War is a situation that no one in any country wants to be in. But it is a history that we must always remember. Many filmmakers have brought the theme of War to the big screen. The story is so interesting that many people are looking for Recommended Best War Movies.
While there are some who question the negative impact of war movies on one’s mental health, there are also those who see war movies as an important part of human history.
You can spend your weekend watching some of the best war movies of all time according to these critics which are very interesting. They are truly amazing!
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Best War Movies Recommendations
15. Hacksaw Ridge – 2016
This movie is based on a true story during the battle of Okinawa in World War II. It tells the story of an Army soldier who took a stand against using weapons.
This soldier refused to kill people and preferred to save his fellow soldiers. The person named Desmond T. Doss, he was determined not to hurt other human beings.
When America entered WWII, Desmond joined the defense of his country by enlisting as a soldier. Due to the rigorous training that required him to use a firearm, he had a hard time.
Firm in his oath and determination, Desmond refused to use firearms. This earned him a reprimand from his seniors.
His father, a former American soldier in WWI, finally stepped in to save his son. After his father conferred with Army officials, Desmond was allowed to serve with the Army, but only as a medic.
Eventually, Desmond and other American Army troops were sent to Hacksaw Ridge, Okinawa to fight the Japanese forces. There, we will witness the inspiring yet sad story of Desmond.
Hacksaw Ridge received six Oscar nominations at the 89th Academy Awards and won in the Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing categories. On rotten tomatoes, the movie scored 84 percent from critics.
14. Platoon – 1986
Before creating controversy as the writer of Scarface (1983), director of JFK (1991) and Natural Born Killers (1994), Oliver Stone experienced failure as a student who dropped out of Yale University and also as a novelist in the 1960s.
However, Oliver Stone later dedicated himself to the US Army and was sent straight to the jungles of Vietnam in the Vietnam War. For his service, Stone was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Afterward, Oliver Stone continued his education at New York University under the tutelage of director Martin Scorsese. He then began his career in Hollywood as a screenwriter. It wasn’t until 1986 that Stone used his experience in combat to make the movie Platoon.
Platoon tells the story of a young soldier (Charlie Sheen, son of Martin Sheen who played Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now seven years earlier).
The soldier must face the Viet Cong and a ruthless sergeant, Barnes (Tom Berenger). The war is particularly harrowing as it was inspired by Oliver Stone’s own personal experiences.
Platoon received an 88 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The film earned a domestic revenue of 138 million US dollars with a production budget of only 6 million US dollars.
In addition, Platoon also won the Oscar award for Best Picture and Best Director, which was given to Oliver Stone.
13. 1917 – 2019
The next best war movies recommendation is 1917 (2019). This movie was released after 102 years passed since the events recorded in the movie, namely World War I.
Before World War I, also known as the Great War at the time, battles were only fought between specific tribes, countries, and cultures. However, by the late 1910s, warfare involved the entire world.
This conflict extended from Europe to the Middle East and involved many countries. It not only became part of the Great War, but also brought the introduction of sophisticated technology to the battlefield. The impact was devastating and could not have been predicted.
Sam Mendes, the director of 1917, managed to present a new view of war through his work. He managed to depict a motivating story of heroism as well as the horrors of war very clearly.
The 1917 movie tells the story of two British soldiers who had to bravely deliver a message in enemy territory in order to save 1,600 soldiers, including one soldier’s brother. 1917 was a success among critics and movie-goers. The war movie received positive reviews with an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In addition, 1917 also made a profit of 37 million US dollars or around Rp588 billion after being screened in America, and won awards from the Golden Globes, AFI, and Producers Guild of America.
12. The Red Big One – 1980
The movie The Big Red One (1980) managed to get a high rating of 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and is thus considered one of the best war movies. The movie takes place in World War II, which at that time, in 1980, was still rarely noticed by filmmakers who focused more on the Vietnam War.
In the movie The Big Red One, Lee Marvin, a Marine veteran of World War II who received the Purple Heart, plays a strong sergeant who leads his unit in the First Infantry Division from Africa to Europe.
The Big Red One depicts war simply and honestly, telling the story of ordinary people who brave difficult situations and overcome them thanks to their unity.
Movies like Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Dunkirk (2017), as well as TV series like Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010) were inspired by The Big Red One.
Samuel Fuller, who fought in North Africa during World War II, provided his personal experiences that made the movie’s depiction more vivid.
