50 Highest Quality Historical War Narrative Movies and Mini-Series
Best content that portrayed different aspects of different wars, might it be combat, strategy, politics, people, command, casualties, conquering, brutality and humanity.
For realistic pure fiction, see Kubrick`s Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) for comedy and Watkins`The War Game (1965) for mockumentary. Also see Tarantino`s Inglourious Basterds (2009) for scenario and setting.
Allied (2016) and Atonement (2012) offer great love stories, while Joint Security Area (2000), Body of Lies (2008), Bridge of Spies (2015) and Land of Mine (2015) cover the time between wars best.
The Sacrifice (1986) deals with a fictional World War III.
Twice Born (2012) has many elements and captures the Bosnian War from a foreign perspective exquisitely.
Oppenheimer (2023) could be called a historical war movie, yet seems to be more of a personal biopic and involve more politics than war so I excluded it, although it is excellent and explores the science behind the war.
Yet to See:
Wolyn (2016) - World War II (Europe)
1944 (2015) - World War II (Europe)
Katyn (2007) - World War II (Europe)
Stalingrad (1993) - World War II (Europe)
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) - World War II (Pacific)
The Ascent (1977) - World War II (Europe)
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Algerian War of Independence
The Longest Day (1962) - World War II (Europe)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - World War II (Pacific)
Forbidden Games (1952) - World War II (Europe)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - World War I
Runner Ups:
Paths of Glory (1957)
Patton (1970)
Das Boot (1981)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Three Kings (1999)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
Jarhead (2005)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Valkyrie (2008)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
The Pacific [Mini-Series](2010) - Steven Spielberg
War Horse (2011) - Steven Spielberg
Lincoln (2012) - Steven Spielberg
The Book Thief (2013)
Unbroken (2014)
Oscar favourites that are not as good
From Here to Eternity (1953)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Platoon (1986)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Patriot (2000)
Dunkirk (2017)
For realistic pure fiction, see Kubrick`s Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) for comedy and Watkins`The War Game (1965) for mockumentary. Also see Tarantino`s Inglourious Basterds (2009) for scenario and setting.
Allied (2016) and Atonement (2012) offer great love stories, while Joint Security Area (2000), Body of Lies (2008), Bridge of Spies (2015) and Land of Mine (2015) cover the time between wars best.
The Sacrifice (1986) deals with a fictional World War III.
Twice Born (2012) has many elements and captures the Bosnian War from a foreign perspective exquisitely.
Oppenheimer (2023) could be called a historical war movie, yet seems to be more of a personal biopic and involve more politics than war so I excluded it, although it is excellent and explores the science behind the war.
Yet to See:
Wolyn (2016) - World War II (Europe)
1944 (2015) - World War II (Europe)
Katyn (2007) - World War II (Europe)
Stalingrad (1993) - World War II (Europe)
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) - World War II (Pacific)
The Ascent (1977) - World War II (Europe)
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Algerian War of Independence
The Longest Day (1962) - World War II (Europe)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - World War II (Pacific)
Forbidden Games (1952) - World War II (Europe)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - World War I
Runner Ups:
Paths of Glory (1957)
Patton (1970)
Das Boot (1981)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Three Kings (1999)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
Jarhead (2005)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Valkyrie (2008)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
The Pacific [Mini-Series](2010) - Steven Spielberg
War Horse (2011) - Steven Spielberg
Lincoln (2012) - Steven Spielberg
The Book Thief (2013)
Unbroken (2014)
Oscar favourites that are not as good
From Here to Eternity (1953)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Platoon (1986)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Patriot (2000)
Dunkirk (2017)
List activity
1.2K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
58 titles
- DirectorZaza UrushadzeStarsLembit UlfsakElmo NüganenGiorgi NakashidzeIn 1992, war rages in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. An Estonian man, Ivo, has decided to stay behind and harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo takes him in.War in Abkhazia (Georgia)
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.First War of Scottish Independence
