the original sleeper hit SISU. Returning to the house where his family… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang, Richard Brake

Directed By: Jalmari Helander, Gregory Ouanhon, Antonio Salas

Critics Consensus: Bleak and darkly humorous, No Man’s Land vividly illustrates the absurdity of war.

Synopsis: Ciki (Branko Djuric) and Nino (Rene Bitorajac), a Bosnian and a Serb, are soldiers stranded in No Man’s Land — a trench between enemy lines… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis

Directed By: Danis Tanovic

Critics Consensus: Featuring terrific performances and epic action, Kubrick’s restored swords-and-sandals epic is a true classic.

Synopsis: The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis

Directed By: Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas

Critics Consensus: Dunkirk serves up emotionally satisfying spectacle, delivered by a writer-director in full command of his craft and brought to life by a gifted ensemble cast that honors the fact-based story.

Synopsis: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles

Directed By: Christopher Nolan, Jake Myers

Critics Consensus: Narratively cut to the bone and geared up with superb filmmaking craft, Warfare evokes the primal terror of combat with unnerving power.

Synopsis: Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American… View Full Synopsis

Starring: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor

Directed By: Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland

Critics Consensus: George C. Scott’s sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics.

Synopsis: Biography of controversial World War II hero General George S. Patton. The film covers his wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning with his entry into the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, David Bauer, Edward Binns

Directed By: Franklin J. Schaffner

Critics Consensus: Gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted, Zero Dark Thirty dramatizes the hunt for Osama bin Laden with intelligence and an eye for detail.

Synopsis: Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden becomes one of the most-wanted men on the planet. The worldwide manhunt for the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle

Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow, Colin Wilson, Greg Shapiro, Ted Schipper

Critics Consensus: A powerfully humanistic portrayal of the perils of war, this companion piece to Flags of our Fathers is potent and thought-provoking, and it demonstrates Clint Eastwood’s maturity as a director.

Synopsis: Long-buried missives from the island reveal the stories of the Japanese troops who fought and died there during World War II. Among them are Saigo… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryô Kase

Directed By: Clint Eastwood, Paul Haggis

Critics Consensus: A voyage to hell where the journey is more satisfying than the destination, Francis Ford Coppola’s haunting, hallucinatory Vietnam War epic is cinema at its most audacious and visionary.

Synopsis: In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

Critics Consensus: Beasts of No Nation finds writer-director Cary Fukunaga working with a talented cast to offer a sobering, uncompromising, yet still somehow hopeful picture of war’s human cost.

Synopsis: As civil war rages in Africa, a fierce warlord (Idris Elba) trains a young orphan (Abraham Attah) to join his group of guerrilla soldiers.

Starring: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, Kurt Egyiawan

Directed By: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Nnamdi Asomugha, Bill Benenson, Laura Bickford

Critics Consensus: Held aloft by outstanding work from a tremendous cast, One Life pays heartwarming tribute to a remarkable humanitarian effort.

Synopsis: Based on the book If It’s Not Impossible…: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton, ONE LIFE tells the incredible, emotional true story… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Lena Olin, Romola Garai

Directed By: James Hawes, Simon Gillis, Eva Yates, Barbara Winton

Critics Consensus: Land of Mine uses an oft-forgotten chapter from the aftermath of World War II to tell a hard-hitting story whose period setting belies its timeless observations about bloodshed and forgiveness.

Synopsis: A group of German POWs are forced to dig up millions of land mines with their bare hands.

Starring: Roland Møller, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Laura Bro, Louis Hofmann

Directed By: Martin Zandvliet, Henrik Zein, Daniel Baur, Lena Haugaard

Critics Consensus: Stalag 17 survives the jump from stage to screen with flying colors, thanks to Billy Wilder’s typically sterling direction and a darkly funny script.

Synopsis: One night in 1944 in a German POW camp housing American airmen, two prisoners try to escape the compound and are quickly discovered and shot… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Holden, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Don Taylor

Directed By: Billy Wilder

Critics Consensus: Peter Weir’s devastating anti-war film features a low-key but emotionally wrenching performance from Mel Gibson as a young soldier fighting in one of World War I’s most deadly and horrifying battles.

Synopsis: Archy and Frank are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr, Ron Graham

Directed By: Peter Weir, Francis O'Brien

Critics Consensus: Artfully composed, powerfully acted, and fueled by a powerful blend of anger and empathy, The Killing Fields is a career-defining triumph for director Roland Joffé and a masterpiece of cinema.

Synopsis: New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran (Haing… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Julian Sands

Directed By: Roland Joffé

Critics Consensus: With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the “prestige biopic” genre.

Synopsis: In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma — which cryptanalysts… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear

Directed By: Morten Tyldum, Graham Moore

Critics Consensus: Both timely and timeless, All Quiet on the Western Front retains the power of its classic source material by focusing on the futility of war.

