Among the most essential war movies ever made, there are some classics that you should see even if the genre isn’t your typical top choice. Even the best war movies of all time can be harrowing experiences with the brutal depictions of battle and the horrors faced by the soldiers. That can be even worse when the movie doesn’t earn that kind of violence by delivering a story that fails to reflect and comment on the nature of war.

However, there are plenty of тιтles that do give a glimpse at what these conflicts were like while also delivering brilliant filmmaking, exciting stories, and commanding performances. Some of these are war movies based on true events, while others are more fictionalized takes on real wars. They cover movies set in World War II, the Vietnam War, the American Civil War, and many other battles fought across the world. From acclaimed filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, these war movies are a must-watch for anyone.

10

The Hurt Locker (2009)

Directed By Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker was a definitive contemporary war movie that showed the new reality modern soldiers operate in. Jeremy Renner was nominated for an Oscar for his breakout role as Sgt. James, a bomb disposal expert, begins his new deployment in Iraq, where his penchant for recklessness puts him and his team in some nerve-wrecking situations.

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director thanks to her pulse-pounding, small-scale approach to the story. It is not a war movie that deals with big battle sequences, but rather one that looks at the constant danger around every corner. The movie also looks at a reality with many soldiers in which they find themselves more comfortable with the danger than with the regular life back home.

9

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Directed By David Lean

The Bridge on the River Kwai is an epic war movie from legendary director David Lean that takes a profound and thought-provoking look at the idea of heroism. The movie is set in a Japanese POW camp during World War II, with Alec Guinness starring as Colonel Nicholson, a British commanding officer who seeks to instill a sense of duty and discipline in his men even in this situation. However, his views become flawed when he is tasked by his captors with building a bridge in the jungle.

The movie has a grand and sweeping sense, including the breathtaking climax. However, it also works best as a character study of Nicholson, as his sense of duty gradually leads him to lose sight of the bigger picture. He is a fascinating character, with Guinness’ performance a highlight. His arc also makes the climax all the more thrilling.

8

The Deer Hunter (1979)

Directed By Michael Cimino

The Deer Hunter features moments of extreme violence on the battlefield, but it also deals with the immense pain that soldiers return home with. This epic and ambitious movie stars Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken in the story of a group of friends from a small blue-collar town who decide to go fight in Vietnam. After being captured and suffering the psychological torture of their imprisonment, they each deal with the aftermath in heartbreaking ways.

There are many movies that look at the psychological effects of war, but The Deer Hunter is perhaps the best at showing the far-reaching consequences, affecting not only the soldiers but also their families and even their communities. The movie also features memorable performances from Meryl Streep and John Cazale, along with Walken’s Oscar-winning performance.

7

Glory (1989)

Directed By Edward Zwick

The American Civil War marks one of the bloodiest wars America has been involved in, and there are some truly amazing stories to come out of the defining conflict. Glory takes a look at the true story of the 54th Mᴀssachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the earliest African American regiments fighting for the Union Army. Matthew Broderick stars as their commanding officer, while Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, and an Oscar-winning Denzel Washington deliver the most powerful performances as the soldiers from different backgrounds who take up the fight.

The movie depicts the brutality of the conflict, with some incredible action sequences, including the climactic battle at Fort Magner. However, Glory is also a moving depiction of racism and injustice, and a celebration of the overlooked heroes who made unfathomable sacrifices and clung to their undying dignity in an army that showed little respect for them.

6

Black Hawk Down (2002)

Directed By Ridley Scott

While many war movies are defined by their intense battle sequences, Black Hawk Down is basically one long battle scene, which makes for a visceral experience. Black Hawk Down is based on the true story of the Battle of Mogadishu, in which American forces went into the Somalian city to apprehend wanted warlords, only to find themselves surrounded and fighting their way out.