11. Full Metal Jacket – 1987
Stanley Kubrick, a director known for his war films such as Spartacus (2010), Paths of Glory (1957), and Dr. Strangelove (1964), produced Full Metal Jacket in 1987. The movie combines surrealistic and realistic elements in its depiction.
Full Metal Jacket is a movie based on the novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. The movie tells the story of a US Marine’s journey from bootcamp to the cruel and brutal battlefield.
The lead actors in the movie are Matthew Modine, R Lee Ermey, and Vincent D’Onofrio. While not considered one of the best films Stanley Kubrick ever made, Full Metal Jacket scored 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Dunkrik – 2017
Christopher Nolan, known as one of the best modern film writers and directors, has succeeded in various movie genres such as superheroes (Dark Knight trilogy), Interstellar (2014), and Inception (2010). However, Nolan has now chosen to take on his biggest challenge yet by directing a war movie.
The Battle of Dunkirk attracted attention because the British lost the battle. However, the successful evacuation of 338,000 soldiers from the French coast in this battle has inspired the world.
Christopher Nolan also took a risk by making Dunkirk different from his previous films. The movie has no main stars and the history of the battle is less known, especially in the United States (unlike the Pearl Harbor incident).
However, Warner Bros. Studios has a strong belief in Christopher Nolan’s ability to direct the film. They even invested 100 million US dollars or around Rp1.5 trillion for the production of this film.
Although Dunkirk was released at the same time as popular superhero movies, the studio believed that Christopher Nolan’s reputation and World War II theme would attract audiences.
As the studio believes, Christopher Nolan’s work is always satisfying. Dunkirk scored 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also managed to generate revenues of 189 million US dollars in the US and 526 million US dollars worldwide. In fact, director Quentin Tarantino called Dunkirk one of his favorite films.
9. Glory – 1989
Movie recommendations The next best war movies is Glory which was released in 1989. Despite being one of the most important conflicts in American history, the movies that have told the story of the American Civil War on the big screen are not that impressive.
For example, The Birth of a Nation is a movie that tells the story of the American Civil War from a very racist point of view.
There’s also Gone With The Wind (1939), which focuses more on the issue of slavery, or historical biopics like Lincoln (2012). However, of all these movies, the best is Glory (1989).
Glory tells the story of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw who led an army of black volunteers during the American Civil War.
Besides showing his inspiring heroism, the movie also reveals that African Americans were not only victims of slavery by the Confederacy, but also faced racism within their own ranks, the Union Army.
Unluckily, Glory did not get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Best Picture instead went to Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Nevertheless, Glory received a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A pretty high score for a movie.
8. Saving Private Ryan – 1998
Steven Spielberg has been one of the most successful directors in history. However, in the 1990s, the director famous for blockbuster movies like Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones began to change his career direction.
After winning the Oscar for Best Picture with the war film Schindler’s List (1993), Spielberg began to focus on making films about World War II.
The movie Saving Private Ryan (1998) has an interesting premise where a group of soldiers risk their lives behind enemy lines to save a soldier who lost his brother in battle.
In the hands of Steven Spielberg, this movie gives the audience a new perspective on World War II. Spielberg uses documentary techniques to depict the conflicts of this war and elevate the bravery of the soldiers.
According to a movie critic, Saving Private Ryan scored 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was financially successful by generating a domestic revenue of 217 million US dollars, as well as a global revenue of US$482 million, making it the highest-grossing movie of 1998.
Steven Spielberg also won the Best Director award in the Oscar Awards for this film, although the film lost in the Best Picture category to Shakespeare in Love (1998).
7. The Deer Hunter – 1978
The Deer Hunter (1978) features famous Hollywood stars, such as Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken, so it can be concluded that this movie has a good quality.
At 183 minutes, viewers are taken on a journey from the steel mills of Pittsburgh to the mountains of Pennsylvania and the violent jungles of Vietnam, to illustrate just how brutal war can be. This war not only ruined the lives of those who fought, but also their loved ones back home.
The Deer Hunter illustrates that war has an impact not only on the soldiers fighting on the battlefield, but also on their loved ones and the communities they live in.
The film was a huge success at the Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Cimino, and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken, and earning nominations for Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Critics also gave the movie a high score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. The Guns of Navarone – 1961
Film The Guns of Navarone (1961) can be considered one of the best war movies in the men on a mission subgenre. The movie was produced by the British and Americans and tells the story of a team of British soldiers sent to Nazi-occupied Greece. They have the task of destroying a German weapons base.
