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....
The Admiral (2008)
7.2/10
Director: Andrey Kravchuk
Starring: Richard Bohringer, Sergei Bezrukov, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Konstantin Khabensky,...
A lavish romantic drama and historical fiction centered on Admiral Kolchak (Konstantin Khabensky), a WWI war hero and naval commander who played an im... Read more
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2015)
7.2/10
Director: Kim Han-min
Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ryu Seung-ryong, Jinwoong Jo
1597. Joseon Dynasty. Korea has been under relentless Japanese attack for six years. On the eve of the nation's defeat, Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is reappoi... Read more
The Aftermath (2019)
6.3/10
Director: James Kent
Starring: Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgard, Jason Clarke
In 1946 Rachael Morgan arrives in the ruins of Hamburg to be reunited with her husband, Lewis, who is a British colonel charged with rebuilding the sh... Read more
The Airlift (2005)
6/10
Director: Dror Zahavi
Starring: Heino Ferch, Ulrich Tukur, Bettina Zimmermann
Set in post-WW2 Berlin, the two-part drama, The Airlift, encapsulates a sweeping love story between a German woman and an American soldier. After her... Read more
The Americanization of Emily (1964)
7.4/10
Director: Arthur Hiller
Starring: James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, Joyce Grenfell
In one of the first films to satirize America's gung-ho attitude to war, James Garner (in his favourite role) plays Charley Madison, a soldier who's n... Read more
The Army of Crime (2009)
Director: Robert Guediguian
Starring: Virginie Ledoyen, Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Yann Tregouet, Lola N...
French World War II drama chronicling the famous 1944 'Red Poster' case, in which a group of foreign partisans defied French apathy to form their own... Read more
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
8.1/10
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Starring: Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Brahim Haggiag
Director Gillo Pontecorvo brilliantly recreated the street riots and other events that led up to Algeria's independence from France in this astonishin... Read more
The Battle of Algiers (Special Edition) (1966)
8.1/10
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
One of the most influential political films in history, Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" vividly recreates a key year in the tumultuous Alge... Read more
The Battle of Red Cliff (2008)
7.4/10
Director: John Woo
Starring: Chang Chen, Hu Jun, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Zhang Fengyi, Zhao...
Aka "The Battle of Red Cliff". An epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. A power hungry... Read more
The Battle of Red Cliff ( Blu-ray ) (2008)
7.4/10
Director: John Woo
Starring: Chang Chen, Hu Jun, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Zhang Fengyi, Zhao...
Aka "The Battle of Red Cliff". An epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. A power hungry... Read more