Synopsis: All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus

Directed By: Edward Berger, Malte Grunert

Critics Consensus: Director Werner Herzog has once again made a compelling tale of man versus nature, and Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role of fighter pilot (and prisoner of war) Dieter Dengler.

Synopsis: During the Vietnam War, Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a U.S. fighter pilot, is shot down over Laos and taken captive by enemy soldiers. Interned in… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Galen Yuen

Directed By: Werner Herzog, Elie Samaha, Gerald Green, Nick N. Raslan

Critics Consensus: Downfall is an illuminating, thoughtful and detailed account of Hitler’s last days.

Synopsis: In 1942, young Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) lands her dream job — secretary to Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) at the peak of his power…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes

Directed By: Oliver Hirschbiegel, Christine Rothe

Critics Consensus: Bleak and uncompromising, but director Ken Loach brightens his film with gorgeous cinematography and tight pacing, and features a fine performance from Cillian Murphy.

Synopsis: In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O’Donovan (Cillian Murphy) prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald

Directed By: Ken Loach, Ulrich Felsberg, Andrew Lowe, Nigel Thomas

Critics Consensus: A powerful and personal account of war on the front line, writer-director Samuel Maoz takes the viewer inside an Israeli tank to deliver an exhausting, original film.

Synopsis: This tense war film focuses on a group of Israeli soldiers operating a tank in hostile territory during the 1982 conflict in Lebanon. Hindered by… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov

Directed By: Samuel Maoz, Sonja Ewers

Critics Consensus: Gone with the Wind‘s epic grandeur and romantic allure encapsulate an era of Hollywood filmmaking — but that can’t excuse a blinkered perspective that stands on the wrong side of history.

Synopsis: Winner of eight Academy Awards® (plus two special achievement Oscars) Celebrate the 85th Anniversary of one of the most celebrated motion pictures of all time,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Directed By: Victor Fleming

Critics Consensus: Intense, tightly constructed, and darkly comic at times, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket may not boast the most original of themes, but it is exceedingly effective at communicating them.

Synopsis: Stanley Kubrick’s take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened “Joker” by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey

Directed By: Stanley Kubrick, Jan Harlan

Critics Consensus: As effectively anti-war as movies can be, Come and See is a harrowing odyssey through the worst that humanity is capable of, directed with bravura intensity by Elem Klimov.

Synopsis: The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya (Aleksey Kravchenko) into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Laucevicius, Vladas Bagdonas

Directed By: Elem Klimov

Critics Consensus: A well-calibrated blend of manic comedy and poignant drama, Good Morning, Vietnam offers a captivating look at a wide range of Robin Williams’ cinematic gifts.

Synopsis: Radio funny man Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) is sent to Vietnam to bring a little comedy back into the lives of the soldiers. After setting… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Chintara Sukapatana

Directed By: Barry Levinson

Critics Consensus: A classic Tarantino genre-blending thrill ride, Inglourious Basterds is violent, unrestrained, and thoroughly entertaining.

Synopsis: It is the first year of Germany’s occupation of France. Allied officer Lt. Aldo Raine assembles a team of Jewish soldiers to commit violent acts… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino, Erica Steinberg, Lloyd Phillips, Bob Weinstein

Critics Consensus: Daniel Day-Lewis characteristically delivers in this witty, dignified portrait that immerses the audience in its world and entertains even as it informs.

Synopsis: With the nation embroiled in still another year with the high death count of Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln brings the full measure of his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Directed By: Steven Spielberg, Jonathan King, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll

Critics Consensus: Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.

Synopsis: Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Once he’s on the ground in the middle… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker

Directed By: Oliver Stone, John Daly, Derek Gibson

Critics Consensus: Boasting taut, high energy thrills and some cracking dialogue courtesy of an uncredited Quentin Tarantino, Crimson Tide finds director Tony Scott near the top of his action game.

Synopsis: After the Cold War, a breakaway Russian republic with nuclear warheads becomes a possible worldwide threat. U.S. submarine Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) signs on… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen

Directed By: Tony Scott, Lucas Foster, Mike Moder, Bill Unger

Critics Consensus: Hard-hitting, immersive, and an impressive technical achievement, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with raw, startling immediacy.

Synopsis: During World War I, two British soldiers — Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake — receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott

Directed By: Sam Mendes, Jeb Brody, Oleg Petrov, Ignacio Salazar-Simpson

Critics Consensus: The Wind Rises is a fittingly bittersweet swan song for director Hayao Miyazaki.

Synopsis: A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A6M World War II fighter plane. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki, Gary Rydstrom, Koji Hoshino, Geoffrey Wexler

Critics Consensus: The Last of the Mohicans is a breathless romantic adventure that plays loose with James Fenimore Cooper’s novel — and comes out with a richer action movie for it.

