War films represent a hugely celebrated and enduring genre, accounting for some of the finest movies of all time. Providing a gripping viewing port into the intense world of armed combat, many of cinema’s best war movies are among the most influential films that popular culture has to offer. They can shape public opinion, invite social and philosophical debate, and serve as the archetype for successful future genre entries. Many of cinema’s most influential war films have transcended generations to earn status as undisputed movie classics.

The most influential war movies ever made encompᴀss a wide array of historical conflicts. However, it doesn’t matter whether the story in question is based in reality, draws inspiration from a real-life war, or is completely fabricated; war films have carved out an indelible niche for themselves through a combination of creative excellence and lasting cultural impact. These films have guided the hands of a horde of imitators, underlining their seminal status within the genre over the years.

10

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Directed By Michael Cimino

A front-runner for the best war movie of the 1970s, 1978’s The Deer Hunter remains one of the genre’s most revered names to this day. Centered on a trio of Slavic-American soldiers who enlist to fight in Vietnam, the movie chronicles the devastating physical and emotional toll exacted by the conflict and its aftermath. Highlighting the invisible scars left behind by armed combat with unflinching clarity, Michael Cimino’s poignant triumph is carried by generational bows from Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.

The Deer Hunter is one of the most influential war movies of all time for its notorious Russian Roulette sequences alone, scenes that have been endlessly imitated and parodied by other films and even video games. It also played a vital role in shaping public perception of the war in the United States, drawing attention to the futile nature and the devastating human cost of the conflict, while influencing a host of seminal Vietnam War movies that would follow.

9

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Directed By Kathryn Bigelow

A watershed moment for the genre and female directors in cinema, 2008’s The Hurt Locker is one of the 21st century’s most influential movies. Following a prolific bomb disposal expert during the Iraq War, Kathryn Bigelow’s film planished the bookies’ favorite, Avatar, at the 82nd Academy Awards, taking home six wins from nine nominations. Among them was one of the most significant wins in Oscar history, as Bigelow became the first woman in history to win Best Director.

Accordingly, The Hurt Locker’s wildfire success has had major connotations for wider cinema. Previously viewed as a men’s genre, Bigelow’s Oscar for her nail-biting tour de force underlined that female directors were just as deserving of being recognized for their contributions to the war movie genre as their male peers. While the film was criticized for some purported inaccuracies, The Hurt Locker remains the first movie that comes to mind in relation to the Iraq War, underlining its seismic cultural impact.

8

Das Boot (1981)

Directed By Wolfgang Peterson

Cinema’s gold standard when it comes to submarine war movies, 1981’s Das Boot has lost none of the prestige that rendered it such a classic in the first instance. Wolfgang Peterson’s exemplary effort was notable in that it chronicled a submarine patrol during WWII’s Battle of the Atlantic from a German perspective, in a field traditionally dominated by films from an Allied point of view. However, Das Boot tore up the traditional status quo, going on to earn classic status as one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made.

The technical genius of the movie’s set design and its uniquely claustrophobic atmosphere cultivated an aura that was unlike anything that cinema had ever seen before, influencing virtually every submarine movie that would follow in some shape or form. However, Das Boot’s key strength is how it explores the reality of naval warfare from the perspective of the average soldier, lending a harrowing relatability to proceedings that compounds the movie’s powerful message in poignant fashion.

7

Platoon (1986)

Directed By Oliver Stone

Channeling director Oliver Stone’s real-life memories of the conflict, 1986’s Platoon is regarded by many critics as the ultimate Vietnam War movie. Universally touted as one of the best war films of the 1980s, Stone’s harrowing deep dive into the average soldier’s experience of Vietnam and his depiction of the harrowing human cost ᴀssociated with the conflict combine to produce one of the most powerful movies ever made, a damning indictment of the United States’ involvement in a needless war.

Loaded with some of the most iconic scenes, characters, and soundbites that the wider genre has to offer, Platoon still makes for utterly essential war movie viewing as it rapidly approaches the fiftieth anniversary of its release. Stone pulls zero punches in constructing his ruthlessly nihilistic vision of armed conflict, an approach that has been adopted by a horde of future genre offerings to emphasize the reality that “war is hell.”

6

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Directed By David Lean

As a front-runner for ’50s’ cinema’s most revered war movie, it’s not hard to see why 1957’s The Bridge on the River Kwai is considered one of the genre’s most influential тιтles. Chronicling the construction of the тιтular structure by British POWs and a daring plot by saboteurs to blow it sky-high, David Lean’s offering is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, winning seven Academy Awards from eight nominations to boot.

