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....
Men In War (1957)
7.3/10
Director: Anthony Mann
Starring: Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Vic Morrow, Phillip Pine
A realistic and tough-as-nails war flick, set in Korea and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as two soldiers trying to deal with the shocking devastat... Read more
Hellcats of the Navy (1957)
5.4/10
Director: Nathan Juran
Starring: Ronald Reagan, Nancy Davis, Arthur Franz
Naval officers Charles Lockwood and Hans Christian Adamson wrote this WW II thriller chronicling the true story of one of the most daring submarine op... Read more
Bitter Victory (1957)
6.9/10
Director: Nicholas Ray
Starring: Richard Burton, Curt Jurgens, Ruth Roman, Christopher Lee, Anthony Bushell
Director Nicholas Ray's acclaimed mix of war drama and character study stars Richard Burton as a WWII British army officer sent to North Africa to hel... Read more
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
8.2/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Ann...
Epic story of British prisoners of war held by the Japanese, combines psychological battles of will with gripping action. Winner of seven Oscars inclu... Read more
The Enemy Below (1957)
7.6/10
Director: Dick Powell
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Curt Jurgens, Theodore Bikel
Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens match wits in this acclaimed WW II submarine chase film. A tense and compelling study of bravery in unforgiving circum... Read more
Ill Met By Moonlight (1957)
5.8/10
Director: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, David Oxley
A taut World War II actioner set in Crete about the abduction of a high ranking German officer by a select band of British soldiers headed by Dirk Bog... Read more
The One That Got Away (1957)
7.2/10
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Hardy Kruger, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe
An exciting based-on-fact POW drama about Franz von Werra (Hardy Kruger) who, after two failed escape attempts from an English prison camp, is transfe... Read more
Paths of Glory (1957)
8.4/10
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou
Stanley Kubrick gives us a scathing indictment against the staff-officer mentality that cares about promotions more than the men who make those promot... Read more
The Pride and the Passion (1957)
5.7/10
Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren
In this adventure saga Cary Grant is a British naval officer who must retrieve a huge cannon abandoned by Spanish troops in order to use it against Na... Read more
The Silent Enemy (1957)
6.6/10
Director: William Fairchild
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Dawn Adams, Sid James
British Navy frogmen fight their German counterparts in the Mediterranean during WWII. Best for it's excellent underwater battle sequences. Laurence H... Read more