Synopsis: The last members of a dying Native American tribe, the Mohicans — Uncas, his father Chingachgook, and his adopted half-white brother Hawkeye — live in… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig

Directed By: Michael Mann, James G. Robinson

Critics Consensus: It has perhaps aged poorly, but this languidly paced WWII romance remains an iconic, well-acted film, featuring particularly strong performances from Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift.

Synopsis: At an Army barracks in Hawaii in the days preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor, lone-wolf soldier and boxing champion Prew Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) refuses… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra

Directed By: Fred Zinnemann

Critics Consensus: Tangerines‘ impassioned message and the strong work of a solid cast more than make up for the movie’s flawed narrative and uneven structure.

Synopsis: During the war in Abkhazia, an Estonian man stays behind to harvest tangerines and cares for a wounded fighter.

Starring: Mikheil Meskhi, Misha Meskhi, Giorgi Nakashidze, Elmo Nüganen

Directed By: Zaza Urushadze

Critics Consensus: The reconstruction of Samuel Fuller’s epic account of his days in North Africa in World War II elevates the film into the pantheon of great war movies.

Synopsis: Having previously fought in World War I, an unnamed sergeant (Lee Marvin) now leads soldiers of the U.S. First Infantry Division through World War II…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco

Directed By: Samuel Fuller, Brian Jamieson

Critics Consensus: Darkly funny and understatedly absurd, Zero Motivation is a refreshing addition to the canon of irreverent war comedies — and an intriguing calling card for writer-director Talya Lavie.

Synopsis: Female Israeli soldiers are posted to a remote desert base and spend their time pushing paper until they can return to civilian life.

Starring: Dana Ivgy, Nelly Tagar, Shani Klein, Heli Twito

Directed By: Talya Lavie, Eilon Ratzkovsky

Critics Consensus: Beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted, A Midnight Clear is a holiday war film in search of a wider audience.

Synopsis: In the winter of 1944, American soldiers led by Will Knott (Ethan Hawke) are assigned to capture a small squad of German soldiers posted in… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, Arye Gross

Directed By: Keith Gordon, Marc Abraham, Armyan Bernstein, Tom Rosenberg

Critics Consensus: Finding a fresh angle on one of the most dramatized days in military history, Pressure is a brainy war film that derives most of its thrills from Andrew Scott’s simmering performance.

Synopsis: In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina

Directed By: Anthony Maras, Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern, Joe Naftalin

Critics Consensus: Its greatness is blunted by its length and one-sided point of view, but the film’s weaknesses are overpowered by Michael Cimino’s sympathetic direction and a series of heartbreaking performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.

Synopsis: In 1968, Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), lifelong friends from a working-class Pennsylvania steel town, prepare to ship out… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale

Directed By: Michael Cimino

Critics Consensus: Though it suffers from excessive length and ambition, director Minghella’s adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel is complex, powerful, and moving.

Synopsis: The sweeping expanses of the Sahara are the setting for a passionate love affair in this adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s novel. A badly burned man,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas

Directed By: Anthony Minghella, Scott Greenstein, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein

Critics Consensus: Bold, timely, subversive, and above all funny, M*A*S*H remains a high point in Robert Altman’s distinguished filmography.

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Richard Hooker, M*A*S*H follows a group of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital officers at they perform surgery and pass the time… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Tom Skerritt

Directed By: Robert Altman

Critics Consensus: An emotional and intriguing tale of a military officer who must review the merits of a fallen officer while confronting his own war demons. Effectively depicts the terrors of war as well as its heartbreaking aftermath.

Synopsis: During the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) accidentally caused a friendly fire incident, a mistake that was hushed up by his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty

Directed By: Edward Zwick, Joseph M. Caracciolo, Debra Martin Chase

Critics Consensus: Russell Crowe’s rough charm is put to good use in this masterful adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s novel.

Synopsis: In 1805, aboard the H.M.S. Surprise, the brash Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and his trusted friend, the ship’s scholarly surgeon, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany),… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy

Directed By: Peter Weir

Critics Consensus: Hacksaw Ridge uses a real-life pacifist’s legacy to lay the groundwork for a gripping wartime tribute to faith, valor, and the courage of remaining true to one’s convictions.

Synopsis: The true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms during WWII on… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Richard Pyros, Jacob Warner, Milo Gibson

Directed By: Mel Gibson, Michael Bassick, David S. Greathouse, Mark C. Manuel

Critics Consensus: Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan.

Synopsis: In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Willem Dafoe, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry

Directed By: Oliver Stone

Critics Consensus: Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it’s a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel.