- DirectorHun JangStarsShin Ha-kyunGo SooRyu Seung-suA drama centered on the Korean War's final battle that will determine the border between north and south.Korean War
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-GunJoe OdagiriBingbing FanIn World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.Korean War
- DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsAhn Sung-kiSol Kyung-guHuh Joon-hoBased on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated.Korean War
- DirectorJennifer CapraruRoger SpottiswoodeStarsRoy DupuisOwen SejakeJames GallandersThe story of General Romeo Dallaire's frustrated efforts to stop the madness of the Rwandan Genocide, despite the complete indifference of his superiors.Rwandan Civil War
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsJohn HurtHugh DancyDominique HorwitzA Catholic Priest and an English teacher get stranded in a school in Kigali during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.Rwandan Civil War (aka "Shooting Dogs")
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsJosh HartnettEwan McGregorTom SizemoreThe story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.Somali Cival War (Battle of Mogadishu)
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJeremy RennerAnthony MackieBrian GeraghtyDuring the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.US-Iraq War
- DirectorBahman GhobadiStarsSoran EbrahimAvaz LatifSaddam Hossein FeysalNear the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children like 13-year-old Kak (Ebrahim), gauge and await their fate.US-Iraq War
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsChristian BaleNi NiXinyi ZhangAn American finds refuge during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking in a church with a group of women. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.Second Sino-Japanese War
- DirectorFlorian GallenbergerStarsUlrich TukurDaniel BrühlSteve BuscemiA true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.Second Sino-Japanese War
- DirectorPaul GrossStarsPaul GrossMichael GreyeyesJames KotThe lives of a troubled veteran, his nurse girlfriend and a naive boy intersect first in Alberta and then in Belgium during the bloody World War I battle of Passchendaele.World War I
- DirectorSam MendesStarsDean-Charles ChapmanGeorge MacKayDaniel MaysApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.World War I
- DirectorEdward BergerStarsFelix KammererAlbrecht SchuchAaron HilmerA young German soldier's terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.World War I
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsLew AyresLouis WolheimJohn WrayA German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.World War I
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaChikage AwashimaA Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaKokinji KatsuraAs a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist struggles to maintain his determination to keep his ideals.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaTamao NakamuraHis ideals challenged by life as a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist faces ever greater tests in his fight for survival.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsChristian BaleSteve ZahnJeremy DaviesA U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorMichael BayStarsBen AffleckKate BeckinsaleJosh HartnettA tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorRichard FleischerKinji FukasakuToshio MasudaStarsMartin BalsamSô YamamuraJason RobardsThe story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonLuke BraceyWorld War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.World War II (Pacific)
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorRoberto BenigniStarsRoberto BenigniNicoletta BraschiGiorgio CantariniWhen an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorElem KlimovStarsAleksey KravchenkoOlga MironovaLiubomiras LauceviciusAfter finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsMonica BellucciGiuseppe SulfaroLuciano FedericoAmidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsBrad PittShia LaBeoufLogan LermanA grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorMikhail KalatozovStarsTatyana SamoylovaAleksey BatalovVasiliy MerkurevVeronica plans a rendezvous with her lover, Boris, at the bank of river, only for him to be drafted into World War II shortly thereafter.World War II (Europe)
- StarsScott GrimesDamian LewisRon LivingstonThe story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.World War II (Europe)
- DirectorSergey BondarchukStarsLyudmila SavelevaVyacheslav TikhonovSergey BondarchukThe Russian aristocracy prepares for the French invasion on the eve of 1812.Napoleonic Wars
- StarsChristian ClavierIsabella RosselliniGérard DepardieuA masterful soldier, tactician, and statesmen, Napoleon Bonaparte, with courage and love for his country, rises from an unpaid general consumed with ambition to the most powerful man in Europe. But his life ends with a fall and exile.Napoleonic Wars
