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 Cry (1954)
6.6/10
Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Nancy Olson
Based on the novel by Leon Uris, a group of servicemen through boot camp then on to New Zealand where even more training takes place (and a romance be... Read more
Battle for Haditha (2007)
7/10
Director: Nick Broomfield
Starring: Elliot Ruiz, Falah Abraheem Flayeh, Yasmine Hanani, Andrew McClaren, Eric Mehala...
On November 19, 2005, a convoy of U.S. Marines was targeted by insurgents, resulting in the death of one of their soldiers. In retaliation, they went... Read more
Battle Hymn (1957)
6.4/10
Director: Douglas Sirk
Starring: Dan Duryea, Don DeFore, Martha Hyer, Rock Hudson
"Battle Hymn" was inspired by the true story of American minister Dean Hess, played here with rare sensitivity by Rock Hudson. A bomber pilot during W... Read more
Battle Of Britain (1969)
7/10
Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Robert Shaw, Trevor Howard...
Featuring a stellar cast, including Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Robert Shaw and Susannah Yo... Read more
Battle of the Brave (2004)
5.4/10
Director: Jean Beaudin
Starring: Irene Jacob, Jason Isaacs, Colm Meaney, Tim Roth, Gerard Depardieu, Noemie Godin...
AKA 'New France'. Gerard Depardieu, Vincent Perez, and Jason Isaacs star in this sweeping historical account of the mid-18th century battle waged betw... Read more
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
6.8/10
Director: Ken Annakin
Starring: Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson
Spectacular battle sequences highlight this all-star WW II epic. It's the Allied troops vs the Nazi Panzers in the Ardennes, with some of the greatest... Read more
Battle of the Bulge ( Blu-ray ) (1965)
6.8/10
Director: Ken Annakin
Starring: Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson
Spectacular battle sequences and an all-star cast highlight this WWII epic that chronicles one of the war's most crucial conflicts. It's the Allied tr... Read more
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