The Guns of Navarone stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn. The movie tells the story of a dangerous mission that the Allies must complete to defeat an evil enemy.
One of the things that stands out about this movie is its strong characters, interesting storyline, and epic story. The movie has also received praise from critics to date, with a score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
5. The Bridge on the River Kwai – 1957
Sir David Lean was a British director who had the ability to make impressive movies. He was able to organize a large cast, even reaching 10,000 people.
One of his most famous works is The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), which is not only the biggest movie in history, but also considered one of his best works.
The movie The Bridge on the River Kwai tells the story of British prisoners of war who were ordered by the Japanese army to build a railroad along the river Kwai. However, the Allied forces have a plan to destroy it. William Holden and Alec Guinness are the lead actors in this movie.
Alec Guinness won the Academy Awards as Best Actor in this movie. Meanwhile, Sir David Lean won the Best Director award and also won the Best Picture award for The Bridge on the River Kwai.
As the years went by, the movie’s reputation never declined, as it scored 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
4. The Pianist – 2002
The next best war movies recommendation has a setting when the Nazi regime was in power. Adrien Brody achieved an extraordinary feat by becoming the youngest Oscar winner for the Best Actor category through this movie.
The movie is based on the autobiography of Polish Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who lived during the German occupation of wartime Poland.
Wladyslaw Szpilman, a pianist of Polish and Jewish descent, was performing at a radio station in Warsaw in September 1939. At the time, the Nazis blew up the radio station during their invasion of Poland.
Afterwards, Szpilman returned home to join his family. He received news that Great Britain and France had declared war on Germany. However, Szpilman’s hopes for Polish independence in the near future proved unrealized as the British and French troops never came to Poland.
The Polish resistance lasted only one month. Things got worse when the Soviets invaded other parts of Poland as well, while the Nazis took control of Warsaw and set up their military operations office there.
Life for people of Jewish descent became even more difficult as the Nazis banned them from having jobs and forced business owners to close their businesses. In addition, the Nazis also ordered Jews to wear armbands with the Star of David as a special identifying mark.
They are also banned from possessing more than 2,000 zlotys, walking on sidewalks, and using public facilities. In November 1940, Szpilman and his family were forced to move from their home to the Ghetto, a camp for Jews in Warsaw.
The capacity of the place far exceeded the number of inhabitants, so the residents of the Ghetto had to live in very miserable conditions. The movie scored 95 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. The Hurt Locker – 2008
The next best war movies recommendation is The Hurt Locker (2008). This is a war movie that is different from the others. In this movie, we will feel the tension for 131 minutes.
Director Kathryn Bigelow portrays this tension through her Bomb Theory, which tells the story of an army unit tasked with defusing bombs during the Iraq War. The movie has received positive feedback from critics. The score given to The Hurt Locker on Rotten Tomatoes is 97 percent.
Interestingly, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Oscar award as Best Director. In addition, the movie also won the Academy Awards for Best Picture.
2. Apocalypse Now – 1979
In the 1970s, Francis Ford Coppola directed a movie that told the story of the Vietnam War. Apocalypse Now (1979) is a great story about war. The movie not only depicts the horrific fear of war, but also shows very clearly the inhuman cruelty.
Apocalypse Now received a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed 91 million US dollars or the equivalent of Rp1.4 trillion worldwide. This is the biggest achievement in Coppola’s directorial career.
1. Schindler’s List – 1993
During World War II, Nazi Germany occupied Poland, and Oskar Schindler, a businessman, felt sympathy for the Jewish workers after witnessing the Nazis’ cruel treatment of them. This historical drama is considered one of the best movies ever, directed by Steven Spielberg, a Jewish filmmaker.
Schindler’s List features Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley. The movie uses a black-and-white presentation technique to give it the dark feel the director wanted.
Of course, the movie won many awards and reviews that highly praised the quality of the movie adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s Ark novel published in 1982.
It tells the story of the situation that Jews faced under the Nazi regime in Germany. In 1939, life for the Jewish population was very difficult and they felt persecuted. However, there was a Nazi businessman who had good intentions to help them achieve a more decent life.
The businessman was Oskar Schindler, who built a factory and employed Jews, with the help of an accountant named Itzhak Stern. However, there were secrets and hidden plans behind Oskar’s good deeds.
The movie scored 98 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
