World War II has been portrayed on the silver screen in hundreds of films, everything from the most epic battle movies to the most heartrending prisoner of war dramas to the most horrific concentration camp tragedies.
Christopher Nolan’sDunkirk, about the evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers in France, is just the latest in a long line of stellar WWII flicks, so in honor of its release this Friday, we’ve rounded up a list of some of the best offerings in the genre, from the recentLetters from Iwo Jimaall the way back to 1942 classicCasablanca. With our choices, we tried to showcase the broad spectrum of World War II stories and viewpoints, spread across 15 very different films. But they all have one thing in common – they are must-see movies of the genre.
15) The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Inspired by a real-life group of men called “The Filthy Thirteen,” this thriller is about a group of the Army’s worst convicts trained in a suicide mission to infiltrate a chateau in Brittany, France where dozens of high-ranking Germany officials will be meeting. The men who survive the mission will receive pardons and return to active duty.
Initially deemed too violent by many critics,The Dirty Dozenhas since come to be regarded as a classic U.S. action movie. It is definitely a thrill ride, with taut pacing and an excellent cast that includesErnest Borgnine,Lee Marvin,Charles BronsonandJohn Cassavetes, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role of Victor Franko, a.k.a. No. 11 in the titular dozen.
Fun side note: For anyFeudfans out there,The Dirty Dozenwas one ofRobert Aldrich’s (Alfred Molinaon the FX drama) biggest movies, along withFeudsubjectWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane.
14) Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Another entry that looks at war through a specific, character-driven lense, this film that earnedMeryl Streepher second Oscar is about a concentration camp survivor who was forced to make the cruelest choice imaginable – which of her children will die.
Told in flashbacks, Sophie was involved with a Resistance leader, Jozef, who is murdered by the Gestapo, sending Sophie and her children to Auschwitz. It is there that she is forced to send one of her children to a work camp and the other to the gas chamber.
As you can imagine, it is a powerful but utterly depressing film. While this may be one of the quieter entries on the list, it’s worth watching for Streep alone, who more than earned the accolades heaped upon her with this stunning performance.
13) From Here to Eternity (1953)
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge turning point in World War II, because up until that point the U.S. had largely stayed out of the conflict.From Here to Eternitychronicles the days leading up to the attack from the perspective of three servicemen stationed in Hawaii.
This is an unusual entry on the list in that it’s more of a character-driven drama than a straight war movie, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling, anchored by strong performances fromBurt Lancaster,Deborah Kerr,Donna Reedand evenFrank Sinatra, who won his only Oscar for this portrayal. The Pearl Harbor attack obviously came as a surprise to the military personnel involved, so the film is more of an examination of peace-time life that culminates in a gripping attack sequence.
12) Life Is Beautiful (1997)
In this Italian film,Roberto Benigni, who won an Oscar for his portrayal, is a father shielding his young son, Giosue, from the terror of being in a concentration camp by turning the experience into a game. His son earns “points” by behaving, quietly hiding from the guards and not crying for his mother. In the end, the father sacrifices himself to keep the son safe and when the Allied troops free the camp, Giosue manages to be reunited with his mother.
This film divided critics as being too fanciful or feel-good for a movie about the Holocaust, but I think it is a beautiful homage to the power of hope and imagination in the face of unspeakable horrors. It is also a departure from typical World War II fare, which is refreshing.
11) The Thin Red Line (1998)
ThisTerrence Malickwar epic got a little lost in 1998, released just a few months after another little war movie you may have heard of calledSaving Private Ryan.
However,The Thin Red Line is not to be dismissed in the face of the splashier wartime epic. Its look at U.S. troops invading a peaceful South Pacific island is a powerful statement about war, told from the perspective of deserter Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), who is captured and subsequently returns to active duty. It is a beautifully-shot, strong anti-war film that meanders a bit in its focus but still squarely hits on the emotional beats of war.
10) The Pianist (2002)
This film, based on a true story, featuresAdrien Brodyas Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer who is part of the Nazis rounding up Jews and forcing them into the brutal Warsaw Ghetto (those that aren’t outright killed). After narrowly escaping death, Szpilman does all he can to survive, moving from hiding place to hiding place and scrounging for food, eventually putting his piano talents to use when he plays for a Nazi soldier, causing the Nazi to keep him hidden and bring him supplies.
Brody’s performance is haunting, as his character spirals from near-celebrity status to feral, terrified animal. He won Best Actor for his portrayal.
9) Patton (1970)
An unflinching look at a polarizing real-life World War II figure,PattonstarsGeorge C. Scottas the titular general in a role that defined his career, earning him heaps of praise and also an Oscar (though he famously refused to accept it due to a dislike of acting competitions).
Nevertheless,Pattonreminds viewers about the type of person it takes to lead men into war, which ultimately means leading many of them to their deaths. Scott manages to convey Patton’s cold decision making, heated ego, thirst for power and intimate vulnerability without turning him into a cartoonish hero or mustach-twirling villain. It is truly an extraordinary performance, catapulting the film from solid to epic.
8) The Longest Day (1962)
ThisJohn Waynevehicle makes the list because it’s a different style of war movie. Shot in the style of a documentary,The Longest Daylooks at the events leading up to the D-Day invasion at Normandy from the perspectives of General Eisenhower and the U.S. troops, the British mission at the Pegasus Bridge, the French resistance fighters and the German commanders.
There is hardly a greater ensemble cast in cinema history:John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Richard Beymer, Gary Collins, Sal Mineo, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Peter Lawford, Robert Wagner, George Segal, Rod Steiger– and those are just the U.S. and British actors. There were also dozens of famous French and Germany actors playing their respective countrymen.
The film is just a really interesting take on the genre, providing a stark and authentic look at war without getting overly graphic in its portrayal of violence, which is nice to sometimes get a break from, even in a war film.
7) The Great Escape (1963)
ThisSteve McQueenfilm about U.S. and British prisoners plotting to escape a Nazi detention camp is a slight departure from the rest of the list because it’s more, well… fun than most movies about war. That’s not to sayThe Great Escapeis a slapstick comedy or something, but its title says it all – it’s escapism. It’s a thrilling action movie from nearly start to finish, capped off by one of the best chase sequences in all of cinema when McQueen rides his motorcycle through a hail of gunfire.
It’s understandably hard to do a war movie that isn’t a downer because of the seriousness of the subject matter, butThe Great Escapeis more of an action movie than a drama, managing to feel more like a “heist” than a prisoner of war film. Though be warned that the ending is still fairly tragic – it is still a war movie, after all.
6) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
A lot of World War II films are set in and around the European theater or Pearl Harbor, but thisAlec Guinnessvehicle is set in a Japanese prison camp, where captured British and U.S. officers are forced to construct a railway bridge over the Kwai, despite manual labor being against the Geneva Convention agreement.
Eventually the prisoners realize that resisting will get them nowhere (and probably killed), so they use the construction of the bridge as a way to keep busy and take pride in something – anything to escape the horrors of being a POW. But then a commando unit is dispatched with a mission to destroy the bridge because of its military value to the Japanese.
The film takes a stark look at maintaining honor and integrity in the face of war, with Guinness being particularly good as the Lieutenant Colonel driven mad in his obsession to construct a perfect bridge, being singularly focused on the project because he has little else to keep him grounded as a prisoner of war. It won seven Oscars, including Best Actor for Guinness.
