Last updated March 2024
In the mood for Best War Movies 2008 ? We put together 30 of the Best War Movies 2008 available, drawing top picks from IMDB ratings and user votes on our site. Cast your vote for favorite Best War Movies 2008 to guide fellow viewers toward quality content. User participation is what makes our platform so helpful.
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Plot Summary:
Much awarded animated documentary, in which director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery, War
Country: Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia
Plot tags: war, politics, military, soldier, memory loss, nightmare, haunted by the past, guilt, mass murder, catastrophe, memory, israeli, tragic event, life is a bitch, introspection, atrocity, military life, enemy, against humanity, wartime, conflict, visceral, revolution, trippy, mission
Ip Man (2008)
Plot Summary:
A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 232000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Plot tags: martial arts, kung fu, wing chun, human spirit, master warrior, courage, bravery, training, warrior, martial artist, ambition, fight scenes, fight, culture clash, mentor, biopic, sino japanese war, leader, medieval, fighter, war, revenge, karate, racism, sword fight
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Plot Summary:
When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 239000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: world war two, holocaust, concentration camp, war, children, childhood, nazi, friendship, nazism, military, gas chamber, boy, morality, against humanity, nazi germany, ss, wartime life, friends, hate, child, genocide, twists and turns, betrayal, atrocity, children in wartime
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Plot Summary:
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 468000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: iraq war, military, terrorism, war, sniper, soldier, army, bomb squad, marines, gulf war, terrorist, moral dilemma, bomb, shootout, u.s. army, friendly fire, middle east conflict, violence, wartime, self sacrifice, car bomb, corpse, suicide bomber, panic, loss of friend
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Plot Summary:
Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal Emperor, Akbar and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa
Duration: 213 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: India
Plot tags: emperor, true love, royal family, culture clash, dishonesty, love and romance, ruler, royal court, politics, arranged marriage, historical character, sword fight, win over, indian history, princess, betrayal, romantic rivalry, royalty, heroes, happy ending, love story, initially antagonists, indians, wedding, ancient
Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Plot Summary:
Max Manus is a Norwegian 2008 biographic war film based on the real events of the life of resistance fighter Max Manus (1914–96), after his contribution in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. The story follows Manus through the outbreak of World War II in Norway until peacetime in 1945
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: Norway, Denmark, Germany
Plot tags: world war two, resistance, nazi, nazism, war, wartime, military, escape, nazi occupation, gestapo, courage, manhunt, terrorism, depression, soldier, loss of friend, world war, storytelling, life is a bitch, terrorist, rage, spy, fascism, idealism, leader
Red Cliff (2008)
Plot Summary:
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance
Duration: 145 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, USA
Plot tags: war, martial arts, battles, strategy, kung fu, historical event, chinese emperor, ancient history, horse, medieval, revenge, ethnic conflict, assassination, visceral, idealism, wuxia, war hero, siblings relations, state affairs, ancient, heroes, danger, tragic hero, heroic mission, antiquity
Flame & Citron (2008)
Plot Summary:
During Nazi occupation, red-headed Bent Faurschou-Hviid ("Flame") and Jørgen Haagen Schmith ("Citron"), assassins in the Danish resistance, take orders from Winther, who's in direct contact with Allied leaders. One shoots, the other drives. Until 1944, they kill only Danes; then Winther gives orders to kill Germans. When a target tells Bent that Winther's using them to settle private scores, doubt sets in, complicated by Bent's relationship with the mysterious Kitty Selmer, who may be a double agent. Also, someone in their circle is a traitor. Can Bent and Jørgen kill an über-target, evade capture, and survive the war? And is this heroism, naiveté, or mere hatred?
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: Denmark, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic
Plot tags: war, world war two, gestapo, wartime, betrayal, spy, nazi, dishonesty, nazism, world war, double agent, resistance, organized crime, greed, ethnic conflict, partner, political unrest, wartime life, chaos, assassination attempt, danger, mistrust, state affairs, plan gone awry, espionage
Che: Part One (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Argentine, begins as Che and a band of Cuban exiles (led by Fidel Castro) reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. Within two years, they mobilized popular support and an army and toppled the U.S.-friendly regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Spain, USA
Plot tags: revolution, cuban revolution, dictatorship, communism, violence, military, biopic, freedom, rebel, idealism, civil war, cold war, politics, execution, fighting the system, leadership, political unrest, state affairs, exile, rise to the top, society, cultural icon, renegade, hopes, health situation
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Plot Summary:
Vietnam veteran 'Four Leaf' Tayback's memoir, Tropic Thunder, is being made into a film, but Director Damien Cockburn can’t control the cast of prima donnas. Behind schedule and over budget, Cockburn is ordered by a studio executive to get filming back on track, or risk its cancellation. On Tayback's advice, Cockburn drops the actors into the middle of the jungle to film the remaining scenes but, unbeknownst to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of heroin-producing gangs
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 440000
Genere: Action, Comedy, War
Country: USA, UK, Germany
Plot tags: jungle, vietnam war, showbiz, war, adaptation, storytelling, stupidity, military, wilhelm scream, actor, profanity, disguise, peril, chaos and mayhem, helicopter crash, rivalry, danger, actor's life, artists and showbiz, dark humor, hollywood, irreverent, violent, stoner, bromance
Valkyrie (2008)
Plot Summary:
Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer
Duration: 121 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 256000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Japan, UK