Synopsis: This sweeping English drama, based on the book by Ian McEwan, follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner. When the couple… View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan

Directed By: Joe Wright, Richard Eyre, Robert Fox, Ian McEwan

Critics Consensus: If its fact-based story proves more fascinatingly outlandish than it’s presented here, Operation Mincemeat remains an engaging and well-acted wartime drama.

Synopsis: It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe, and plan an all-out assault on Sicily; but they face an impossible… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton

Directed By: John Madden, Simon Gillis, Christian McLaughlin

Critics Consensus: Amoral on the surface and exuding testosterone, The Dirty Dozen utilizes combat and its staggering cast of likable scoundrels to deliver raucous entertainment.

Synopsis: As D-Day approaches, Colonel Breed hands the roguish Major Reisman an important assignment: He must train a team of soldiers to parachute across enemy lines… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown

Directed By: Robert Aldrich

Critics Consensus: Casualties of War takes a harrowing plunge into the Vietnam War with a well-acted ensemble piece that ranks among director Brian De Palma’s more mature efforts.

Synopsis: Pvt. Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is stationed in Vietnam under Sgt. Tony Meserve (Sean Penn). Though Meserve saves Eriksson’s life during battle, the two… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly

Directed By: Brian De Palma

Critics Consensus: It may not be the best of David Lean’s epics, but Dr. Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic.

Synopsis: During the Russian Revolution, Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father’s suicide…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay

Directed By: David Lean, Arvid Griffen

Critics Consensus: A tale of survival from director Steve McQueen, Blitz‘s examination of British society under wartime is given a beating heart by Elliott Heffernan and Saoirse Ronan’s lovely performances.

Synopsis: Sir Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan)… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Leigh Gill, Harris Dickinson

Directed By: Steve McQueen, Anna Smith Tenser

Critics Consensus: Honoring real-life history while delivering impactful drama, Devotion is a straightforward biopic elevated by standout performances from a talented cast.

Synopsis: Devotion, an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name, tells the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Glen Powell, Jonathan Majors, Joe Jonas, Christina Jackson

Directed By: J.D. Dillard, J.D. Dillard, Glen Powell, Robert Simonds

Critics Consensus: With plenty of pulpy action, a pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances, Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment.

Synopsis: It is 1941 and the world is in the throes of war. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to do his part and join America’s armed… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones

Directed By: Joe Johnston, Louis D'Esposito, Joe Johnston, Nigel Gostelow

Critics Consensus: The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars.

Synopsis: In 1942, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is a U.S. Army absconder living peacefully with the locals of a small South Pacific island. Discovered by his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin

Directed By: Terrence Malick, George Stevens Jr.

Critics Consensus: Benigni’s earnest charm, when not overstepping its bounds into the unnecessarily treacly, offers the possibility of hope in the face of unflinching horror.

Synopsis: A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), meets Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a pretty schoolteacher, and wins her over with his charm and humor. Eventually… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano

Directed By: Roberto Benigni

Critics Consensus: The second part of Soderbergh’s biopic is a dark, hypnotic and sometimes frustrating portrait of a warrior in decline, with a terrific central performance from Del Toro.

Synopsis: Seven years after his triumph in Cuba, Che winds up in Bolivia, where he tries to ignite the same revolutionary fires as before. But, with… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Elvira Mínguez

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh, Belén Atienza, Álvaro Augustin, Frederic W. Brost

Critics Consensus: A well-crafted and visually arresting drama with a touch of whimsy.

Synopsis: Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to believe this, however, and begins… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker, Dominique Bettenfeld

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Critics Consensus: Greyhound‘s characters aren’t as robust as its action sequences, but this fast-paced World War II thriller benefits from its efficiently economical approach.

Synopsis: U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ernest Krause is assigned to lead an Allied convoy across the Atlantic during World War II. His convoy, however, is pursued by… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Elisabeth Shue, Rob Morgan

Directed By: Aaron Schneider, Jason Cloth, David Coatsworth, Aaron L. Gilbert

Critics Consensus: Though it’s light on character development and cultural empathy, Black Hawk Down is a visceral, pulse-pounding portrait of war, elevated by Ridley Scott’s superb technical skill.

Synopsis: In 1993, the U.S. sends special forces into Somalia to destabilize the government and bring food and humanitarian aid to the starving population. Using Black… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana

Directed By: Ridley Scott, Branko Lustig, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson

Critics Consensus: A furious mix of sex, violence, and moral relativism, Black Book is shamelessly entertaining melodrama.

Synopsis: After narrowly escaping death, young Rachel Rosenthal (Carice van Houten) becomes part of the Jewish resistance, assuming the name Ellis de Vries. Her superiors order… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven, Andreas Grosch, Andrea Schmid, Marcus Schoefer

Critics Consensus: As impressively ambitious as it is satisfyingly impactful, Michael Collins honors its subject’s remarkable achievements with a magnetic performance from Liam Neeson in the title role.

