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 Conference (2022)
7.3/10
Director: Matti Geschonneck
On January 20, 1942, leading representatives of the German Nazi regime met in a villa in Berlin-Wannsee for a meeting that went down in history as the... Read more
Das Boot ( aka The Boat ) (1981)
8.4/10
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Herbert Gronemeyer, Jurgen Prochnow, Klaus Wennemann
A.k.a. 'The Boat.' Totally restored and with over an hour of never-before-seen footage, Das Boot: The Director's Cut is Wolfgang Petersen's acclaimed... Read more
Ice Cold In Alex (1958)
7.9/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle
A well-made psychological drama of a British ambulance officer, two nurses and a German soldier bought together in the African desert. John Mills, Syl... Read more
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
7.5/10
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter
This exciting true-life adventure is about the first bombing attack on Tokyo during WW II. It follows Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) and his m... Read more
What Did You Do In the War, Daddy? (1966)
6.7/10
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: Aldo Ray, Carroll O'Connor, Dick Shawn, Harry Morgan, James Coburn, Giovanna Ral...
James Coburn is the leader of a misfit group of soldiers stationed in Italy during World War II. Coburn is joined by a superior officer (Dick Shawn) w... Read more
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
7.3/10
Director: Lewis Milestone
Starring: Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, Richard Conte
This terrific WWII drama from director Lewis Milestone ('All Quiet on the Western Front') follows one infantry platoon in battle from the time they la... Read more
Destiny of a Man ( Fate of a Man ) (1959)
8.1/10
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
Starring: Sergei Bondarchuk, Pavel Boriskin, Zinaida Kirienko, Pavel Volkov
The story of a man (Andrey Sokolov) whose life was ruthlessly crippled by World War II. Sergei Bondarchuk directs and acts in this screen adaptation o... Read more
The Wall (2017)
6.2/10
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena
U.S. soldiers Allan "Ize" Isaac and Shane Matthews answer a distress call in the desert of postwar Iraq. Suddenly, gunshots erupt, leaving Shane badly... Read more
Das Boot ( aka The Boat ) ( Mini-series) (1981)
7.6/10
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
A.k.a. 'The Boat. Totally restored 'Das Boot: 6-part mini series presented as one complete feature lenegth uncut version. Wolfgang Petersen's acclaim... Read more
Map of the Human Heart ( Blu-ray ) (1992)
7.2/10
Director: Vincent Ward
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Scott Lee, Jeanne Moreau, John Cusack, Pat...
When a half-Eskimo boy named Avik (Jason Scott Lee) leaves his Arctic home with a British mapmaker (Patrick Bergin) to seek medical attention in Canad... Read more