Plot tags: world war two, nazi, nazism, war, nazi germany, hitler, conspiracy, resistance, german soldier, politics, wehrmacht, espionage, betrayal, german officer, courage, gestapo, colonel, surveillance, holocaust, military, world war, double agent, ss, wartime, plan gone awry
Defiance (2008)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland
Duration: 137 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: world war two, holocaust, war, survival, nazi, judaism, genocide, partisan, rebellion, military, revenge, prejudice, resistance, world war, nazism, hopes, danger, rebelliousness, wartime life, escapades, red army, winter, politics, fascism, wartime
The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
Plot Summary:
About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937
Duration: 125 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Australia, China, Germany, USA
Plot tags: survival, orphan, rescue, self discovery, selflessness, heroes, soldier, escapades, society, danger, daring rescue, invasion, world war two, refugee, human spirit, war, fall in love, wartime life, journalist, teenager, world war one, youth, myth, photograph, reporter
Winter in Wartime (2008)
Plot Summary:
During World War II in the freezing Netherlands winter of 1944/1945 the western Netherlands are in the grip of a famine. Many people move east to provide for their families. Fourteen year old Michiel can't wait to join the Dutch resistance, to the dismay of his father, who, as mayor, works to prevent escalations in the village
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Netherlands, Belgium
Plot tags: world war two, coming of age, children in wartime, resistance movement, resistance, nazi, wartime life, war, winter, occupation, execution, nazism, nazi occupation, world war, boyhood, military, life is a bitch, danger, young heroes, youth, family relations, lgbt, holocaust, international relations, wartime
The Lucky Ones (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story revolves around three soldiers — Colee, T.K. and Cheaver — who return from the Iraq War after suffering injuries and learn that life has moved on without them. They end up on an unexpected road trip across the U.S
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: road trip, soldier, friendship, homecoming, life is a bitch, wartime life, loss of friend, on the road, war on terror, father son relationship, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, army, business, nature, 9/11, terrorism, aftermath, sociology, women in the military, storm, friends, society, gulf war, financial problem, sergeant
Che: Part Two (2008)
Plot Summary:
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Spain, France, USA, Germany
Plot tags: revolution, communism, dictatorship, rebel, idealism, leadership, biopic, hopes, heroes, life is a bitch, historical character, political unrest, folk hero, downfall, state affairs, military, dictator, revolutionary, rebellion, war, civil war, cold war, resistance, protest, struggle
Australia (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand
Duration: 165 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War, Western
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Plot tags: unlikely couple, social differences, fall in love, journey, opposites attract, couples, desert, culture clash, wilderness, prejudice, world war two, love story, betrayal, inheritance, racist, horse, war, ranch, survival, stereotypes, society, boy, wartime, aristocracy, love
Stop-Loss (2008)
Plot Summary:
A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army
Duration: 112 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: soldier, iraq war, u.s. military, friendship, death, war, homecoming, redemption, depression, small town, wartime life, war on terror, father son relationship, fiance fiancee relationship, army, rules and policies, terrorism, revenge, destiny, character study, military, anti war, violence, suicide, courage
The Red Baron (2008)
Plot Summary:
Richthofen goes off to war like thousands of other men. As fighter pilots, they become cult heroes for the soldiers on the battlefields. Marked by sportsmanlike conduct, technical exactitude and knightly propriety, they have their own code of honour. Before long he begins to understand that his hero status is deceptive. His love for Kate, a nurse, opens his eyes to the brutality of war
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany, UK
Plot tags: world war one, airplane, war, soldier, fighter pilot, aviation, flying, great war, rise to the top, fall in love, pilot, airplane shot down, heroes, tragic love, love affair, military life, unfulfillment, world war, aerial combat, fighter plane, brother brother relationship, german history, military, race, world war two
The Edge of Love (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Edge of love is a love story of two feisty women and a brilliant, charismatic poet who love both women. One woman Vera Phillips who is his first love and whom he lost for ten year, while other one is his present wife Caitlin who is adventurous and felt same adventurous nature in this charismatic poet, Dylan Thomas, also
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK
Plot tags: love triangle, marriage, husband wife relationship, jealousy, rivalry, infidelity, writers, pregnancy, world war two, intrigue, unfulfillment, love, dishonesty, couple relations, poet, biopic, women, relationships, passion, wartime, forbidden love, world war, bisexuality, sex, lesbian
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Plot Summary:
Miracle at St. Anna chronicles the story of four American soldiers who are members of the all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II
Duration: 160 min
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: Italy, USA
Plot tags: world war two, behind enemy lines, war, military, nazi, african american, soldier, fascism, world war, battles, racism, interracial relations, war crime, military life, partisan, daring rescue, danger, blacks and whites, racial segregation, italian history, black people, black history, black, friendship, death
Outpost (2008)
Plot Summary:
In a seedy bar in a town ravaged by war, scientist and businessman Hunt hires mercenary and former Royal Marine D.C. to assemble a crack team of ex-soldiers to protect him on a dangerous journey into no-man's land. Their mission is to scope out an old military bunker in Eastern Europe. It should be easy – 48 hours at the most. Lots of cash for little risk. Or so he says
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, War
Country: UK
Plot tags: zombie, experiment gone awry, nazi zombie, supernatural, danger, heroic mission, trap, violence, occult, soldier, world war two, nazi experiment, serial murder, undead, heroes, survival, blood, death, military, mercenary, fear, cave, ex soldier, mine, infected