30 war movies you have to see and why

The war cinema It is one of the classic film genres par excellence. War films offer us the opportunity to understand historical events, conflicts on a global or local level, from the perspective of their protagonists.

Here we propose a list with 30 of the best war movies, a selection made up of outstanding film titles of all time, taking into account the technical and narrative point of view, arranged in ascending order and with its own criteria. We also propose some of the reasons why these tapes deserve your attention.

30. Mash (1970)

Director: Robert Altman
War conflict: Korean war
You should see it because: It contains a humorous satire of warfare that is far from the usual dramatic character in the war genre.

This film is the predecessor of the legendary series released in 1972. It is an antiwar comedy and is based on the novel by Richard Hooker.

The story revolves around some North American surgeons who have been assigned to Korea to work in a field hospital during the war. Medical specialists try to deal with the horror of the conflict through humor and irony.

Although the film is focused on the Korean War, in reality, it can be interpreted as a criticism of the American intervention in Vietnam.

29. Europe, Europe (1990)

Director: Agnieszka Holland
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: is an emotional cinematic epic, based on a real case, that hides a survival story and a snippet of 20th century European history.

Europe, europe is a film inspired by the experiences of Solomon Perel. At the dawn of the war, the young Solomon is separated from his parents and ends up in a German orphanage. From that moment on, the boy hides that he is Jewish and keeps his true identity a secret in order to survive, even being part of the Hitler youth.

28. In hostile land (2008)

Director: Kathryn bigelow
War conflict: Iraq war
You should see it because: It has a haunting atmosphere that plunges the viewer directly into chaos and danger, and addiction to it, through the scenery and the disturbing experiences of its characters.

In hostile land is contextualized in 2004. An army team expert in defusing bombs fights in Baghdad. On a mission, the leader of the group dies and is replaced by another sergeant named William James, who brings with him reckless behavior that will put the troops in danger.

27. The Thin Red Line (1998)

Director: Terrence malick
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is a film that goes beyond narrating a warlike conflict, it does so by providing great philosophical reflections.

The thin red line is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by James Jones that focuses on the battle of Guadalcanal, one of the worst in the Pacific. In it, the soldiers face their fears and fight for their survival.

26. Patton (1970)

Director: Michael Cimino
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is inspired by the military career of one of the most iconic American generals and does so in an ironic way.

It is a biopic of George Patton, one of the most controversial American military personnel who was part of the Second World War and participated in the defeat against the Nazi army. He was known to use ruthless methods with his troops that led to him being considered, by some, as a national hero.

25. Dunkirk (2017)

Director: Christopher Nolan
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: Christopher Nolan develops in the warlike genre, unusual for him, through a timeless narrative, going back and forth, using different points of view. The film has a suffocating atmosphere, which makes it a very sensory experience.

Dunkirk recreates Operation Dynamo, which took place during World War II. When Nazi troops advance and invade France, British, French and Belgian soldiers are surrounded by enemies, trapped on the beach and with no apparent escape. From that moment, a rescue operation of more than 300,000 soldiers began to evacuate the French coast by sea.

24. Land and freedom (1995)

Director: Ken loach
War conflict: Spanish Civil War
You should see it because: it does not show the conflicts between the two sides (national and republican), but rather addresses the internal confrontation of the republican ranks.

This film is based on the story of George Orwell that he made in his autobiographical work entitled Tribute to Catalonia. Land and freedom focuses on the life of a young Englishman, David Carr, who decides to go to Spain to participate in the war on the Republican side.

23. In no man's land (2001)

Director: Danis Tanovic
War conflict: Bosnian War
You should see it because: It is a film that narrates a disastrous event in the key of comedy.

In crops of nobody is a film contextualized in 1993. During the Bosnian War, two soldiers from different sides are trapped in no man's land. Meanwhile, the press echoes the event and turns it into a media affair. Meanwhile, the men try to find a solution to save their lives.

The film became the winner of the Oscar for best foreign language film in the year of its release.

22. The Screams of Silence (1984)

Director: Roland Joffe
War conflict: Cambodian Civil War
You should see it because: It is a cradle tape that not only speaks of the disasters of war but also of friendship.

The screams of silence show the effects of US intervention during the Vietnam conflict.

The film revolves around a journalist named Sydney, who travels to Cambodia to cover the war. In the country he is guided by a native named Pran, who helps him with the language. When the Americans withdrew from the conflict in 1975 Pran, far from leaving Cambodia with his family, decides to stay with the journalist, from that moment they will have to deal with the Khmer occupation Reds.

21. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Director: Clint eastwood
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: supplemented by its successor Flags of our fathers, It attends to the same battle narrated from two different points of view, in this case that of the Japanese army. They are the two sides of the same story.

Letters from Iwo Jima shows one of the cruelest episodes of the contest, the Battle of Iwo Jima. In it, it is intended to publicize the event from the point of view of the Japanese army. In this historical episode, some 20,000 Japanese soldiers and around 7,000 American soldiers lost their lives.

20. The Bridge (1959)

Director: Wolfgang Panzer
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: is a powerful war drama that also explores the complexity of adolescence and the consequences of fanaticism and indoctrination.

This film is inspired by the homonymous novel by author Gregror Dorfmeister. The story focuses on the end of the Second World War and tells how a group of teenagers, followers of the Nazism, try to protect a bridge in a small German town when the country has already been invaded by the allies.

19. Shame (1968)

Director: Ingmar bergman
War conflict: fictional
You should see it because: it has a great visual force, a magnificent photograph. It is an antiwar film with which the director wanted to capture the terror of conflicts from his own point of view and how they influence the human being.

This unmissable tape from Bergman's filmography is not inspired by any particular warfare. The shame focuses on a married couple of musicians, Jan and Eva, who are fleeing the civil war that has started in their country. However, they are soon embroiled in the conflict when the soldiers arrive on the island where they are hiding.

18. Ivan's childhood (1962)

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is a film that does not try to show the fighting or the battlefield, but the experience of a child whose childhood has been ripped away.

It is one of Tarkovsky's earliest works and also one of the most admired of his early days as a filmmaker. It is based on the story of Vladimir Bogomolov.

Iván is a young man who has been taken from his parents by the war. Soon, the boy begins to collaborate for the Soviet troops and spy on the Germans.

17. Massacre: Come and See (1985)

Director: Elem klimov
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is a film without patriotism or heroism, so common in war cinema, it is a journey through the victims and their struggle for survival.

This film was released 40 years after the end of World War II. It portrays the journey of young Florya, who witnesses the murder of his relatives during the war. Through the eyes of a child, the horrors and consequences of the war are shown, which little by little are making a dent in his life.

16. 1917 (2019)

Director: Sam mendes
War conflict: First World War
You should see it because: It has a striking photograph and is shot in a false sequence shot, so it is more enjoyable when viewed on the big screen.

This film follows the lives of Schofield and Blake, two British soldiers on a mission to enter the territory enemy to deliver a message and thus avoid an attack that will save the lives of 1,600 soldiers, among them is the brother of Blake.

15. Forbidden Games (1952)

Director: René Clément
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: it offers a different vision of war, from the point of view of children.

A film that narrates the war conflict from the point of view of a five-year-old girl, whose parents die after an attack by German aviation. After the cruel event, a peasant family takes care of the girl, who establishes a friendship with the youngest of the house. Her imagination leads the children to create an invented world that reflects the cruelty they see around them.

14. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Director: Steven Spielberg
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: it is a detailed film in every way, from the stunning visuals to the believable sound effects.

At the time, she was awarded five statuettes at the Oscars. The film masterfully recreates what is known as “D-day”, the day of the Normandy landing. In it John Miller and his soldiers have the mission to rescue Ryan, a soldier who was thrown from a parachute and about whom nothing is known.

13. The Great Parade (1925)

Director: King vidor
War conflict: First World War
You should see it because: It is one of the highest-grossing films in silent cinema and one of its director's great masterpieces. The film focuses on showing the human cost of the war and its victims, without praising the war.

John Gilbert played Jim Apperson, a young American soldier, relating to a family rich, who decides to participate in World War I when his girlfriend encourages him to join the army. When he reaches the trenches, the young man realizes that the war is not as he had imagined. There, Jim falls in love with another girl. Upon his return to the United States, he discovers that his girlfriend is now with his brother.

12. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Director: David lean
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is one of the first blockbusters of David Lean that won seven Oscars, which stands out for its great performances.

During World War II, in a prison camp, a Japanese colonel forces a group of British prisoners to carry out the construction of a bridge over the River Kwai (Thailand).

However, Nicholson, an English colonel, opposes this event, claiming that the order violates the Geneva Convention, which responds to the rights of prisoners during the war. From that moment, a confrontation arises between the colonels that will lead to Nicholson being locked in a kind of cage exposed to the sun.

