Last updated March 2024
Jonesing to watch sensationally awesome Best War Movies ASAP? Dive right into our handpicked collection of 30 marvelous, universally adored Best War Movies available for instant streaming. Hailed as extraordinarily spectacular by revered IMDB critics and our own legion of savvy users, these world-class Best War Movies simply can't be matched. Lend a hand to fellow viewers by voting up the titles you consider keepers. We appreciate your stellar contributions highlighting elite titles!
The Message (1976)
Plot Summary:
The story of prophet "Muhammad" and the delivery of the message of God "Allah"
Duration: 207 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
Plot tags: camel, arabic history, prophet, muslim, islam, muslim woman, medieval, religion, ancient, arab, horse, historical event, historical character, dancing, travel, spy, combat, revenge, women, army, desert, hunter, water, death, torture
Who's Singin' Over There? (1980)
Plot Summary:
On April 5, 1941, a day before Nazi attack on Yugoslavia, entourage on a country road board Krstic's bus heading for Belgrade: two Gypsies who occasionally sing about misery, an aging war veteran, a Nazi sympathizer, a dapper singer, a consumptive, and a man with a shotgun. Krstic is a world-weary cynic, out for a buck; the driver is his son, the simple, cheerful Misko. En route they pick up a more people and head towards their destiny
Duration: 86 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, War
Country: Yugoslavia
Plot tags: world war two, on the road, gypsy, bus, road trip, nature, racism, european, badass, war, heroes, anti war, newlyweds, passenger, clergy, wartime life, hapless, horse, musician, army, forest, female nudity, sex scene, soldier, swimming
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Plot Summary:
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home
Duration: 169 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 15000000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: war, world war two, military, courage, battles, self sacrifice, sniper, friendship, nazi, army, d day, rescue, combat, cowardice, heroic mission, u.s. army, destiny, soldier, bravery, rescue mission, machine gun, u.s. military, tank, squad, ambush
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Plot Summary:
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 730000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Italy
Plot tags: holocaust, world war two, concentration camp, nazi, human spirit, life & death, life philosophy, nazism, self sacrifice, fascism, war, sacrifice, survival, courage, childhood, ss, father son relationship, nazi occupation, against humanity, genocide, pretense, death of protagonist, innocence, wartime, heartwarming
Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (1996)
Plot Summary:
In the opening stages of the Bosnian War, a small group of Serbian soldiers are trapped in a tunnel by a Muslim force
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Plot tags: civil war, bosnian war, genocide, wartime, anarchist, moving, conflict, radical, human rights, war on terror, social realism, yugoslav war, feeling, badass, life story, village, basketball, muslim, suicide, newspaper, ogre, war, thief, heroes, friendship
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Plot Summary:
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive
Duration: 89 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 301000
Genere: Animation, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Plot tags: world war two, war, hunger, orphan, homelessness, survival, siblings relations, children, desperation, death of child, anti war, boy, bomb, coming of age, hospital, sadness, wartime, danger, fighting illness, depression, courage, melancholy, international relations, world war, wartime life
The Pianist (2002)
Plot Summary:
The true story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city
Duration: 150 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 890000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: France, Poland, Germany, UK, USA
Plot tags: holocaust, world war two, survival, genocide, nazi, classical music, wartime, war, nazism, pianist, nazi occupation, hunger, anti semitism, concentration camp, against humanity, ghetto, biopic, atrocity, music, starvation, world war, life & death, judaism, ss, secret hideout
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Plot Summary:
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory
Duration: 147 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 698000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: vietnam war, insanity, jungle, mission, anti war, army, violence, military, secret mission, soldier, violent, war, river, losing-it hero, jungle warfare, american soldier, war criminal, nihilism, u.s. military, photojournalist, animal abuse, assassination, madness, chaos, u.s. army
Das Boot - The Director's Cut (1981)
Plot Summary:
A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits
Duration: 149 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 261000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: West Germany, Italy, France, UK
Plot tags: submarine, world war two, war, navy, ocean, naval battle, military, nazi, anti war, underwater, battles, survival, ship captain, courage, claustrophobia, kriegsmarine, sea, third reich, war correspondent, wehrmacht, wartime, world war, politics, great war, sinking ship
Come and See (1985)
Plot Summary:
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope
Duration: 142 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Soviet Union
Plot tags: world war two, genocide, war crime, against humanity, brutality, holocaust, atrocity, occupation, anti war, war, military, children in wartime, teenage girl, massacre, war violence, nazi, mass murder, german occupation, murder, execution, coming of age, fascism, surrealism, nazi occupation, nazism
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Plot Summary:
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop the nuclear strike
