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| Scene from Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) ranked number one War movie of all time. |
Welcome to our Reel
Fives pre-launch movie rankings for the
best war movies of all time. Our Reel Fives team has found 125 published ranked
lists of the top war films online and ended up with 120 movies that made the
list. For each ranked list of greatest movies for the war genre we have taken
the top five ranked war films. The movie rankings on top war films that we
aggregated are included at the bottom of this post and include rankings of the
best movies in the war genre created by movie experts as well as rankings from
polling sites, such as ranker.com.
Author Tim O’Brien wrote “War
is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man;
war makes you dead” in his book The
Things They Carried (1998). This quote describes what a great war film ought
to be and our top films do that. War is nuanced because what one side views as
good, the other side views as evil and vice versa. Apocalypse Now (1979), the all-time best war movie, demonstrates
the complexity of war. Set during the Vietnam War, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin
Sheen) is on a secret mission to assassinate Green Beret Colonel Kurtz (Marlon
Brando) who the military believes has gone insane. While Willard is on his
mission, he is forced to confront the reasons why Kurtz went insane. There is
no easy way out. In Saving Private Ryan (1998),
ranked second, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is determined to rescue Private Ryan
(Matt Damon) behind Nazi lines. The film personalizes war and illustrates the
tolls on the families of soldiers as Mrs. Ryan lost three sons and Captain
Miller did not want to have another son die. Stanly Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987), ranked third, captures the realities of war
for the soldiers. The military brutalizes young men through training that
leaves them psychologically broken down to be able to kill, and the film
captures that.
While war movies are at times
heroic, they at times mix elements of humor and brutality.
Brutality and dehumanization
are products of war and so is humanity. Schindler’s
List (1993), ranked sixth, demonstrates that humanity can exist even in a
concentration camp. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) has a change of heart and
decides to save some of the Jewish prisoners. Soldiers have autonomy and the
power to decide whether or not they want to fight. While soldiers are told they
must kill, they do not always want to. Paths
of Glory (1957), ranked fifth, illustrates that soldiers do not always want
to fight the enemy because they do not see why they should and their general
has to defend their actions. Platoon (1986),
ranked fourth, follows a young Vietnam soldier on his path to realizing that he
is not needed and that the war is unnecessary. These films add depth and nuance
to the war genre by simultaneously showing the worst and best of humanity.
Schindler saves some of the Jewish prisoners, and some soldiers decide not to
shoot. These small acts of humanity show that while war happens, people have a
choice to kill or not to kill.
We did not find any surprises
on the list as many of these movies have been recognized as great movies.
Vietnam and World War II era films are on the list more than other war films,
and we believe that could be in part due to the impact of both wars on society.
WWII is still a popular war era for film. Inglorious
Bastards (2009), ranked twenty-first, centers around Americans in the hunt
for Nazis. We see that the war genre also includes the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, as one would expect. We have started to see this with The Hurt Locker (2008) and American Sniper (2014). However, the
list also shows that the genre loves its classic films. For instance, Casablanca (1942) is ranked eighteenth. The
war genre should continue to be nuanced and we do not expect that to change,
even with the glorification of violence in recent war films.
| Top 120 Movies based on 125 published rankings | |
| Percent of online top fives movies appear in shown | |
| 1 . Apocalypse Now (1979): 57.5% | |
| 2 . Saving Private Ryan (1998): 51.2% | |
| 3 . Full Metal Jacket (1987): 30.3% | |
| 4 . Platoon (1986): 29.6% | |
| 5 . Paths of Glory (1957): 22.4% | |
| 6 . Schindler's List (1993): 21.6% | |
| 7 . Black Hawk Down (2001): 16% | |
| 8 . The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): 16% | |
| 9 . The Thin Red Line (1998): 15.1% | |
| 10 . All Quiet on the Western Front (1990): 13.6% | |
| 11 . Patton (1970): 11.2% | |
| 12 . The Hurt Locker (2008): 9.60% | |
| 13 . The Great Escape (1963): 6.40% | |
| 14 . The Deer Hunter (1979): 6.40% | |
| 15 . Lawrence of Arabia (1962): 5.60% | |
| 16 . Glory (1989): 5.60% | |
| 17 . Come and See (1985): 5.60% | |
| 18 . Casablanca (1942): 4.80% | |
| 19 (tied). The Pianist (2002): 4.80% | |
| 19 (tied). Braveheart (1995): 4.80% | |
| 21 . Inglorious Basterds (2009): 4.80% | |
| 22 . Das Boot (1982): 4% | |
| 23 . American Sniper (2014): 4% | |
| 24 (tied). The Battle of Algires (1966): 4% | |
| 24 (tied). Letters from Iwo Jima (2006): 4% | |
| 26 (tied). Tora Tora Tora (1970): 3.20% | |
| 26 (tied). Jarhead (2005): 3.20% | |
