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....
Operation Pacific (1951)
6.7/10
Director: George Waggner
Starring: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Scott Forbes, Ward Bond
"Take 'er down!" .This World War II drama stars John Wayne as a submarine commander involved in a hazardous mission against the Japanese while dealin... Read more
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
6.5/10
Director: Micholas Ray
Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter
A leadership battle tug-of-war during the Battle of Guadalcanal, featuring squadron leaders John Wayne and Robert Ryan. Produced by Howard Hughes and... Read more
The Red Badge Of Courage (1951)
7.3/10
Director: John Huston
Starring: Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Royal Dano
Director John Huston's powerful adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about the horrors of war. Set during the American Civil War, the film features a s... Read more
Sirocco (1951)
6.3/10
Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Marta Toren, Lee J Cobb, Zero Mostel
Humphrey Bogart is a gun-runner in 1920s Syria in this action-filled drama of war, exotic action and romance. Read more
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)
6.1/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Micheline Presle, Tom Ewell, Tyrone Power
After his PT boat is sunk, U.S. naval officer Tyrone Power joins a group of Americans helping Filipinos fight Japanese occupation forces. There he fal... Read more
Three Came Home (1950)
7.4/10
Director: Jean Negulesco
Starring: Claudette Colbert, Sessue Hayakawa
Based on the autobiographical book by Agnes Newton Keith. Claudette Colbert stars as Agnes Newton Keith, who, along with her British husband, was arre... Read more
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Captain Horatio Hornblower (1950)
7.4/10
Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty
This thrilling adventure saga stars Gregory Peck as a British naval officer caught in the crossfire between the Spanish, the French and a Central Amer... Read more
Morning Departure (1950)
7.5/10
Director: Roy Baker
Starring: John Mills, Nigel Patrick, Peter Hammond, Richard Attenborough, George Cole, Ber...
On a routine post-war mission, a submarine strikes a forgotten mine and sinks to the bottom. The twelve-man crew are faced with the probability of per... Read more
The Wooden Horse (1950)
7/10
Director: Jack Lee
Starring: Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel
An exciting WWII drama about POW's determined to tunnel their way out of a prison camp using an exercise vaulting horse for cover. Stars Leo Genn, Dav... Read more
The Hasty Heart (1949)
7.4/10
Director: Vincent Sherman
Starring: Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd
In Burma on the penultimate day of World War II, Cameron Highlander Lachlan 'Lachie' MacLachlan is seriously wounded and transported to a local milita... Read more