Duration: 95 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 511000
Genere: Comedy, War
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: cold war, military, satire, nuclear war, anti war, nuclear threat, disaster, doomsday, nuclear holocaust, u.s. president, nuclear, president, insanity, absurdism, end of the world, militarism, u.s. air force, apocalypse, bomber, nazi, soldier, great ending, nuclear explosion, atomic bomb, political leader
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Plot Summary:
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers
Duration: 153 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 15000000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, War
Country: Germany, USA
Plot tags: world war two, vengeance, nazi, war, nazism, violent, revenge, dark humor, alternate history, violence, working undercover, brutality, racism, mission, soldier, gunfight, blood, heroes, squad, fascist, military, shooting, dialogue, hitler, nazi hunter
Braveheart (1995)
Plot Summary:
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule
Duration: 178 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: freedom, courage, sword fight, war, vengeance, medieval, battles, tragic hero, love story, leadership, beautiful scenery, military, warrior, sword and shield, idealism, battlefield, life changing, knight, revenge, folk hero, biopic, pride and honor, army, death of protagonist, honor
Incendies (2010)
Plot Summary:
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 192000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: Canada, France
Plot tags: prison, rape, incest, civil war, last will and testament, torture, pregnant from rape, unwanted pregnancy, unknown father, incest rape, twin brother and sister, psychology, family problems, twins, muslim, university, self discovery, mother son incest, family secret, islam, death, haunted by the past, uncover truth, brutality, family drama
To Live (1994)
Plot Summary:
Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Plot tags: communism, cultural revolution, chinese history, politics, gambling, storytelling, family relations, poverty, destiny, asian history, civil war, death, hospital, revolution, social justice, world war two, mythology, meaning of life, child abuse, deaf, totalitarian regime, culture, asian, female protagonist, disability
Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017)
Plot Summary:
In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight. Frantic, scared and on the verge of death, this little girl captures the heart of Süleyman, who risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his Army base and out of harms way. Not knowing her name and unable to communicate with her, Süleyman names her Ayla, in reminiscence of the moon on the fateful night during which they met. The two form an instantaneous and inseparable bond, and Ayla, almost effortlessly, brings an uncanny joy to the Turkish brigade in the grip of war. As the war comes to a close however, Süleyman's brigade is told that they will be returning home. Süleyman cannot bear abandoning Ayla, and does everything within his power to take her with him. After repeated failure, he is forced to give Ayla to an orphanage, but doesn't give up on the hope of one day reuniting with her. Will the two ever get back together?
Duration: 125 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: korean war, little girl, orphan, turk, soldier, care, child custody, school, rescue, military base, military, family relations, mother daughter relationship, military life, war, muslim, airplane, foster parent, foster home, turkish army, heroes, journalist, death, battles, cold war
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Plot Summary:
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner
Duration: 179 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: courtroom drama, judge, genocide, holocaust, justice, lawyer, court, legal, war, courtroom, trial, politics, nazi, war crime, nazism, morality, against humanity, military, world war two, wartime, law, society, world war, racism, concentration camp
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Plot Summary:
The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements
Duration: 218 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 309000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, War
Country: UK
Plot tags: desert, world war one, war, military, british empire, camel, imperialism, historical character, battles, islam, politics, great war, train, wartime, culture clash, rebel, quicksand, bedouin, storytelling, arab, medieval, rape, officer, leader, diplomacy
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Plot Summary:
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 777000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: vietnam war, military, war, anti war, soldier, suicide, boot camp, sniper, military life, brutality, basic training, cruelty, infantry, violence, gunfight, military base, insanity, platoon, battles, racial slur, conflict, u.s. military, psychology, wartime, blood
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Plot Summary:
Living with her tyrannical stepfather in a new home with her pregnant mother, 10-year-old Ofelia feels alone until she explores a decaying labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun who claims to know her destiny. If she wishes to return to her real father, Ofelia must complete three terrifying tasks
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 694000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, War
Country: Mexico, Spain
Plot tags: monster, mythology, fantasy world, macabre, creature, imagination, magical, legends and myths, good versus evil, maze, young heroes, imaginary, resistance, fairy, cruelty, woods, death, spanish civil war, goth, imaginary kingdom, fascism, fear, alternate dimension, magic, dead child
The Ascent (1977)
Plot Summary:
