Best War Movies
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best War Movies" contains films with the following parameters. Style: realistic, suspense, serious, intense, historical drama and dramatic. Plot: military, war, death, world war two, wartime, mission, murder, great war, brutality and conflict. Genre: Drama, War and Action. Country: USA, UK and Germany.
Best War Movies
TOP Movies: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), The Pianist (2002), Fury (2014), Black Hawk Down (2001), The Hurt Locker (2008), Platoon (1986), 1917 (2019), Inglourious Basterds (2009), The Last Samurai (2003), The Imitation Game (2014), American Sniper (2014), Braveheart (1995), Darkest Hour (2017), Pearl Harbor (2001), Savior (1998), The Thin Red Line (1998), Lone Survivor (2013), Apocalypse Now (1979).
List of Best Movies
Genre: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 169 min.
Story:
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
Style:
breathtaking, realistic, captivating, tense, inspirational ...
Audience:
manly, date night, chick flick, kids, adult
Plot:
war, world war two, military, courage, battles, self sacrifice, sniper, friendship, nazi, combat, army, machine gun ...
Time:
1940s, year 1944, year 1998, 90s, year 2013 ...
Place:
normandy, france, germany, poland, europe ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Style:
clever, suspense, visually stunning, bleak, psychological ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night, adult
Plot:
vietnam war, military, war, soldier, anti war, suicide, basic training, boot camp, violence, sniper, military life, brutality ...
Time:
20th century, year 1967, year 1968, year 1987, 60s ...
Place:
vietnam, persia, america, asia, south carolina ...
Is relevant?
671K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Style:
inspirational, touching, sentimental, christian film, harsh ...
Audience:
manly, girls' night
Plot:
world war two, war, soldier, conscientious objector, survival, us military, combat, american soldier, religion, bible, military, pacifist ...
Time:
1940s, year 2016, 20th century, middle ages, year 1945 ...
Place:
okinawa japan, japan, tennessee, usa
Is relevant?
1.0M
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: France, Poland, Germany, UK, USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
The true story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he ...
Style:
emotional, sad, harsh, reflective, bleak ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, survival, genocide, nazi, classical music, wartime, war, nazism, anti semitism, hunger, nazi occupation ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1939, 1930s, year 2002 ...
Place:
poland, germany, europe, eastern europe, central europe ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
601K
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, China
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
Last months of World War II in April 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theater, a battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant in the 2nd Armored Division named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank called "Fury" and its five-man ...
Style:
sexy, serious, exciting, tense, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night, family friendly, teens, date night, adult
Plot:
world war two, war, tank, soldier, military, battles, heroism, nazi, last stand, world war, combat, american soldier ...
Time:
1940s, year 2014, year 1945, 2010s, 20th century
Place:
germany, america, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 144 min.
Story:
When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.
Style:
realistic, rough, epic, disturbing, intense ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night
Plot:
war, combat, courage, gunfight, military, battles, chaos, sniper, american soldier, shooting, survival, army ...
Time:
year 2001, 20th century, 90s, year 1993, year 2002 ...
Place:
somalia, africa, south africa, america, middle east ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Luxembourg, Canada
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
Style:
tense, realistic, emotional, serious, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, adult
Plot:
iraq war, terrorism, military, sniper, soldier, war, bomb squad, violence, army, shootout, marines, bomb ...
Time:
year 2008, 2000s, year 2004, 21st century
Place:
middle east, iraq, baghdad iraq, america, afghanistan ...
Is relevant?
469K
Genre: Drama, War
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
As a young and naive recruit in Vietnam, Chris Taylor faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.
Style:
realistic, disturbing, epic, rough, suspense ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night
Plot:
vietnam war, military, soldier, battlefield, battles, squad, jungle warfare, combat, jungle, anti war, violent, conflict ...
Time:
year 1967, year 1986, year 1968, 60s, 20th century
Place:
vietnam, southeast asia, the philippines, america, asia ...
Is relevant?
761K
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds ...
Style:
period piece, visually stunning, tense, entertaining, sad ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens, date night, adult
Plot:
world war one, trench warfare, race against time, soldier, british soldier, british army, death, battlefield, military, british military, dangerous mission, german soldier ...
Time:
year 1917, 1910s, 20th century, year 2019, 2010s
Place:
persia, los angeles, britain, europe, france
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 153 min.
Story:
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. ...
