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....
Three Kings (1999)
7.1/10
Director: David O Russell
Starring: Spike Jonze, Cliff Curtis, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, George Clooney
March 1991; the Iraqi Desert in the aftermath of Desert Storm. Four American soldiers discover a map reputedly leading to a huge cache of gold stolen... 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
Tigerland (2000)
7/10
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr.
Director Joel Schumacher's acclaimed, gritty Vietnam War-era drama follows a group of Army recruits through boot camp and a gruelling series of drills... Read more
To End All Wars (2001)
7.1/10
Director: David L Cunningham
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland, Ciaran McMenamin
Tells the true story of four Allied POWs who endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors during WWII while being forced to build a railroad thr... Read more
To Hell And Back (1955)
7.4/10
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Starring: Charles Drake, Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, David Janssen, Denver Pyle
The most decorated American soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, stars as himself in this gritty, unflinching biography. Follow the exploits of a re... Read more
Too Late the Hero (1970)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Aldrich
Starring: Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, Ian Bannen, Henry Fonda, Harry Andrews, Ronald F...
Thi action-packed offering tells of two reluctant soldiers (Michael Caine and Cliff Robertson) sent on a suicide mission on a Pacific Island during WW... Read more
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
7.5/10
Director: Kinji Fukasaku, Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda
Starring: Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, Soh Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E G...
This $25 million epic collaboration faithfully recreates the events leading up to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. An insightful and well-crafted Wor... Read more
Triage (2009)
6.5/10
Director: Danis Tanovic
Starring: Christopher Lee, Colin Farrell, Jamie Sives, Paz Vega, Kelly Reilly
Covering the 1988 clash between the Iraqi military and the Kurds, battle-scarred photojournalist Mark Walsh (Colin Farrell) suffers an injury that for... Read more
Triple Agent (2004)
6.4/10
Director: Eric Rohmer
Starring: Serge Renko, Katerina Didaskalou
Loosely based on a true story, this sublime drama from director Eric Rohmer follows the complex marriage between a Greek painter and her White Russian... Read more
Triple Cross (1967)
6.4/10
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard, Gert Frobe, Claudine Auger,...
World War II true story in which master spy Eddie Chapman (Christopher Plummer) works both sides of the fence going for whichever player offers him th... Read more