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsJoaquin PhoenixVanessa KirbyTahar RahimAn epic that details the chequered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.Napoleonic Wars
- DirectorFedor BondarchukStarsArtur SmolyaninovAleksey ChadovKonstantin KryukovA group of Russian army recruits complete training and take their posting in late-1980s Afghanistan, where the insurgents are slowly gaining the upper hand.Soviet–Afghan War
- DirectorTobias LindholmStarsPilou AsbækTuva NovotnySøren MallingDuring contact with the Taliban in Afghanistan a Danish commander makes a decision which saves many of his men's lives but inadvertently takes the lives of some Afghani civilians. Now he is facing criminal charges.NATO-Afghanistan War (on "terrorism")
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJake GyllenhaalDar SalimSean SagarDuring the war in Afghanistan, a local interpreter risks his own life to carry an injured sergeant across miles of grueling terrain.NATO-Afghanistan War (on "terrorism")
- DirectorPeter Ho-Sun ChanWai-Man YipStarsJet LiAndy LauTakeshi KaneshiroChina, 1860s: Having his army slaughtered, General Qingyun joins 2 bandit leaders in raids on rebels and in blood oath. They form a Qing loyal army with eyes on rebel held Suzhou and Nanjing.Taiping Civil War (China)
- DirectorChi Leung 'Jacob' CheungStarsAndy LauAhn Sung-kiZhiwen WangStory centers on a battle during China's Warring States Period, a series of civil wars, which spanned from the 5th to the 3rd century B.C. Based on a popular Japanese manga, which was in turn based a Japanese novel inspired by Warring States history in China.Seven Kingdoms (China)
- DirectorDaniel LeeStarsAndy LauSammo Kam-Bo HungMaggie QBased on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guangzhong. It ranks as one of China's four most important pieces of literature.Three Kingdoms (China)
- DirectorJohn WooStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiTakeshi KaneshiroFengyi ZhangThe first chapter of a two-part story centered on a battle fought in China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).Three Kingdoms (China)
- DirectorJohn WooStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiTakeshi KaneshiroFengyi ZhangSecond and final part of epic tale about a legendary battle that changed the course of China history.Three Kingdoms (China)
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsYou GeGong LiBen NiuAfter Fugui and Jiazhen lose their personal fortunes, they raise a family and survive difficult cultural changes during 1940s to 1970s China.Chinese Civil War
- DirectorAngelina JolieStarsSareum Srey MochPhoeung KompheakSveng SocheataCambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung recounts the horrors she suffered as a child under the rule of the deadly Khmer Rouge.Cambodian Civil War
- DirectorMoustapha AkkadStarsAnthony QuinnOliver ReedRod SteigerIn 1929, Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini appoints General Rodolfo Graziani as colonial governor to Italian Libya with orders to stamp-out all resistance from Libyan nationalists led by rebel guerrilla leader Omar Mukhtar.Second Italo-Senussi War
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAnatoliy SolonitsynIvan LapikovNikolay GrinkoThe life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.Tatar invasions
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsBrahim HadjadjJean MartinYacef SaadiIn the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.Algerian War of Independence
- DirectorRezo ChkheidzeStarsSergo ZakariadzeVladimir PrivaltsevAleksandr NazarovAn old man goes to visit his wounded son in a hospital, but it turns out that he's already been released and is back on the front lines. Reluctant to return home empty-handed, he tries to follow and find him.
- DirectorLarisa ShepitkoStarsBoris PlotnikovVladimir GostyukhinSergey YakovlevTwo Soviet partisans on a mission to gather food contend with the winter cold, the occupying Germans, and their own psyches.
- DirectorGrigoriy ChukhrayStarsIzolda IzvitskayaOleg StrizhenovNikolay KryuchkovAn unexpected romance occurs for a female Red Army sniper and a White Army officer.
- DirectorGrigoriy ChukhrayStarsVladimir IvashovZhanna ProkhorenkoAntonina MaksimovaYoung Russian soldier Alyosha earns a medal, but asks to visit his mother instead. His journey recounts various kinds of love during wartime.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsFrançois LeterrierCharles Le ClaincheMaurice BeerblockA captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseJean-Pierre CasselAn account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.
- DirectorYann DemangeStarsJack O'ConnellSam ReidSean HarrisIn 1971, a young and disoriented British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the deadly streets of Belfast.