Ranking the Top 12 War Movies of All-Time
HM. JARHEAD
I thought it would be fun to give an honorable mention to the most anti-climatic war movie there is. It's a movie about marines (jarheads) waiting for action in the Gulf War. However here's the thing: the action never comes. The king of subverting expectations with marketing, Jarhead goes against the grain in every way and can be appreciated on repeat viewing. That's when you realize it's more of a character study on the mental states of many soldiers who just wait for action in the real world. However, if this type of stuff isn't your thing, look below for truer war movies.
12. FURY
Fury definitely makes the cut here as one of those truer war movies considering it takes place near the end of WWII and is a retelling of an underdog story. It revolves around five men who operate a tank and eventually make a sacrifice to eliminate hundreds of the German's best soldiers. It depicts the best and worst of human nature in a group that comes together as brothers despite very different ideals. It teaches you to always stand up for your beliefs and your family, while sadly in this case it leads to bloodshed. It's a film that is weirdly uplifting and tragic, even due to its violence and chaos: therefore making it exactly what a war movie should be like. Also, it has Brad Pitt and it's hard to go wrong with that.
11. OVERLORD
Switching gears a little to this incredibly unique alternate-history movie, we have the bizarre yet delightfully entertaining: Overlord. American troops drop in the night before D-day and find out the Nazis are working on experiments to make their soldiers essentially, zombies. Yes, zombies. The visuals of this movie are horrific as a result, but in a "can't look away" type of way. There is plenty of gore here if you're into that and you'll find yourself getting surprisingly attached to these characters who go through the wringer and it's gnarly to see play out.
10. INFINITY WAR
While some may believe that Endgame would be better suited to this list, that's really only one scene spectacle that includes war while Infinity War is one that includes a battle from the first brutal opening scene. Infinity War is the best MCU movie to date and it's generally because of its high stakes for once that many great war movies have. Many characters bite the dust here (aha pun intended) after years of characters seemingly being untouchable. When it comes to these deaths, the set-pieces that they occur in are some for the books. I mean, the battle of Wakanda is a sight to behold, along with the clash on Titan (I'm really killing these right now). Whether or not you're a superhero fan, this a worthy war movie.
9. WORLD WAR Z
It's a little weird to have two zombie-related movies on a list about war but here we are with a film with one of the best movie titles around. World War Z stars Brad Pitt trying to survive an apocalypse while simultaneously attempting to save the human race. The zombies are disgusting and bouncing off the walls fast in this one which just makes them scarier than they usually are. This creates an uneasy feeling and automatic care for the main characters to make it out alive in this one when they aren't even that developed. That uneasy feeling is perfectly demonstrated in one scene where Brad Pitt's character locks himself in a room with one of them to test a theory and it's a nail-biter that sums up the suspense this film carries.
8. AMERICAN SNIPER
Bradley Cooper stars in the true, yet sad story of Chris Kyle. Kyle is recognized as the best sniper in U.S. history and has a lot of pressure put on him to protect his fellow soldiers whom he takes home with him and can't let go of. It's a great movie depicting the horrors of PTSD that so many veterans go through thanks to the general lack of care by the government to accommodate them for their service. It also ends on a sour note if you've seen the movie or heard the story, but let's get onto the more positive stuff. The "snipe-offs" as I'd call them are legitimately thrilling and sick to see go down and the relationship Kyle has with his wife is genuinely touching with all they go through.
7. EDGE OF TOMORROW
Another day, another groundhog day movie. It could genuinely be its own subgenre by now but luckily there are a few that execute it well. While yes, another generic Tom Cruise action movie probably didn't sound like a fun time, this movie was charmingly great. Emily Blunt steals the whole show from the supporting crew who we surprisingly grow to care about as well through cheeky humor scattered throughout the movie. That only makes the thrilling action that much better against an alien race that is terrifyingly mobile and vicious, making for a worthy adversary for Cruise and co.
6. INGLORIOUS BASTARDS
Yours truly isn't the biggest Quentin Tarantino fan in the world like many, but I think he's a very original director and I respect him for that. Inglorious Basterds fits that description, because man this is a wild ass movie where every character thinks they're the hero of the story, yet they pretty much all act in villainous manners. There are infinitely memorable characters, moments, and quotes in this one that have been done to death by now but it doesn't make them any less impactful. and while yes there aren't really any scenes on the battlefield, it is still a war against the Nazis throughout, allowing for it to make it onto this list.
5. BRAVEHEART
Braveheart is one of those movies that dads just love. Mel Gibson pulls triple duty here with the producing, directing, and starring so you know that he put his blood, sweat, and tears into this one in order to make it the Academy Award-winning picture it is today. It's really all about the main character William Wallace and the powerful nature of his story that you attach to in this one that makes him someone easy to root for throughout. Through well-crafted action scenes, great cinematography, and charismatic characters, Braveheart earns its high honors into our top 5.
4. 1917
Sam Mendes delivers an instantly iconic movie that details the loss of innocence and youth that gets so easily crushed by the brutality of war with this one here. It's a cinematically beautiful film full of shots that stay with you for a while such as that long-running one shot of George Mckay's character. 1917 is also full of twists and turns that subvert your expectations of what war movies are like when it kills one of the two main characters halfway through the movie. However, in order to maintain the sense of realism that comes with war, this was a devastating yet neccessary inclusion in the film that allows for the themes to really click.
3. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
There was no chance that I could ever leave off arguably the most iconic war movie around Saving Private Ryan. There's also no way I could talk about the haunting opening scene at Omaha Beach in that Steven Spielberg went out of his way to ensure that it was an exact replica of the actual events. It's a terrifying thing to watch play out but also captures the essence of what war was like to perfection. Weirdly enough though, this movie is actually an anti-war one. Scenes like that classic one are there just to show the unfairness of sending drafted, inexperienced people to die in fear. The whole movie is really a tough pill to swallow but I would consider it essential viewing to understand the wasteful, savageness of war.
2. HACKSAW RIDGE
Whereas Saving Private Ryan might be the most accurate depiction of what war looks like, I don't think there's a more anxiety-inducing fight than the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa. That alone would make this worth watching, but it's the story within it that is incredible no matter if you're religious or not. Based on the true story of a conscientious objector that decides to join the war efforts as a medic, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) single-handily saves 75 of his comrades while navigating the trenches against the Japanese. The miraculous nature of that is a treat to watch on film knowing it really happened and the acting and sounds editing bring it to life making it one of the best war movies of all-time.
LONE SURVIVOR
Admittedly, there could be some personal bias with this one taking up the last spot, but I don't care I'm gonna make my case for it and you can respectfully agree or disagree as long you give it a watch. For those who don't know, this is the true story of four Navy Seals who find themselves hugely outnumbered by Taliban fighters on a mission where only one survives. It's a catastrophic film that manages to be inspirational throughout and contains a beautiful tribute to those lost in this effort at the end. When it comes to the action, there's literally a 45-minute continuous battle scene that gets gruesome and painful to see go down. That's what really brings you into the movie and connects you to the main characters that all have families to fight for. The banter between the Seals is also entertaining whether they're in a fight or not to make you feel less sad about the circumstances as well. I believe Lone Survivor has every attribute a war movie should have and it makes it the best one out there because of it.