11. When the storks pass by (1957)

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: the film shows the most cruel aspects of the war and the suffering of the Soviet people through a love story, it highlights a great camera work.

When the storks It is a Soviet film that is based on a work by Viktor Rozov. In it, two young lovers, Boris and Verónica, have to separate at the beginning of the fight when he is called up.

10. The great illusion (1937)

Director: Jean renoir
War conflict: First World War
You should see it because: It is one of the most influential films of war cinema of its time, also of Renoir's cinema. Her characters stand out, her dialogues and her anti-war character.

His plot revolves around two French officers who are prisoners of a German concentration camp. From the moment they arrive at the site, the men hatch an escape plan that involves digging a tunnel with their fellow barracks.

9. The Battle of Algiers (1965)

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
War conflict: Algerian War of Independence
You should see it because: is a chronicle on the independence of Algeria presented in a documentary style and has a team of actors, mostly non-professionals.

The film takes place between 1954 and 1962 and tells of Algeria's long struggle for independence from France. In the film, the Algerians and the French begin a tough contest, and the film shows it from the perspective of both sides.

8. The Hunter (1978)

Director: Michael Cimino
War conflict: Vietnam War
You should see it because: She was awarded five Oscars and some of her scenes have passed, with great relevance, to the history of cinema. The film focuses primarily on the aftermath of the war.

Three men have to give up their lives as workers to fight in the Vietnam conflict. Upon reaching the front lines, Michael, Nick and Steven are kidnapped by the enemy and subjected to different torture. When they return, the three men will no longer be the same, one of them has been mutilated and another is psychologically affected.

7. Paths of Glory (1957)

Director: Stanley kubrick
War conflict: First World War
You should see it because: It is an antimilitarist allegation in which its montage and the psychological evolution of its characters stand out.

The film is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Humphrey Coob. It involves an anti-war story in which two generals order their troops to rise up "blindly" against the German army.

After this event, only a few soldiers survive, who are accused of cowardice. Then, three of them are subjected to a harsh military judicial procedure in which a judge decides to shoot them.

6. The Great Escape (1963)

Director: John sturges
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: is a story based on real events that stands out for having a choral role.

Film set in concentration camps, specifically in Stalag Luft III, one of the most heavily guarded. There some allied prisoners decide to organize a collective escape, for which they decide to excavate two tunnels, a fact that will put them in constant danger.

5. Rome, the open city (1945)

Director: Roberto Rossellini
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: It is one of the great films in the history of cinema that represents Italian Neorealism.

With documentary aesthetics, Rosellini focuses on the city of Rome, occupied by the Nazis, and on the people belonging to the Italian resistance in their intense fight against fascism. The artistic team of this film is made up of professional and non-professional actors.

4. The Metallic Jacket (1987)

Director: Stanley kubrick
War conflict: Vietnam War
You should see it because: It is a film that deals with a war event in a moving way, perhaps as never before, in it the metamorphosis of its protagonists stands out.

The metal jacket shows the cruellest face of a war conflict, paying special attention to the psychological transformation of the protagonist before and after being trained, along with other young people, on an island to prepare to participate in the Vietnam War.

After hard military preparation by the Marines at the beginning of the film, the second part shows the reality on the battlefield.

3. Apocalypse now (1979)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
War conflict: Vietnam War
You should see it because: reflects the hostile environment through unmatched sound and cinematic technique.

The film is an adaptation of the novel "The Heart of Darkness." During the war in Vietnam, a captain of the special forces of the United States Army has the mission of find a colonel from his country in Cambodia and assassinate him, since he has become a kind of god for a very dangerous.

2. Ran (1985)

Director: Akira Kurosawa
War conflict: fictional
You should see it because: It is one of the best films in the history of cinema, and of its director, who shows the battles with a perfect cinematographic technique.

It is inspired by the work The Lear King by William Shakespeare, also in an ancient Japanese legend. It is a film with an outstanding cinematographic technique and it is one of the most admired films of its director.

In medieval Japan, Hidetora's abdication triggers a great war that pits her children against each other.

1. Schindler's List (1993)

Director: Steven Spielberg
War conflict: Second World War
You should see it because: the film is technically brilliant, from its careful black and white photography to its spectacular soundtrack.

Schindler's List it is an emotional and heartbreaking film about the holocaust. It tells the story of Oskar Schidler, a businessman who is dedicated to saving Jews from concentration camps from death by hiring them at his factory and protecting them.