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....
Memories of Anne Frank (2009)
5.8/10
Director: Alberto Negrin
Filmed in the Franks' apartment and their secret refuge, Miep Gies vividly recounts her experiences: working for Otto Frank: bringing food to the fugi... Read more
Memphis Belle (1990)
6.9/10
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, Sean Astin
A factually-based wartime adventure, set during WWII revolving around the 25th (and last) mission of American flyers aboard the B17 bomber 'Memphis Be... Read more
Memphis Belle (Blu-ray) (1990)
6.9/10
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, Sean Astin
A factually-based wartime adventure, set during WWII revolving around the 25th (and last) mission of American flyers aboard the B17 bomber 'Memphis Be... Read more
Men In War (1957)
7.3/10
Director: Anthony Mann
Starring: Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Vic Morrow, Phillip Pine
A realistic and tough-as-nails war flick, set in Korea and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as two soldiers trying to deal with the shocking devastat... Read more
Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1982)
7.3/10
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Starring: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto
David Bowie delivers a strong performance in Nagisa Oshima's ('In the Realm of the Senses') apocalyptic tale of a Japanese prison camp during World Wa... Read more
Midway (2019)
6.7/10
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quai...
MIDWAY centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the... Read more
Midway (1976)
6.8/10
Director: Jack Smight
Starring: James Coburn, Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mi...
In WWII Midway became famous as the site of the overwhelming victory of American carrier forces which shifted the balance of power in the Pacific. The... Read more
Midway (Blu-ray) (2019)
6.7/10
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quai...
MIDWAY centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the... Read more
Ministry of Fear (1944)
7.2/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond, Hillary Brooke
A dense, yet quirky espionage thriller with Ray Milland as a recently released patient from a mental asylum who unwittingly gets caught up in Nazi spy... Read more
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
6/10
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Valentina Cervi, Derek Luke, Pierfrancesco Favino, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Oma...
An African-American WWII veteran's (Laz Alonso) breakdown opens a powerful window into the past, when, in 1944, his "Buffalo Soldiers" Army unit becam... Read more