| 28 . The Longest Day (1962): 3.20% | |
| 29 . The Downfall (2004): 3.20% | |
| 30 . The Dam Busters (1955): 2.40% | |
| 31 (tied). The Dirty Dozen (1967): 2.40% | |
| 31 (tied). Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (2004): 2.40% | |
| 33 . Bands of Brother (2001): 2.40% | |
| 34 . Born on the Fourth of July (1989): 2.40% | |
| 35 (tied). Memphis Belle (1990): 2.40% | |
| 35 (tied). The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): 2.40% | |
| 35 (tied). Grand Illusion (1937): 2.40% | |
| 35 (tied). Lone Survivor (2013): 2.40% | |
| 35 (tied). We were soldiers (2002): 2.40% | |
| 40 . A Bridge Too Far (1977): 2.40% | |
| 41 . Oh, What Lovely War (1969): 2.40% | |
| 42 . Where Eagles Dare (1968): 1.60% | |
| 43 (tied). The Patriot (2000): 1.60% | |
| 43 (tied). Breaker Morant (1980): 1.60% | |
| 45 (tied). Dr. Strangelove (1964): 1.60% | |
| 45 (tied). Ran (1985): 1.60% | |
| 45 (tied). Sands of Iwo Jima (1949): 1.60% | |
| 48 (tied). Ice Cold in Alex (1958): 1.60% | |
| 48 (tied). War Horse (2011): 1.60% | |
| 48 (tied). ZULU (1964): 1.60% | |
| 48 (tied). Zero Dark Thirty (2012): 1.60% | |
| 52 (tied). The Green Berets (1968): 1.60% | |
| 52 (tied). The Human Condition I (1959): 1.60% | |
| 52 (tied). Grand Illusion (1937): 1.60% | |
| 52 (tied). Kanal (1956): 1.60% | |
| 52 (tied). Battlegrounds (1949): 1.60% | |
| 57 (tied). Afirican Queen (1951): 1.60% | |
| 57 (tied). General (1926): 1.60% | |
| 57 (tied). Pearl Harbor (2011): 1.60% | |
| 57 (tied). Ice Cold in Alex (1958): 1.60% | |
| 61 . A Few Good Men (1992): 1.60% | |
| 62 . M*A*S*H (1983): 1.60% | |
| 63 (tied). The Battle of the Bulge (1965): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). Gallipoli (1981): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). Went the Day Well (1942): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). Resrepo (2010): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). The Messenger (2009): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). Seven Samurai (1954): .800% | |
| 63 (tied). Attack (1956): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Beasts of No Nation (2015): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). The Message (1976): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Ride With ehe Devil (1999): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). The Josephine Baker Story (1991): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Life is Beautiful (1997): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Gone With the Wind (1939): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). A Very Long Engagement (2004): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Zero Dark Thirty (2012): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Pork Chop Hill (1959): .800% | |
| 70 (tied). Sergeant York (1941): .800% | |
| 80 (tied). Ivan's Childhood (1962): .800% | |
| 80 (tied). Stalag 17 (1953): .800% | |
| 80 (tied). Land and Freedom (1995): .800% | |
| 80 (tied). Midwat (1976): .800% | |
| 80 (tied). The Longest Day (1962): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Winter War (1989): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Boys in Company C (1978): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Casualties of War (1989): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Starship Troopers (1997): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Reds (1981): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Big Red One (1980): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Ran (1984): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Gettysburg (1993): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Imitation Game (2014): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). 633 Squadron (1964): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). The Last Samurai (2003): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Lakshya (2004): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Cross of Iron (1977): .800% | |
| 85 (tied). Army of Shadows (1969): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). It Happened Here (1967): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Enemy at the Gates (2001): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). 300 (2006): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). The Blue Max (1966): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Lone Surviver (2013): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Cold Mountain (2003): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). To Hell and Back (1955): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Sophie's Choice (1982): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Henry V (1989): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Play Dirty (1969): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). The More The Merrier (1943): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Judgement at Nuremberg (1961): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). From Here to Eternity (1953): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Starship Troopers (1997): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Malèna (2000): .800% | |
| 100 (tied). Alexander Nevsky (1938): .800% | |
| 116 (tied). Master Commander (2003): 0% | |
| 116 (tied). Fires Were Started (1943): 0% | |