Synopsis: In the early 20th century, Michael Collins (Liam Neeson) leads the Irish Republican Army with the help of his friends Harry Boland (Aidan Quinn) and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Rickman

Directed By: Neil Jordan

Critics Consensus: Flags of Our Fathers is both a fascinating look at heroism, both earned and manufactured, and a well-filmed salute to the men who fought at the battle of Iwo Jima.

Synopsis: In February and March 1945, U.S. troops fight and win one of the most crucial and costly battles of the war on the island of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey

Directed By: Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz

Critics Consensus: Overall, Fury is a well-acted, suitably raw depiction of the horrors of war that offers visceral battle scenes but doesn’t quite live up to its larger ambitions.

Synopsis: In April 1945, the Allies are making their final push in the European theater. A battle-hardened Army sergeant named Don “Wardaddy” Collier, leading a Sherman… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña

Directed By: David Ayer, Brad Pitt, Sasha Shapiro, Anton Lessine

Critics Consensus: A true account of military courage and survival, Lone Survivor wields enough visceral power to mitigate its heavy-handed jingoism.

Synopsis: In 2005 Afghanistan, Navy SEALs Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matthew “Axe” Axelson (Ben Foster) deploy on… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch

Directed By: Peter Berg, George Furla, Simon Fawcett, Braden Aftergood

Critics Consensus: Thought-provoking, timely, and anchored by a strong performance from Ethan Hawke, Good Kill is a modern war movie with a troubled conscience.

Synopsis: An Air Force drone pilot (Ethan Hawke) begins to question the ethics of dropping bombs on Afghanistan from the safety of his post in Las… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Zoë Kravitz

Directed By: Andrew Niccol, Patrick Newall, Ted Gidlow, Cami Winikoff

Critics Consensus: One of Steven Spielberg’s most ambitious efforts of the 1980s, Empire of the Sun remains an underrated gem in the director’s distinguished filmography.

Synopsis: Jamie Graham (Christian Bale), a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers

Directed By: Steven Spielberg, Robert Shapiro

Critics Consensus: Technically superb, proudly sentimental, and unabashedly old-fashioned, War Horse is an emotional drama that tugs the heartstrings with Spielberg’s customary flair.

Synopsis: Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan

Directed By: Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Revel Guest

Critics Consensus: Distractingly violent and historically dodgy, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart justifies its epic length by delivering enough sweeping action, drama, and romance to match its ambition.

Synopsis: Tells the story of the legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero named William Wallace (Mel Gibson). Wallace rallies the Scottish against the English monarch and Edward… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack

Directed By: Mel Gibson, Stephen McEveety

Critics Consensus: The poignant humanity on display in Joyeux Noel makes its sentimentality forgivable.

Synopsis: With the advent of World War I, Europe is thrown into a brutal and vicious chaos as men are forced to kill or be killed…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Diane Kruger, Benno Fürmann, Guillaume Canet, Gary Lewis

Directed By: Christian Carion

Critics Consensus: Powered by Clint Eastwood’s sure-handed direction and a gripping central performance from Bradley Cooper, American Sniper delivers a tense, vivid tribute to its real-life subject.

Synopsis: U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) takes his sole mission — protect his comrades — to heart and becomes one of the most lethal… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes

Directed By: Clint Eastwood, Jason Hall, Tim Moore, Sheroum Kim

Critics Consensus: A patriotic booster, Laurence Olivier’s directorial debut and star turn as Henry V result in a sharply realized and resonant take on Shakespeare’s deeply British warrior king.

Synopsis: Olivier’s masterful, sweeping rendition of Shakespeare, filmed in rich color and ingeniously including a typical performance at the Globe Theatre as it might have been… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Renée Asherson, Leslie Banks

Directed By: Laurence Olivier

Critics Consensus: Ostensibly an atypical Tarkovsky work (less than 100 minutes!), Ivan’s Childhood carries the poetry and passion that would characterize the director from here on.

Synopsis: When Nazi invaders destroy his Russian village and kill his family, 12-year-old Ivan (Kolya Burlyayev) is placed in a German prison camp. Ivan escapes from… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeniy Zharikov, Stepan Krylov

Directed By: Andrei Tarkovsky

Synopsis: In WWII’s final years, a soldier in the German army, a British glider pilot, and a Dutch resistance fighter’s paths intertwine. Their choices shape destinies,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gijs Blom, Jamie Flatters, Susan Radder, Jan Bijvoet

Directed By: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., Frank Klein, Paula van der Oest, Mark van Eeuwen

Synopsis: In April 1940, the eyes of the world are on Narvik, a small town in northern Norway, a source of the iron ore needed for… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kristine Hartgen, Billy Campbell, Stig Henrik Hoff, Henrik Mestad

Directed By: Erik Skjoldbjærg, Sveinung Golimo, Christopher Grøndahl, Henrik Zein

Critics Consensus: Major Dundee is a Western-type with big war scenes, shot with bombast typical of Sam Peckinpah.

