We have been obsessed with war movies since the motion picture became part of popular culture. Here is a list of the 10 Best War Movies of All Time.
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). Director: David Lean. Writer: Pierre Boulle (novel), Carl Foreman (screenplay). Cast: Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins. Plot: A group of British POWs are forced to build a bridge by their Japanese captors. The film is a powerful exploration of the themes of duty, honor, and survival.
- Schindler’s List (1993). Director: Steven Spielberg. Writer: Steven Zaillian (screenplay). Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley. Plot: A German businessman tries to save Jews from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film is a harrowing and unforgettable account of one man’s courage in the face of evil.
- Saving Private Ryan (1998). Director: Steven Spielberg. Writer: Robert Rodat (screenplay). Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns. Plot: A group of American soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission to rescue a paratrooper behind enemy lines. The film is a visceral and realistic depiction of the horrors of war.
- Full Metal Jacket (1987). Director: Stanley Kubrick. Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr (screenplay). Cast: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio. Plot: A group of Marines are trained for combat in Vietnam. The film is a brutal and unflinching look at the dehumanizing effects of war.
- Apocalypse Now (1979). Director: Francis Ford Coppola. Writer: Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius (screenplay). Cast: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen. Plot: A U.S. Army captain is sent on a mission upriver in Vietnam to assassinate a renegade colonel. The film is a hallucinatory and nightmarish journey into the heart of darkness.
- Paths of Glory (1957). Director: Stanley Kubrick. Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson (screenplay). Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou. Plot: A group of French soldiers are court-martialed for cowardice after they refuse to attack an impossible position. The film is a powerful indictment of war and the military.
- Lagaan (2001). Director: Ashutosh Gowariker. Writer: Ashutosh Gowariker (screenplay). Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley. Plot: A group of Indian villagers challenge a British officer to a game of cricket in order to save their village from being taxed. The film is a stirring and uplifting story of courage and determination.
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988). Director: Isao Takahata. Writer: Akiyuki Nosaka (novel), Isao Takahata (screenplay). Cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayako Fujita, Takeshi Naito. Plot: Two young siblings are orphaned during the firebombing of Kobe, Japan, in World War II. The film is a heartbreaking and unforgettable story of survival and loss.
- Come and See (1985). Director: Elem Klimov. Writer: Elem Klimov, Ales Adamovich (novel). Cast: Alexei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Lyubov Germanova. Plot: A young boy witnesses the horrors of war as he joins the Soviet resistance in Belarus during World War II. The film is a harrowing and unflinching look at the human cost of war.
- 1917 (2019). Director: Sam Mendes. Writer: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns (screenplay). Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong. Plot: Two British soldiers are sent on a perilous mission behind enemy lines to deliver a message that could save their battalion. The film is a visually stunning and emotionally gripping depiction of war. [Image of 1917 (2019) movie poster
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