War -- what is it good for? An arsenal of phenomenal movies, that's for sure. It's no coincidence that some of the greatest films of all time depict the glory and horrors of combat; the cream of the filmmaking crop have dabbled in it at one time or another: Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick ... the list goes on.What are the best war films of all time? We fought it out to bring you these 25 films that receive our medal of honor.
25. 'Black Hawk Down' (2001)War Time: 1993 U.S Raid on Mogadishu, Somalia
What It's Good for: When their choppers are shot down during a mission to abduct two Somalian warlords, a band of U.S. soldiers are forced to fight for their lives on the streets of Mogadishu. Ridley Scott delivers one of the most viscerally shot, claustrophobic and utterly realistic war flicks of all time, introduces American audiences to Aussie badass Eric Bana AND elicits a career-best performance from Josh Hartnett to boot.
Rent the DVD | Buy the DVD
24. 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' (1970)War Time: World War II
What It's Good for: Though some detractors have labeled the film boring, this dramatization of the events leading up to, and also the attack on, Pearl Harbor, has aged amazingly well, and scores points with purists for its documentary-like feel. Told from the vantage points of both Americans and Japanese, it's approximately 100 times better than that other Pearl Harbor movie.
Rent the DVD | Buy the DVD
23. 'Sergeant York' (1941)War Time: World War I
What It's Good for: What do war and turkey shoots have in common? In one of his best turns, Gary Cooper plays a drafted pacifist who becomes an American hero when he single-handedly captures an enemy position using common hunting tactics. It's inspired by a true story, and truly inspiring.
Rent the DVD | Buy the DVD
22. 'The Thin Red Line' (1998)War Time: World War II
What It's Good for: Terrence Malick's trancelike ensemble is unlike any war movie made before or since. For those who prefer moral complexity and visual poetry to macho bonding and gore, it was this film, not 'Saving Private Ryan,' that won the battle of WWII flicks in 1998.
Rent the DVD | Buy the DVD
21. 'A Bridge Too Far' (1977)War Time: World War II
What It's Good for: Enlisting one of the greatest cross-generational ensembles ever (Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford...) this grim pic portrays "Operation Market-Garden." While that attempt to end the war quickly by conquering German bridges failed, this hard-hitting film succeeds at every turn.
Rent the DVD | Buy the DVD
Head to SnagFilms for Veterans Day Documentaries.
Reader Comments (488)
toofat at 12:58PM on Jun 17th 2008
Two more movies come to my mind: "Grey Zone" and a film from Serbia (i'm Croat not Serb) "Lepa sela lepo gore" ...
Subaru537 at 2:35PM on Aug 3rd 2009
Everybody knows the greatest war movie of our ime is "letters from iwo jima". They even said it in the Academy Awards and Oscar. Following afterwards would be "Saving private Ryan". And now "The hurt Locker" is also gaining some popularity.
rumple at 6:29AM on Aug 9th 2009
There's a fab list of WWII films at www.timeout.com/film
tommywood13 at 12:35AM on Jul 29th 2008
Three amazing movies missing from this list: Black Hawk Down, The Patriot, and Enemy at the Gates.
Max at 8:33AM on Jun 5th 2009
Mate are you joking? THey are the three worst war films. Enemy at the gates- "the whole of Stalingrad came down to a single sniper". Please. And Black Hawk Down? Thats not a war film, just some propaganda making the US massacre look noble. Plus it was just shit in terms of substance.
d at 12:58AM on Jun 8th 2009
black hawk down was on the list ...
Pencil at 7:05PM on Aug 2nd 2008
How can you leave out The Guns of Navarone? The Big Red One also comes to mind.
arcee at 6:30PM on Aug 11th 2008
yeah! black hawk down! that was really really haunting!
bob at 6:19PM on Sep 9th 2008
I agree also with Blackhawk Down, but another would be Gettysburg, which showes both the tatical view of war, plus the personal side of the American Civil War.
chiba at 2:54AM on Oct 7th 2008
oh guys whot about We Were Soldiers...???
vin at 5:15AM on Oct 24th 2008
How "Saving private Ryan" is miised....
eric at 11:22AM on Aug 6th 2009
did anybody acually look at the list? Blackhawk down IS on there, SVP IS on there......
radialap at 12:15PM on Oct 24th 2008
i'm looking for a movie about a privet that is shiped over to vetnom and sneaks his girlfriend over and there is a grop of special ops out side of camp thatknow one will go near and the girlfriend wonders over when there out on prutrol and stays looking for the name of the movie so i can by it
PP at 8:42PM on Jun 27th 2009
hey dude isnt that a book??.. its called THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
justin at 3:23AM on Jul 28th 2009
its a book homie,
its called the things they carried by tom o' brian
dustin37398 at 6:30PM on Nov 4th 2008
The name of the movie where he sneaks his girlfriend over is A Soldiers Sweetheart.
It was originally a short story by the name of Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.
elrinze at 1:50PM on Nov 27th 2008
black hawk down needs to be on this list.
jesseb at 12:01AM on Dec 5th 2008
this list is so bad none of the good war movies are here what abouat
black hawk down
we were solders
windtalkers
pearl harbor
troy
300
gladiator
the patriot
lord of the rings and lots better ones
jessebi at 11:59PM on Dec 4th 2008
hg
jessebi at 12:00AM on Dec 5th 2008
this list is so bad none of the good war movies are here what abouat
black hawk down
we were solders
windtalkers
pearl harbor
troy
300
gladiator
the patriot
lord of the rings and lots better ones