Two Soviet partisans leave their starving band to get supplies from a nearby farm. The Germans have reached the farm first, so the pair must go on a journey deep into occupied territory, a voyage that will also take them deep into their souls
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Soviet Union
Plot tags: world war two, partisan, cold weather, execution, betrayal, nazi, winter, treasure hunt, holocaust, politics, priest, genocide, faith, father, spirituality, foreign legion, legion, christian, woman, patriot, human rights, colonialism, realism, death penalty, world war
The Mountain II (2016)
Plot Summary:
In a desolate war zone where screams of the innocent echo, on the very line between disaster and valor, 7 Maroon Berets will dance with death
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: terrorist, special forces, swat team, military, behind enemy lines, criminal, rescue, journalism, danger, dangerous mission, captivity, society, public execution, soldier, war, business, islam, muslim, isis, sniper, tank, heroes, journalist, map, book
The Shop on Main Street (1965)
Plot Summary:
In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie. Since the post comes with a salary and standing in the town's corrupt hierarchy, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt as he and Rozalie gradually befriend each other. When the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up, Tono faces a moral dilemma unlike any he's known before
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Czechoslovakia
Plot tags: world war two, holocaust, genocide, store, nazi, politics, fascism, friendship, rescue, danger, deportation, dehumanization, human nature, against humanity, fascist, storekeeper, misfit, elderly, judaism, world war, husband wife relationship, deaf, greed, guilt, christmas
1917 (2019)
Plot Summary:
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake's own brother among them
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 654000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA, India, Spain
Plot tags: world war one, trench warfare, race against time, british soldier, british army, soldier, military, battlefield, death, british military, survival, dangerous mission, german soldier, behind enemy lines, war, great war, friendship, rat, dead body, tragic event, courage, pursuit, world war two, moving, world war
The Great Escape (1963)
Plot Summary:
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocates them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story
Duration: 172 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 255000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: world war two, prison escape, prison, war, nazi, motorcycle, pow, freedom, army, military, soldier, chase, escape, camp, planning, machine gun, capture, desperation, determination, escape attempt, prisoner, nazi germany, wehrmacht, wartime, world war
Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Plot Summary:
Following the roguish terrorist attacks at Uri Army Base camp in Kashmir, India takes the fight to the enemy, in its most successful covert operation till date with one and only one objective of avenging their fallen heroes
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: India
Plot tags: terrorist attack, soldier, terrorism, military, army, indian soldier, patriot, violence, friendship, murder, danger, terrorist, indians, fight, hunting, islam, nationalism, conflict, hindu, war on terror, propaganda, threat, political conflict, battlefield, indian history
Downfall (2004)
Plot Summary:
In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender
Duration: 156 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 370000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Germany, Austria, Italy
Plot tags: world war two, hitler, nazism, suicide, nazi, war, holocaust, fascism, third reich, national socialism, dictatorship, nazi germany, courage, politics, bunker, paranoia, war crime, confined, ss officer, hitler youth, ss, corruption, last will and testament, siege, dictator
Lion of the Desert (1980)
Plot Summary:
This movie tells the story of Omar Mukhtar, an Arab Muslim rebel who fought against the Italian conquest of Libya in WWII. It gives western viewers a glimpse into this little-known region and chapter of history, and exposes the savage means by which the conquering army attempted to subdue the natives
Duration: 173 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA, Libya
Plot tags: muslim, desert, arab, bedouin, resistance, islam, revolution, rebel, military, battles, world war two, medieval, struggle, great war, imperialism, tank, fascism, italian history, camel, combat, time travel, nazi, world war one, wartime, freedom
Ran (1985)
Plot Summary:
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how their new-found power will corrupt them
Duration: 160 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 134000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: Japan, France
Plot tags: samurai, feudal japan, medieval, shakespeare, greed, vengeance, war, castle, betrayal, nihilism, insanity, sword fight, great ending, politics, cavalry, wench, hara kiri, sibling rivalry, martial arts, brothers, dream, tragedy, asian, father, assassination
Underground (1995)
Plot Summary:
Black marketeers Marko and Blacky manufacture and sell weapons to the Communist resistance in WWII Belgrade, living the good life along the way. Marko's surreal duplicity propels him up the ranks of the Communist Party, and he eventually abandons Blacky and steals his girlfriend. After a lengthy stay in a below-ground shelter, the couple reemerges during the Yugoslavian Civil War of the 1990s as Marko realizes that the situation is ripe for exploitation
Duration: 170 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, War
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, UK, USA
Plot tags: world war two, surrealism, communism, war, genocide, satire, greed, freedom, tragedy, brutality, lie, imagination, propaganda, culture clash, society, ambition, holocaust, wartime, world war, insanity, resistance, underground, anti war, revolution, basement