Synopsis: During the end of the Civil War, Major Dundee guards Confederate prisoners, Union deserters and ordinary hard-bitten criminals in a remote fort. When Apaches attack… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn

Directed By: Sam Peckinpah

Critics Consensus: A moving evocation of both British values and the passage of time, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is an epic portrait of a singular character by Powell and Pressburger.

Synopsis: General Candy (Roger Livesey), who’s overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn’t have the respect of the men he’s training… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook, John Laurie

Directed By: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Critics Consensus: Zulu patiently establishes a cast of colorful characters and insurmountable stakes before unleashing its white-knuckle spectacle, delivering an unforgettable war epic in the bargain.

Synopsis: In 1879, the Zulu nation hands colonial British forces a resounding defeat in battle. A nearby regiment of the British Army takes over a station… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Caine

Directed By: Charles De Latour

Critics Consensus: Twelve O’Clock High is a high-stakes, high-tension war drama powered by great, well-written characters.

Synopsis: In 1942, an American Air Force unit stationed in England is plagued with morale problems until no-nonsense Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) assumes command…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gregory Peck, Dean Jagger, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe

Directed By: Henry King

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a cast of memorable stars and an impressive sense of scale, The Guns of the Navarone fires with vivid characterization and entertaining spectacle.

Synopsis: In 1943, a small commando team is sent to destroy huge German guns on the Greek Island of Navarone in order to rescue Allied troops… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker

Directed By: J. Lee Thompson

Critics Consensus: Despite its somewhat disjointed narrative, Oliver Stone’s Salvador is a vivid and powerful political drama that sets an early tone for the director’s similarly provocative future projects.

Synopsis: Unable to find work in America because of his penchant for booze and drugs, photojournalist Richard Boyle (James Woods) heads to El Salvador with his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage

Directed By: Oliver Stone, John Daly, Derek Gibson

Critics Consensus: Funny, suspenseful, and spectacularly entertaining, Gunga Din is an expertly calibrated adventure flick with some unfortunately outdated ideas about race.

Synopsis: British army sergeants Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), Cutter (Cary Grant) and MacChesney (Victor McLaglen) serve in India during the 1880s, along with their native water-bearer,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Victor McLaglen, Joan Fontaine

Directed By: George Stevens

Critics Consensus: Worthy themes and strong performances across the board make Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence an impactful story about bridging cultural divides.

Synopsis: During World War II, British soldier Jack Celliers (David Bowie) is captured by Japanese forces and held in a prison camp by the honor-bound Capt…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano

Directed By: Nagisa Ôshima

Synopsis: A crack team of Allied soldiers stages a daring rescue during World War II. A U.S. general is being held captive in an imposing castle… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark

Directed By: Brian G. Hutton

Synopsis: Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Bennent, Angela Winkler, Mario Adorf, Daniel Olbrychski

Directed By: Volker Schlöndorff

Critics Consensus: Private Benjamin proves a potent showcase for its Oscar-nominated star, with Hawn making the most of a story that rests almost completely on her daffily irresistible charm.

Synopsis: A Jewish-American princess, Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn), is devastated when her husband (Albert Brooks) drops dead on their wedding night. While she grieves a duplicitous… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante, Robert Webber

Directed By: Howard Zieff, Goldie Hawn

Critics Consensus: Coming Home‘s stellar cast elevates the love triangle in the center of its story – and adds a necessary human component to its none-too-subtle political message.

Synopsis: The wife of a Marine serving in Vietnam, Sally Hyde (Jane Fonda) decides to volunteer at a local veterans hospital to occupy her time. There… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Robert Ginty

Directed By: Hal Ashby

Synopsis: In 1944, the U.S. Army and Allied forces plan a huge invasion landing in Normandy, France. Despite bad weather, General Eisenhower gives the okay and… View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger

Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki

Critics Consensus: Catch-22 takes entertainingly chaotic aim at the insanity of armed conflict, supported by a terrific cast and smart, funny work from Buck Henry and Mike Nichols.

Synopsis: This scathing war satire follows Capt. John Yossarian (Alan Arkin), a pilot stationed in the Mediterranean who flies bombing missions during World War II. Attempting… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel

Directed By: Mike Nichols

Synopsis: Prize-winning Tennessee marksman Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a recent convert to Christianity, finds himself torn between his non-violent beliefs and his desire to serve his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias

Directed By: Howard Hawks

Critics Consensus: Gettysburg‘s reverent approach to history is balanced with the committed work of a talented cast – and the hard-hitting dramatization of a bloody turning point in the Civil War.