Style:
suspense, breathtaking, inspirational, atmospheric, witty ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night, chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
world war two, nazism, nazi, war, vengeance, dark humor, alternate history, working undercover, violence, dialogue, violent, blood ...
Time:
year 2009, 2000s, 1940s, 20th century, post world war two
Place:
paris france, france, germany, america, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min.
Story:
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the ...
Style:
epic, breathtaking, exciting, captivating, period piece ...
Audience:
manly, girls' night, adult
Plot:
samurai, sword fight, battles, war, courage, japanese history, warrior, pride and honor, self discovery, human spirit, honor, loyalty ...
Time:
19th century, middle ages, victorian era, year 2003, 1800s ...
Place:
japan, asia, africa, san francisco, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley ...
Style:
inspirational, clever, intellectual, serious, captivating ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, family friendly, adult
Plot:
world war two, mathematics, genius, inventor, inventions and discoveries, code, prodigy, code breaking, invention, mathematician, gay interest, computer ...
Time:
1940s, year 2014, 20th century, 1950s, year 1939 ...
Place:
england, london, britain, idaho, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, War
Country: USA, Morocco
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle takes his sole mission—protect his comrades—to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. ...
Style:
factual, suspenseful, clever, inspirational, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly
Plot:
war, iraq war, sniper, military, soldier, navy seal, assassin, american soldier, violence, battles, war zone, special forces ...
Time:
year 2014, 2010s, 2000s, 90s, september 11 2001 ...
Place:
iraq, middle east, california, usa, kurdistan ...
Is relevant?
1.2M
Genre: Biography, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 178 min.
Story:
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against ...
Style:
epic, factual, bloody, scenic, breathtaking ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, chick flick, adult
Plot:
sword fight, war, courage, freedom, medieval, vengeance, tragic hero, battles, military, love story, warrior, beautiful scenery ...
Time:
middle ages, medieval times, 14th century, ancient times, 20th century ...
Place:
scotland, england, europe, scottish highlands, britain ...
Is relevant?
241K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA, China
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
A thrilling and inspiring true story begins on the eve of World War II as, within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with ...
Style:
period piece, inspirational, political, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
date night, teens
Plot:
world war two, british history, prime minister, politics, british politics, winston churchill, british prime minister, war, decision, choice, leader, leadership ...
Time:
year 1940, year 2017, 2010s, 1940s
Place:
england, dunkirk, britain, united kingdom, london ...
Is relevant?
367K
Genre: Action, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 183 min.
Story:
The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes ...
Style:
romantic, sentimental, emotional, epic, period piece ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens, date night
Plot:
world war two, war, military, combat, love, airplane, love triangle, navy, aerial combats, fighter pilot, u.s. air force, love and romance ...
Time:
year 2001, 1940s, 50s, 20th century, year 1942 ...
Place:
pearl harbor, hawaii, japan, asia, cuba ...
Is relevant?
12K
Genre: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A hardened mercenary in the Foreign Legion begins to find his own humanity when confronted with atrocities during the fighting in Bosnia
Style:
disturbing, depressing, tense, suspenseful, rough ...
Plot:
terrorism, rape, atrocity, redemption, breast feeding, bosnian war, mercenary, ethnic cleansing, hopes, genocide, soldier, pregnancy ...
Time:
90s, year 1998, 20th century
Place:
bosnia, former yugoslavia, europe, serbia, bosnia herzegovina ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 170 min.
Story:
Based on the graphic novel by James Jones, The Thin Red Line tells the story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II ...
Style:
philosophical, visually stunning, visually appealing, visual, epic ...
Plot:
war, world war two, sergeant, jungle, infantry, soldier, pacific war, anti war, u.s. army, pacific island, survival, existentialism ...
Time:
20th century, 1940s, 90s, year 1998, year 1940 ...
Place:
asia, japan, america, germany, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
322K
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
Four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative must make an impossible moral decision in the mountains of Afghanistan that leads them into an enemy ambush. As they confront unthinkable odds, the SEALs must find ...
Style:
rough, captivating, inspirational, serious, exciting ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
military, survival, soldier, gunfight, war, terrorism, death, squad, courage, military life, special forces, war on terror ...
Time:
year 2013, 2010s, 2000s, year 2005, 21st century
Place:
afghanistan, middle east, usa, iraq, israel
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter ...
Style:
bleak, psychological, cult classic, surreal, sexy ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
vietnam war, jungle, insanity, anti war, military, army, secret mission, violence, mission, soldier, violent, river ...
