War and Anti-War Films
"War and Anti-War Films" often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict (against nations or humankind) provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine warfare, espionage, personal heroism, "war is hell" brutalities, air dogfights, tough trench/infantry experiences, or male-bonding buddy adventures during wartime. Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.
Listed below are all the very best of this genre. Scroll yer heart out....
Battle of the V.1 (1958)
Director: Vernon Sewell
Starring: Michael Rennie, David Knight, Patricia Medina
Michael Rennie stars in this tense, action-packed thriller set in occupied Europe during the Second World War and based on real life events. Stefan (R... Read more
Battleground (1949)
7.5/10
Director: William A Wellman
Starring: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban
An oscar-winning account of the Battle of the Bulge, and the American foot soldiers who were trapped by the Germans in Bastogne during the fighting. Read more
Battleship (2012)
5.8/10
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano, Alexander Skarsgard, Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna , Brook...
Based on the classic board game, this sci-fi actioner concerns an alien armada from an Earth-like planet that arrives on our world in response to a NA... Read more
Beach Red (1967)
6.4/10
Director: Cornel Wilde
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Rip Torn, Burr De Benning
Cornel Wilde produced, directed, co-wrote, and stars in this gritty and honest World War II tale that intercuts poignant flashbacks with intense battl... Read more
Beautiful Dreamer (2006)
6.4/10
Director: Terri Farley-Teruel
Starring: Colin Egglefield, Brooke Langton
Beautifully photographed and designed, this romantic war drama focuses on the after effects of World War II. Colin Egglesfield plays Joe, a bomber pil... Read more
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
6.4/10
Director: John Moore
Starring: Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Joaquim de Almeida, David Keith
Navy air navigator Owen Wilson gets the chance to prove his expertise by getting the call from Admiral Gene Hackman to join fellow pilot Gabriel Macht... Read more
Behind Enemy Lines ( Blu-ray ) (2001)
6.4/10
Director: John Moore
Starring: David Keith, Gene Hackman, Joaquim de Almeida, Olek Krupa, Owen Wilson
Navy air navigator Owen Wilson gets the chance to prove his expertise by getting the call from Admiral Gene Hackman to join fellow pilot Gabriel Macht... Read more
Behind Enemy Lines 2: Axis of Evil (2006)
Director: James Dodson
Starring: Bruce McGill, Keith David, Peter Coyote
North Korea is threatening to flex their nuclear muscle, and it's up to a team of US Navy Seals to prevent a catastrophe in this action-packed sequel... Read more
Behind the Lines ( Regeneration ) (1997)
7.1/10
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Starring: Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, Jonny Lee Miller, Stuart Bunce
A Scottish military hospital in World War I is the setting for this unusual and gripping drama based on Pat Barker's novel 'Regeneration'. Psychiatris... Read more
Belle and Sebastian ( Belle et Sebastien ) (2013)
7.6/10
Director: Nicolas Vanier
Starring: Tcheky Karyo, Felix Bossuet
Belle and Sebastian is set high in the snowy Alps during the Second World War. The resourceful Sebastian (an adorable Félix Bossuet) is a lonely boy w... Read more