The Bridge on the River Kwai’s emphasis on the ambiguity and moral complexity of war was a far cry from many of its more morally black-and-white contemporaries; an approach that is still widely utilized in the genre. From its narrative to its set pieces, Lean’s emotionally impactful war movie was one of cinema’s earliest examples produced on a truly epic scale, laying the foundations for modern standouts like Saving Private Ryan or Dunkirk. Throw in the iconic whistling “Colonel Bogey March” and an unforgettable turn from Alec Guinness, and it’s not hard to see why this timeless classic endures to this day.

5

The Great Escape (1963)

Directed By John Sturges

Depicting a heavily fictionalized version of a real-life story, 1963’s The Great Escape dramatizes the mᴀss POW escape from the Stalag Luft III prison camp during WWII. One of the finest war films of the 1960s, John Sturges’ fan-favorite picture remains a near-universally beloved entry in the genre, from its iconic soundtrack to its unforgettable action sequences. The image of Steve McQueen’s Virgil Hilts sailing over a barbed wire fence atop his motorcycle remains one of popular culture’s most enduring cinematic images, a testament to the film’s lasting popularity and wider impact.

Blending the greatest elements of war movies with one of cinema’s finest adventure stories, The Great Escape continues to age like a fine wine. One could argue that the film’s ensemble cast served as the prototype for star-studded movies of its ilk moving forward, while Sturges’ picture has been continually referenced and parodied in popular culture by the big-name likes of Monty Python, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons over the years.

4

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Directed By Stanley Kubrick

When it comes to a nihilistic critique of warfare, few movies can rival Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Following Matthew Modine’s Private “Joker” Davis from boot camp to the front lines of Vietnam, the tone of the 1987 outing can best be summarized by its best quote, “Ain’t war hell?!”, sarcastically uttered by a maniacal helicopter machine-gunner as he gleefully takes potsH๏τs at fleeing civilians.

An endlessly rewatchable war movie, Full Metal Jacket’s timeless messages and scathing take on armed conflict combine with some of the genre’s most iconic scenes and soundbites to create a seminal entry for wider cinema. Kubrick remains a perennial front-runner for cinema’s greatest director, and he lends all of his creative might to proceedings here, culminating in an iconic indictment of military culture that deftly walks the line between darkly comical and utterly devastating.

3

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)

Directed By Lewis Milestone

Often touted as one of cinema’s first major anti-war movies, 1930’s All Quiet on the Western Front has lost none of the devastating emotional heft that rendered Lewis Milestone’s picture such an influential classic in the first instance. Case in point, the 2022 remake marked the third cinematic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel of the same name, with all subsequent efforts following the original film striving to match up to the movie’s sky-high standards.

The acclaimed film arguably served as the archetype for anti-war outings moving forward. Cinema had arguably never witnessed such a devastating depiction of war’s physical and psychological toll, with All Quiet on the Western Front’s unflinching rendition of the horrors of armed conflict setting the bar for all future genre films. Featuring incredible performances and technical elements that were years ahead of their time, Milestone’s film would be used as the measuring stick for countless movies to follow.

2

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Directed By Francis Ford Coppola

Despite enduring one of the most troubled movie productions in cinematic history, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now has few rivals in the genre when it comes to influential war films. Loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the 1979 film follows Martin Sheen’s Captain Benjamin Willard on a covert mission to ᴀssᴀssinate Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz, a rogue special forces soldier who now commands a mysterious cult of personality.

Widely touted as a cinematic masterpiece, numerous elements from Apocalypse Now have bled into wider popular culture. It’s happened to such an extent that people often reference the movie without even realizing it, whether it be the film’s thunderous use of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries or Robert Duvall’s iconic “I love the smell of napalm in the morning!” one-liner. Frequently mentioned in the debate over the greatest war movie ever made, Coppola’s tour de force remains one of cinema’s most influential numbers.

1

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Directed By Steven Spielberg

Consistently touted as the gold standard for war movies, 1998’s Saving Private Ryan has few rivals when it comes to lasting cultural impact. Chronicling an American squad’s efforts to bring the тιтular soldier home after his brothers are killed in battle during WWII, the movie has influenced virtually every major war outing that has followed it in some shape or form, whether it be the cinematography utilized in Dunkirk or the shocking gore in Hacksaw Ridge.

Saving Private Ryan’s depiction of battle remains the absolute gold standard for wider cinema, a remarkable testament to its stunning realism given that the movie is nearly 30 years old. Even if one is to discount its legendary combat sequences, the film still serves as the undisputed blueprint for war movies, from its nuanced characters to its desolating commentary on the nature of armed conflict.