Time:
20th century, year 1979, 60s, year 1969
Place:
vietnam, cambodia, southeast asia, asia, the philippines ...
Is relevant?
799K
Genre: Action, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: UK, Netherlands, France, USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.
Style:
atmospheric, dramatic, epic, cerebral, visually stunning ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
world war two, military, war, survival, wartime, evacuation, soldier, beach, military officer, shell shock, air attack, combat ...
Time:
1940s, year 1940, 2010s, 20th century, 90s ...
Place:
france, england, english channel, dover england, dunkirk ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a ...
Style:
emotional, touching, heartbreaking, sad, sentimental ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, family outing, kids, teen drama ...
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, concentration camp, war, children, friendship, childhood, nazi, nazism, gas chamber, boy, morality ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, ancient times, year 2008, year 1941 ...
Place:
germany, poland, europe, berlin germany, switzerland
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: Ireland, UK, France, Germany, USA
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
Enemy at the Gates is a war film from Jean-Jacques Annaud from 2001 that takes place during the battle of Stalingard in World War II between the Russians and the Germans.
Style:
sexy, epic, realistic, serious, breathtaking ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
war, world war two, sniper, military, stalingrad, world war, courage, friendship, nazi, wartime, hide and seek, winter ...
Time:
20th century, year 2001, 1940s, year 1940, year 1944 ...
Place:
germany, soviet union, iraq, persia, russia ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
311K
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 165 min.
Story:
After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, ...
Style:
period piece, dramatic, sincere, rough, inspirational ...
Audience:
family friendly, kids, manly, boys' night, girls' night ...
Plot:
american revolution, war, military, revolution, battles, vengeance, lone hero, violence, freedom, rebellion, revenge, wartime ...
Time:
18th century, year 2000, y2k, georgian era, 1780s ...
Place:
boston, southern usa, america, virginia, britain ...
Is relevant?
223K
Genre: Biography, Drama, War
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Jarhead is a film about a US Marine Anthony Swofford’s experience in the Gulf War. After putting up with an arduous boot camp, Swafford and his unit are sent to the Persian Gulf where they are eager to fight, but are forced to stay back from the ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, visually stunning, brutal, factual ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
gulf war, military, iraq war, war, marines, u.s. military, desert, boot camp, american soldier, anti war, death, u.s. marine ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 80s, year 1989, year 1991 ...
Place:
iraq, middle east, saudi arabia, afghanistan, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of ...
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, perverse, brutal, cult classic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
soldier, combat, u.s. army, war, death, taliban, military operation, politics, roadblock, danger, battles, military ...
Time:
2000s, year 2008, year 2009, year 2006, year 1984 ...
Place:
afghanistan, middle east
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.
Style:
inspirational, historical drama, epic, emotional, period piece ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, date night, adult
Plot:
redemption, rebellion, arrest, parole, historical character, broadway, dying man, historical event, prostitute, orphan, father daughter relationship, revolution ...
Time:
19th century, 2010s, year 2012, 1800s, 18th century ...
Place:
france, paris france, seattle, europe, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA, India, Germany
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate ...
Style:
suspense, historical drama, dramatic, period piece, intense ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
cold war, espionage, lawyer, spy, cia, agent, soviet spy, courtroom, politics, berlin wall, court, negotiation ...
Time:
year 1960, year 2015, 2010s, year 1957, 1950s ...
Place:
east germany, berlin germany, soviet union, new york, west germany ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
As the English and French soldiers battle for control of the American colonies in the 18th century, the settlers and native Americans are forced to take sides. Cora and her sister Alice unwittingly walk into trouble but are reluctantly saved by ...
Style:
epic, sexy, period piece, costume drama, visually stunning ...
Audience:
chick flick, family friendly
Plot:
native american, american indian, war, freedom, colonial america, indians, wilderness, revenge, forest, historical epic, medieval, american history ...
Time:
18th century, middle ages, ancient times, georgian era, 20th century ...
Place:
persia, usa, england
Is relevant?
131K
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: USA, Canada, China
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the “Black Pit” to the front lines of WW2. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the ...
Style:
serious, exciting, emotional, compassionate, cult classic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
world war two, submarine, warship, war, u.s. navy, navy, captain, ship captain, convoy, wartime, naval officer, ocean ...
Time:
1940s, year 1941, 20th century, year 1942
Place:
san francisco, atlantic ocean
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
