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....
Eva (2009)
4.7/10
Director: Adrian Popovici
Starring: Michael Ironside, Patrick Bergin, Amy Hayes, Vincent Regan
On the eve of World War II, young Eva (Amy Hayes) meets and falls in love with the enigmatic, older Tudor (Vincent Regan), who vanishes as quickly as... Read more
Everyman's War (2009)
5.1/10
Director: Thad Smith
Starring: Michael J Prosser, Cole Carson
As the Battle of the Bulge draws to a close in early 1945, the men of the 94th Infantry Division find themselves outmanned and battling both blizzard... Read more
Eye in the Sky (2015)
7.3/10
Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Alan Rickman, Helen Mirren, Iain Glen, Jeremy Northam, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi
A military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an... Read more
Fail Safe (1964)
8/10
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Dan O'Herlihy, Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman, Walter Matthau
One of the greatest anti-war thrillers ever. This tense Cold War offering is about a squad of American bombers that are accidentally sent to deliver a... Read more
Fail Safe (blu-ray) (1964)
8/10
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Dan O'Herlihy, Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman, Walter Matthau
One of the greatest anti-war thrillers ever. This tense Cold War offering is about a squad of American bombers that are accidentally sent to deliver a... Read more
Fantasy Mission Force (1984)
Director: Chu Yen-ping
Starring: Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Jimmy Wang Yu
A truly off-the-wall WW2 actioner with Jackie Chan as part of an elite commando team sent to rescue a group of Allied Generals kidnapped by the Japane... Read more
Farewell to the King (1989)
6.3/10
Director: John Milius
Starring: Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Marius Weyers, Frank McRae
A visually stunning adventure epic of a WWII army deserter (Nick Nolte) who faces a crisis of conscience when the island paradise he has ruled in peac... Read more
Fateless (2006)
7/10
Director: Lajos Koltai
Starring: Marcell Nagy, Aron Dimeny, Andras M Kecskes, Joszef Gyabronka, Daniel Craig
A subtle, yet disturbing and profoundly moving drama about a Hungarian Jewish boy's life-changing experiences in Nazi concentration camps, and his att... Read more
Fear and Desire (1953)
5.6/10
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Frank Silvera, Paul Mazursky, Virginia Leith, Kenneth Harp, Stephen Coit
Virtually unseen since its theatrical premiere in 1953, "Fear and Desire" was the ambitious first feature film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick.... Read more
Female Agents (2008)
6.8/10
Director: Jean-Paul Salome
Starring: Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain, Deborah Francois, Moritz Bleibtr...
In May 1944, a group of French servicewomen and resistance fighters are enlisted into the British Special Operations Executive commando group for two... Read more