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....
Oh! What A Lovely War (1969)
7.1/10
Director: Richard Attenborough
The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warf... Read more
On the Double (1961)
6.5/10
Director: Melville Shavelson
Starring: Danny Kaye, Dana Wynter
At the time of the Invasion of Normandy, an American soldier is asked to impersonate a British General in order to confuse the Nazi spies and assassin... Read more
One Against the Wind (1991)
6.9/10
Director: Larry Elikann
Starring: Judy Davis, Anthony Higgins, Sam Neill
Mary Lindell works for the French Red Cross in Occupied France during World War II and helps allied soldiers who have been shot down to escape to the... Read more
One Life (2023)
7.5/10
Director: James Hawes
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Flynn, Alex Sharp, Romola Garai, L...
London broker Nicholas "Nicky" Winton helps rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in a race against time before the Naz... Read more
One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
7.1/10
Director: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Starring: Eric Portman, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles
Stunning British wartime saga from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger follows the plight of six RAF airmen as they endeavor to get back to England... Read more
Only the Brave (2006)
5.5/10
Director: Lane Nishikawa
Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Jeff Fahey, Mark Dacascos, Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, Tamlyn Tomita...
A haunting journey into the hearts and minds of the forgotten heroes of WWII: the Japanese-American 100th/442nd. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Jap... Read more
Operation Amsterdam (1958)
6.4/10
Director: Michael McCarthy
Starring: Peter Finch, Eva Bartok, Tony Britton
Set in WW II, an English Major and two Dutch diamond experts attempt the dangerous task of removing millions of pounds-worth of industrial diamonds fr... Read more
Operation Crossbow (1965)
6.6/10
Director: Michael Anderson
Starring: George Peppard, Jeremy Kemp, John Mills, Sophia Loren, Tom Courtenay, Trevor How...
In the last days of World War II, a group of British commandos is sent on a daring mission deep into Nazi territory to sabotage production of a pair o... Read more
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
Director: John Madden
Starring: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Jason Isaacs, Penelope Wilton,...
During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops. Read more
Operation Pacific (1951)
6.7/10
Director: George Waggner
Starring: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Scott Forbes, Ward Bond
"Take 'er down!" .This World War II drama stars John Wayne as a submarine commander involved in a hazardous mission against the Japanese while dealin... Read more