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 Longest Day (1962)
7.8/10
Director: Andrew Marton, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki
Starring: Curt Jurgens, Eddie Albert, Gert Frobe, Henry Fonda, Jeffrey Hunter, John Wayne,...
Acclaimed as one of Hollywood's greatest epics, producer Darryl F. Zanuck's brilliant re-creation of the Allied landing at Normandy on June 6, 1944 fo... Read more
The Longest Day ( Blu-ray ) (1962)
7.8/10
Director: Andrew Marton, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki
Starring: Curt Jurgens, Eddie Albert, Gert Frobe, Henry Fonda, Jeffrey Hunter, John Wayne,...
Acclaimed as one of Hollywood's greatest epics, producer Darryl F. Zanuck's brilliant re-creation of the Allied landing at Normandy on June 6, 1944 fo... Read more
The Lost Battalion (2002)
7.1/10
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Michael Brandon, Rick Schroder, Phil McKee, Jamie Harris, Jay Rodan
As the First World War draws to a close, American troops penetrate deep into German-held French territory, under pressure from French and British alli... Read more
The Lucky Ones (2008)
7/10
Director: Neil Burger
Starring: Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, Michael Pena, Molly Hagan
Three soldiers meet up en route back to the States from the Iraq War; Fred Cheaver (Tim Robbins), out for good, and keen to reunite with his wife and... Read more
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
7.4/10
Director: Ronald Neame
Starring: Gloria Grahame, Clifton Webb, Robert Flemying, Josephine Griffin
Cinematographer turned director Ronald Neame brings to life the fascinating true story of a daring operation that foiled Hitler's invasion of Sicily.... Read more
The Man Who Will Come (2009)
7.5/10
Director: Georgio Diritti
Starring: Maya Sansa, Alba Rohrwacher, Claudio Casadio
A powerful and engrossing drama based on the World War II tragedy known as the Marzabotto Massacre. This film confirms director and co-writer Giorgio... Read more
The Mark of Cain (2007)
6.5/10
Director: Marc Munden
Starring: Gerard Kearney, Matthew McNulty, Leo Gregory, Shaun Dingwall, Shaun Dooley, Naom...
Shane and Mark are two young English soldiers recently stationed in Iraq and set the task of guard duty at a holding facility for prisoners of war. Ab... Read more
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)
7.9/10
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Lowitsch, Ivan Desny
Hanna Schygulla shines in her role as a penniless soldier's wife who builds an industrial empire after the end of WW II. The first of Fassbinder's thr... Read more
The Match (2020)
6/10
Starring: Franco Nero, Caspar Phillipson, Armand Assante
Inspired by true events from the spring of 1944 when the Nazis organized a football match between a team of camp inmates and an elite Nazi team on Ado... Read more
The McKenzie Break (1970)
6.5/10
Director: Lamont Johnson
Starring: Brian Keith, Helmut Griem, Ian Hendry
An engrossing war drama set in a P.O.W. camp in Scotland during WWII. After hearing of a planned prison escape, Irish intelligence officer Brian Keith... Read more