| 116 (tied). Starship Troopers (1997): 0% | |
| 116 (tied). Flags of Our Fathers (2006): 0% | |
| 116 (tied). Three Kings (1999): 0% | |
| War Movie Ranking Sources | |
| IMDb | List of top 100 (link) |
| The Telegraph | List of top 24 (link) |
| Time Out New York | List of top 50 (link) |
| AMC | List of top 20 (link) |
| Games Radar | List of top 50 (link) |
| Good Movies List | List of top 50 (link) |
| IGN | List of top 10 (link) |
| The Guardian | List of top 10 (link) |
| Short List | List of top 30 (link) |
| Daily News | List of top 15 (link) |
| Sky Movies | List of top 100 (link) |
| Film School WTF | List of top 100 (link) |
| Men's Journal | List of top 19 (link) |
| War History Online | List of top 24 (link) |
| BBC | List of top 5 (link) |
| Wikipedia | List of top 5 (link) |
| Screen Rant | List of top 5 (link) |
| Honor and Fidelity | List of top 50 (link) |
| Mens XP | List of top 10 (link) |
| Matts Movie Reviews | List of top 10 (link) |
| Pop Matters | List of top 10 (link) |
| W Top | List of top 25 (link) |
| Wonders List | List of top 10 (link) |
| The Man Guide | List of top 10 (link) |
| Goliath | List of top 10 (link) |
| Film Crave | List of top 500 (link) |
| Movie Film Review | List of top 100 (link) |
| Esquire | List of top 10 (link) |
| Entertainment.ie | List of top 10 (link) |
| List Verse | List of top 10 (link) |
| News House | List of top 5 (link) |
| Movie Pilot | List of top 17 (link) |
| Ask Men | List of top 10 (link) |
| Jet Punk | List of top 20 (link) |
| Xinhuanet | List of top 50 (link) |
| Play Buzz | List of top 7 (link) |
| Sojo 1049 | List of top 5 (link) |
| Zybez | List of top 5 (link) |
| Movie Fanatic | List of top 11 (link) |
| Details | List of top 11 (link) |
| The Morning Call | List of top 11 (link) |
| Rate you music | List of top 134 (link) |
| Hey U Guys | List of top 10 (link) |
| Movies to Watch List | List of top 10 (link) |
| Top Yaps | List of top 10 (link) |
| Flick Chart | List of top 250 (link) |
| Film Affinity | List of top 100 (link) |
| SSB Crack | List of top 5 (link) |
| Ebay | List of top 10 (link) |
| What Movie Should I watch | List of top 10 (link) |
| MUBI | List of top 15 (link) |
| All Womens Talk | List of top 8 (link) |
| The Official Blog for Things and Ink | List of top 5 (link) |
| Tips Hack | List of top 10 (link) |
| Greatest Movie .Org | List of top 15 (link) |
| Video Grabber | List of top 10 (link) |
| Retro Junk | List of top 10 (link) |
| WBAB | List of top 10 (link) |
| MRC TV | List of top 7 (link) |
| Before Its News | List of top 10 (link) |
| Filmonic | List of top 10 (link) |
| axs | List of top 5 (link) |
| The Impact | List of top 10 (link) |
| Ten Topi | List of top 10 (link) |
| 1470WFNT | List of top 5 (link) |
| The News Herald | List of top 10 (link) |
| Confessions of a 20-something Manchild | List of top 10 (link) |
| Top 10 List | List of top 10 (link) |
| News.com.au | List of top 5 (link) |
| CELEBUZZ | List of top 11 (link) |
| Sporcle | List of top 100 (link) |
| About Entertainment | List of top 10 (link) |
| Listal | List of top 100 (link) |
| Ebay | List of top 10 (link) |
| Brian's Niche On The 'Net | List of top 10 (link) |
| Bluechat | List of top 10 (link) |
| Rephrase | List of top 100 (link) |
| TSL5 | List of top 10 (link) |
| The Artifice | List of top 10 (link) |
| MUBI | List of top 21 (link) |
| Azcentral | List of top 10 (link) |
| Screen Junkies | List of top 10 (link) |
| Top Tenz | List of top 10 (link) |
| Moving Cenima | List of top 6 (link) |
| Criterian | List of top 10 (link) |
| Future Wars Stories | List of top 10 (link) |
| Digital Dream Door | List of top 100 (link) |
| Garbage File | List of top 5 (link) |
| Flick Sided | List of top 10 (link) |
| Kanjy Blog | List of top 10 (link) |
| Chop's Top Fives | List of top 5 (link) |
| Wanna Go to Movies | List of top 10 (link) |
| The Fashion Spot | List of top 10 (link) |
| Examiner | List of top 10 (link) |
| Retro Films | List of top 50 (link) |
| La La Boutique | List of top 10 (link) |
| bradwathen.com | List of top 10 (link) |
| Nick's Pix | List of top 10 (link) |
| Mail Guardian | List of top 10 (link) |
| Cha Cha And Spoon Presents | List of top 5 (link) |
| AMC | List of top 20 (link) |
| Ranker | List of top 50 (link) |
| The Top Tens | List of top 124 (link) |
| IMDb | List of top 20 (link) |
| Rant Lifestyle | List of top 25 (link) |
| Writer Without Money | List of top 10 (link) |
| Stuff Nation | List of top 5 (link) |
| Shark Ranks | List of top 20 (link) |
| News from Bostan Becks | List of top 10 (link) |
| Rock The Capital | List of top 20 (link) |
| The Cinemaholic | List of top 5 (link) |
| 97.1 The Eagle Rocks | List of top 5 (link) |
| Taste of Cinema | List of top 30 (link) |
| The Boots have Come off | List of top 10 (link) |
| Reader's Digest | List of top 20 (link) |
| Earth Link | List of top 50 (link) |
| What Culture | List of top 20 (link) |
| Seraphic Press | List of top 10 (link) |
| Top Ten | List of top 10 (link) |
| Digital Spy | List of top 10 (link) |
| Hub Pages | List of top 10 (link) |
| Examiner | List of top 10 (link) |
| All Time Best | List of top 10 (link) |
| Nejlepsi Filmy | List of top 100 (link) |
| Mag For Women | List of top 10 (link) |
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