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....
Where Hands Touch (2018)
6.4/10
Director: Amma Asante
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Amandla Stenberg, George MacKay, Christopher Eccleston, Tom Goodm...
Germany 1944: 15-year old Leyna (Amandla Stenberg), daughter of a white German mother and a black father, lives in fear due to the color of her skin.... Read more
Red Tails (Blu-ray) (2012)
5.9/10
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo
Three African-American pilots, who were mostly kept on the ground, are given a chance to be a part of the Tuskegee training programme. Read more
Jet Pilot (1957)
5.7/10
Director: Josef Von Sternberg
Starring: John Wayne, Janet Leigh
A high-flying Cold War drama with American Air Force colonel John Wayne charged with looking after defecting Soviet pilot Janet Leigh. The pair fall i... Read more
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
6.2/10
Director: Noam Murro
Starring: Hans Matheson, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton
This new chapter of the epic saga "300", told in the breathtaking visual style that defined the original blockbuster, brings the fight for glory to a... Read more
Stalag 17 ( Blu-ray ) (1952)
8/10
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, William Holden
This fine tale of a POW Camp is laced with director Billy Wilder's special brand of comedy and cynicism. William Holden (Academy Award for Best Actor)... Read more
Monsignor Renard (2000)
7.2/10
Starring: John Thaw, Cheryl Campbell
Twenty years after taking an acrimonious leave of his family and friends in order to join the Roman church, Monsignor Renard returns to his home villa... Read more
The Gentle Gunman (1952)
6.3/10
Director: Basil Dearden
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Elizabeth Sellars, John Mills, Robert Beatty
Set in the London Blitz during the early days of WWII. During an IRA terrorist offensive to plant bombs in the Underground as Londoners take shelter f... Read more
Thunder Birds (1942)
6.3/10
Director: William A Wellman
Starring: Gene Tierney, Preston Foster, John Sutton
A.k.a. "Soldiers of the Air". A remote military base in the Arizona desert is the site for the love triangle that develops between a beautiful rancher... Read more
The Water Diviner (2014)
7.1/10
Director: Russell Crowe
Starring: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Yilmaz Erdogan, Cem Yilmaz, Jai Courtney, Ryan Co...
The Water Diviner is an extraordinary tale of love, faith and heroism. Starring Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion), The Water... 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