The 50 Best War Films of All Time
This is a tricky genre to try summarize, because of what each individual will choose to classify as a "war film", but I've done my best and tried to focus for the most part on stories set within the thick of actual warfare, rather than dramas taking place afterwards or behind the scenes, and except for a small number of impossible-to-ignore exceptions, very few comedies. Ranked and rated in loose order of quality, high-to-low:
Apocalypse Now (1979) ★★★★★★★★★★
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) ★★★★★★★★★½
The Great Escape (1963) ★★★★★★★★★½
Ballad of a Soldier (1959) ★★★★★★★★★☆
Schindler's List (1993) ★★★★★★★★★☆
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) ★★★★★★★★★☆
The Boat (1981) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Saving Private Ryan (1998) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Catch-22 (1970) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Last Bridge (1954) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Deer Hunter (1978) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Thin Red Line (1998) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Killing Fields (1984) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Ice Cold in Alex (1958) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Wings (1927) ★★★★★★★★½☆
The Grand Illusion (1937) ★★★★★★★★½☆
Enemy at the Gates (2001) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Three Kings (1999) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Big Parade (1925) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Destiny of a Man (1959) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Bridge (1959) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Army of Shadows (1969) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Dr. Strangelove (1964) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Full Metal Jacket (1987) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Burmese Harp (1956) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Five Graves to Cairo (1943) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Patton (1970) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Napoleon (1927) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Wooden Horse (1950) ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Zulu (1964) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
Birdy (1984) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
1917 (2019) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
The Tin Drum (1979) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
Valkyrie (2008) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
M*A*S*H* (1970) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
Land of Mine (2015) ★★★★★★★½☆☆
The Hurt Locker (2008) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Gallipoli (1981) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Empire of the Sun (1987) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
'71 (2014) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Born on the Fourth of July (1989) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Paths of Glory (1957) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Breaker Morant (1980) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Inglourious Basterds (2009) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Platoon (1986) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
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