Synopsis: This war drama depicts one of the biggest events of the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg. The massive three-day conflict begins as Confederate… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Jeff Daniels

Directed By: Ronald F. Maxwell

Critics Consensus: Kelly’s Heroes subverts its World War II setting with pointed satirical commentary on modern military efforts, offering an entertaining hybrid of heist caper and battlefield action.

Synopsis: In the midst of World War II, an array of colorful American soldiers gets inside information from a drunk German officer about millions of dollars… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland

Directed By: Brian G. Hutton

Critics Consensus: Bent juggles heavy topics with style, though its heavy-handedness at times feels more like exploitation than exploration.

Synopsis: In the 1930s Berlin, homosexual Max sleeps with German officer Wolf, only to see him killed by his fellow Nazis the next morning. Fleeing with… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Brian Webber, Ian McKellen

Directed By: Sean Mathias, Sarah Radclyffe, Hisami Kuroiwa

Critics Consensus: Overall, this caustic comedy hits more of its targets than it misses.

Synopsis: Set on an American Army base in 1989, as the Berlin Wall is about to fall, Buffalo Soldiers takes a satiric look as these men… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Anna Paquin

Directed By: Gregor Jordan

Critics Consensus: Driven by a commanding performance from Russell Crowe, Nuremberg is a handsomely crafted historical drama, but its measured pacing and emotional restraint keep it from fully realizing the complexity of its subject.

Synopsis: As the Nuremberg trials are set to begin, a U.S. Army psychiatrist gets locked in a dramatic psychological showdown with accused Nazi war criminal Hermann… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall

Directed By: James Vanderbilt, Brooke Saperstein, Beau Turpin, W. Porter Payne Jr.

Critics Consensus: While The King is sometimes less than the sum of its impressive parts, strong source material and gripping performances make this a period drama worth hailing.

Synopsis: Young Henry V encounters deceit, war and treachery after becoming king of England in the 15th century.

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson

Directed By: David Michôd

Synopsis: During World War II, Nazi officer Max Radl devises a plan to kidnap or kill the British prime minister. Approved by German Cmdr. Heinrich Himmler,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter

Directed By: John Sturges

Critics Consensus: A grim and devastating tale of the Holocaust.

Synopsis: Based on actual events, “The Grey Zone” is the staggeringly powerful story of the Auschwitz twelfth Sonderkommando — one of the thirteen consecutive “Special Squads”… View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Arquette, Daniel Benzali, Steve Buscemi, David Chandler

Directed By: Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Brad Weston

Critics Consensus: The well-crafted Cold Mountain has an epic sweep and captures the horror and brutal hardship of war.

Synopsis: In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman (Jude… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins

Directed By: Anthony Minghella, Bob Osher, Iain Smith, Bob Weinstein

Critics Consensus: Cranking up a true story of derring-do into a high-octane action flick that’s heavy on spectacle if not suspense, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is another solid entry into Guy Ritchie’s pantheon.

Synopsis: Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer

Directed By: Guy Ritchie, Mohammed Al Turki, Dave Caplan, Jason Cloth

Synopsis: At a U.S. Army Air Force base in England, the crew members of B-17 bomber Memphis Belle prepare for their 25th and final sortie into… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D.B. Sweeney

Directed By: Michael Caton-Jones

Critics Consensus: While WTF is far from FUBAR, Tina Fey and Martin Freeman are just barely enough to overcome the picture’s glib predictability and limited worldview.

Synopsis: In 2002, cable news producer Kim Barker decided to shake up her routine by taking a daring new assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan. Dislodged from her… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina

Directed By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Charlie Gogolak, Sam Grey

Critics Consensus: Though lengthy and at times plodding, Soderbergh’s vision and Benicio Del Toro’s understated performance ensure that Che always fascinates.

Synopsis: Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Benicio del Toro) transforms from intellectual, asthmatic doctor to one of Latin America’s legendary revolutionaries. In the years before his famous 1964… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Elvira Mínguez

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh, Belén Atienza, Álvaro Augustin, Frederic W. Brost

Critics Consensus: Excellent cinematography and an interesting plot accompanied by a talented cast and crew make U-571 a tense thriller.

Synopsis: When a German U-571 submarine with a sophisticated encryption machine onboard is sunk during a World War II battle at sea, the Allies send an… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi

Directed By: Jonathan Mostow, Hal Lieberman

Critics Consensus: Anthropoid completes its mission rather unevenly but delivers a historically illuminating story with great performances to back it up.

Synopsis: In December 1941, two Czech soldiers (Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan) parachute into their occupied homeland to assassinate Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe).

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon, Anna Geislerová

Directed By: Sean Ellis, Anita Overland, Léonard Glowinski, Krystof Mucha

Critics Consensus: With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic.