Director Ridley Scott puts the audience right into the action in a documentary-like approach. It is a technique that effectively showcases the chaos of modern warfare and the fallout of a mission gone wrong. While it is critical of those creating these missions, the movie also celebrates the brotherhood shared between soldiers. Black Hawk Down‘s cast is led by Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, and Ewan McGregor, but it also features early roles from Tom Hardy, Orlando Bloom, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

5

Paths Of Glory (1957)

Directed By Stanley Kubrick

While anti-war movies were not a new thing, the 1950s were mostly represented by war movies celebrating the heroism on the battlefield. That is what makes Paths of Glory such a bold and profound entry into the war movie genre. Set in the trenches of World War I, Kirk Douglas stars as a colonel who takes on his superior officers as he defends his own soldiers in a court-martial who refuse to take part in a suicidal mission.

The story is a brilliant and layered look at the expectations of “war heroes” and the disconnect those giving orders have from the realities of the frontline. The story is only elevated by the masterful directing of Kubrick. With his stark black-and-white look and the long takes taking place inside the trenches, he communicates the feeling of hopelessness that permeates the entire movie.

4

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Directed By Stanley Kubrick

Director Stanley Kubrick brings his precise and engrossing vision back to the war movie genre, this time with his haunting look at the Vietnam War. Full Metal Jacket stands out in the genre thanks to its bold structure, as the first half focuses on the marines in training overseen by R. Lee Emery’s scene-stealing drill sergeant. The second half follows some of those same soldiers now in the reality of combat.

The first half of Full Metal Jacket is certainly the strongest aspect of the movie as it delves into how soldiers are made by dismantling their psyche and rebuilding it, often with tragic consequences. It operates as a psychological horror movie bolstered by the performances of Emery and Vincent D’Onofrio. However, this gripping first act makes it all the more impactful when we see what becomes of these soldiers when they are actually at war.

3

Platoon (1987)

Directed By Oliver Stone

By the 1980s, there had already been several movies about the Vietnam War that reflected the negative public opinion towards America’s role in the conflict. However, Platoon gave the most damning and unflinching look at the war on the ground, imbedding the audience with the soldiers as they deal with the morally-conflicted nightmare in which the enemy is among them as well as out in the jungle.

Director Oliver Stone drew from his own experiences as a soldier in Vietnam, adding to the realism of the movie and earning an uncompromised depiction. The ideological conflict between Willem Dafoe’s Ellis and Tom Berenger’s Barnes is the most intriguing element of the movie and perfectly encompᴀsses the conflicted feelings in America at the time.

2

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Directed By Francis Ford Coppola

Following his work on The Godfather movies, Francis Ford Coppola managed to deliver yet another movie considered one of the best of all time. Apocalypse Now brilliantly takes a loose adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and transplants it into the dark reality of the Vietnam War. Martin Sheen stars as a troubled soldier who is given a mission to travel up the river and into the jungle to ᴀssᴀssinate a rogue American colonel (Marlon Brando).

Apocalypse Now‘s troubled production is perhaps as legendary now as the movie itself, but it still resulted in a captivating portrait of war. The movie is one of the best to explore the loss of humanity in war, as Willard (Sheen) seems to grow more detached from reason and reality the further he travels up the river. The iconic “Ride of the Valkyries” scene is also one of the most epic sequences in any war movie.

1

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Directed By Steven Spielberg

While different people might have their own personal choices for favorite war movie, it is hard to disagree that Saving Private Ryan is the most influential war movie of all time. Saving Private Ryan stars Tom Hanks as the captain of a small group of soldiers who are sent on a mission to find one soldier missing in action who is being sent home following the death of all three of his brothers in combat.

The movie is almost a more serious take on the “team on a mission” war movies of the 1960s and 1970s, but the war itself is dealt with in a completely authentic way. The opening sequence of the storming of Omaha Beach is the most intense, harrowing, and impactful war sequence ever put on film, and it changed the way war movies were depicted. Perhaps the highest compliment Saving Private Ryan has been paid, veterans of WWII have praised it for its authenticity.