Synopsis: Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country’s first army in the art… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly

Directed By: Edward Zwick, Ted Field, Charles Mulvehill

Critics Consensus: A touching and haunting family film that deals with the Holocaust in an arresting and unusual manner, and packs a brutal final punch of a twist.

Synopsis: During World War II, 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family leave Berlin to take up residence near the concentration camp where his father (David… View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Rupert Friend, Asa Butterfield

Directed By: Mark Herman, Christine Langan

Critics Consensus: The Wall makes the most of its limitations — albeit perhaps not quite enough to stretch its tight-focused action into a consistently gripping feature-length thriller.

Synopsis: U.S. soldiers Allan “Ize” Isaac and Shane Matthews answer a distress call in the desert of postwar Iraq. Suddenly, gunshots erupt, leaving Shane badly injured… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli

Directed By: Doug Liman, Ray Angelic

Critics Consensus: The Zookeeper’s Wife has noble intentions, but is ultimately unable to bring its fact-based story to life with quite as much impact as it deserves.

Synopsis: The time is 1939 and the place is Poland, homeland of Antonina Zabinski and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski. The Warsaw Zoo flourishes under Jan’s… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton, Daniel Brühl

Directed By: Niki Caro, Marc Butan, Robbie Tollin, Michael Tollin

Critics Consensus: Stop-Loss is sincere and complex, and features strong performances, even if it tries to cover too much ground.

Synopsis: His tour of duty in Iraq finally over, Staff Sgt. Brandon King returns home to Brazos, Texas, ready to re-enter civilian life. Unexpectedly, the Army… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Directed By: Kimberly Peirce

Critics Consensus: Despite Kate Winslet’s superb portrayal, The Reader suggests an emotionally distant, Oscar-baiting historical drama.

Synopsis: Michael Berg (David Kross), a teen in postwar Germany, begins a passionate but clandestine affair with Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), an older woman who enjoys… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Lena Olin

Directed By: Stephen Daldry, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein

Critics Consensus: It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan’s Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads.

Synopsis: Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard

Directed By: Jim Sheridan, Tucker Tooley, Zach Schiff-Abrams, Jon Feltheimer

Critics Consensus: The war cliches are laid on a bit thick, but the movie succeeds at putting a human face on soldiers of both sides in the Vietnam War.

Synopsis: Based upon the best-selling book “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and journalist Joseph L. Galloway, this… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott

Directed By: Randall Wallace, Jim Lemley

Synopsis: Before he was the Father of a Nation, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington into the center… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Franklyn-Miller, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis

Directed By: Jon Erwin

Critics Consensus: Given the subject matter, Valkyrie could have been an outstanding historical thriller, but settles for being a mildly entertaining, but disposable yarn.

Synopsis: Col. Claus von Stauffenberg serves Germany with loyalty and pride but fears that Hitler will destroy his country if allowed to run unchecked. With time… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson

Directed By: Bryan Singer, Ken Kamins, Chris Lee, John Ottman

Critics Consensus: The Patriot can be entertaining to watch, but it relies too much on formula and melodrama.

Synopsis: Mel Gibson portrays Benjamin Martin, an unassuming man who is forced to join the American Revolution when the British threaten to take his farm away… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs

Directed By: Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, William Fay

Critics Consensus: A Bridge Too Far is a war movie too long, although top-notch talent on both sides of the camera keeps the end result consistently watchable.

Synopsis: Late in 1944, the Allies seem to have the upper hand in the European land war. A combined British and American paratrooper force, led by… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery

Directed By: Richard Attenborough

Critics Consensus: A simple-minded but visually exciting experience, full of blood, violence, and ready-made movie quotes.

Synopsis: In 480 B.C. a state of war exists between Persia, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Greece. At the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas (Gerard… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West

Directed By: Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Deborah Snyder, Craig J. Flores

Critics Consensus: Allied has its moments, but doesn’t quite achieve epic wartime romance status — a disappointment made more profound by the dazzling talent assembled on either side of the camera.

Synopsis: Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) are World War II operatives who never reveal their true identities. After falling in love during… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Simon McBurney

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis, Patrick McCormick, Steven Knight, Denis O'Sullivan

Critics Consensus: This first person account of the first Gulf War scores with its performances and cinematography but lacks an emotional thrust.

Synopsis: In the late 1980s, Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) enlists as a Marine, training in boot camp under a sadistic drill instructor. Swofford undertakes a sniper… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Scott MacDonald, Jamie Foxx

Directed By: Sam Mendes, Bobby Cohen, Sam Mercer

Critics Consensus: Operation Finale is well-intentioned, well-acted, and overall entertaining, even if the depth and complexity of the real-life events depicted can get a little lost in their dramatization.

Synopsis: Fifteen years after the end of World War II, a team of top-secret Israeli agents travels to Argentina to track down Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Mélanie Laurent, Lior Raz

Directed By: Chris Weitz, Ron Schmidt