A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best War Films

The Memorial Day holiday weekend is upon us. This American holiday, which many consider to be the unofficial start of Summer, originally began after the Civil War with ceremonies for soldiers who had fallen in battle. After World War I the day was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars, and in 1971 it was declared a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May. 

For many Americans, Memorial Day means a three-day weekend, and those of us who have served or who have had family in the military may approach it with reverence. For fans of cinema, the day can mean a chance to revisit some classic war films, of which there is no shortage. Ever since D. W. Griffith’s 1910 silent picture THE FUGITIVE, filmmakers have used the great conflicts as a stage for some epic and personal stories. War has been good business for Hollywood for over 100 years, and that leads us to Reel Speak’s Top 10 Best War Films. 

To be considered, a film must take place during a real-life war, which eliminates fantasy films such as STAR WARS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. A good war film actually has war in it, which (sadly) eliminates dramas such as SCHINDLER’S LIST and THE IMITATION GAME. These are the films that focus on the soldier’s experience during the hell that is war, and do the best job in putting the audience in their boots. 

So stand at attention…

10. GLORY (1989)

Edward Zwick directed this Civil War era film about the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment; the Union Army’s second African-American regiment of the war. It explores deep-rooted prejudices and brings the war to life with deep character work and stunning cinematography. The ensemble cast is excellent, as is James Horner’s score. It won three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington. 

9. PATHS OF GLORY (1957)

Stanley Kubrick brought us this WWI drama about a commanding officer (Kirk Douglas), who has to defend his troops at a court martial who refused to continue a suicidal attack. Often considered to be an anti-war film, it takes a hard look at the price of war, including over-zealous commanders who consider their men to be expendable. Military ethics are at play here, with themes that can be applied to any war from any era. 

8. DUNKIRK (2017)

Christopher Nolan’s stunning account of the famed Dunkirk evacuation; an embarrassing WWII setback that nearly wiped out a large portion of the British army. The massive scope of the event is depicted by three different timelines; the evacuation of the soldiers over the course of a week, the civilian-led rescue craft over a day, and a pilot over an hour. A great building of tension and an emotional climax that offers hope in the face of defeat. 

7. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

This multi-Oscar winner, including Best Picture, tells the story of British POW’s who are forced to build a railway bridge. One of the ugliest elements of any war story are the prisoners of war, and this David Lean-directed epic takes a hard look at it along with clashing cultures; it’s a war within a war. It has spectacle and a large scope, but finds that balance of intimacy with its characters, brought to life by its ensemble cast, including the late great Alec Guinness, who would take home an Oscar for Best Actor. 

6. 1917 (2019)

Directed by Sam Mendes and shot by master cinematographer Roger Deakins, this stunning achievement of a film hasn’t had the test of time put to it yet, but it’s hard to imagine this WWI picture aging poorly. Shot and cut to look like one continuous take, 1917 follows two British soldiers on a desperate mission to prevent thousands of troops from walking into an ambush. Strategic and personal stakes are at play, and along with being a grand technical masterpiece, serves as a tribute to the many faces lost in The Great War. 

5. PATTON (1970)

George C. Scott took home a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of General George Patton; one of history’s most revered and controversial military leaders. PATTON differs from many war pictures by not being centered on one single battle or mission, and instead works as a biopic as it follows Patton through some of his best victories throughout WWII. A winner of seven total Oscars including Best Picture, PATTON has the unique style of showing war through one person’s eyes. 

4. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)

Only a portion of Michael Cimino’s Best Picture-winning Vietnam War story actually takes place in ‘Nam, but the scenes we do get are some of the most intense and harrowing ever put to film. Boldly made during a time when Hollywood was just beginning to touch on the still-fresh war, it tells the story of how the far-away war forever altered the lives of a group of Pennsylvania friends, as played by Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, George Dzundza, and Meryl Streep. Often recalled for its brutal scene of a game of Russian roulette, it brilliantly brings the war home…which is an often forgotten angle. 

3. PLATOON (1986)

Another Best Picture winner set in Vietnam. Oliver Stone directs this war drama which was based on his own experiences during the war, and follows an infantry platoon who spends just as much time battling with each other as they do the enemy. Charlie Sheen stars as a young volunteer soldier who finds his own soul in a battle between warring platoon leaders, as played by Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe. Despite realistic battle scenes that are not only spectacular and frightening, PLATOON finds a way to be spiritual as well. 

2. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Steven Spielberg has spent a lot of time in WWII, beginning with his nutball comedy-flop 1941 (1979), and a triumph with his Best Picture-winning SCHINDLERS LIST (1992). His SAVING PRIVATE RYAN takes us to Normandy, beginning with a breathtaking portrayal of the D-Day invasion that re-wrote the book on how battle scenes would be filmed for the next two decades. From there, the film moves to a personal story, with a small squad of soldiers assigned the odd mission of finding one man in the middle of the war. After 20 years the battle scenes are still stunning, and the wraparound ending serves as an emotional tribute to veterans…along with a life-lesson that sticks. 

1. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

Similar to THE DEER HUNTER, making a Vietnam movie while the wounds were still fresh was a bold move. Francis Ford Coppola, fresh off his historical success with his two GODFATHER films, loosely based his Vietnam flick on Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, which immediately gave it a classic feel. Martin Sheen plays a special-op soldier sent up-river on a secret mission to terminate one of his own; U.S. Col. Kurtz, as played by Marlon Brando. The film captures the spirit of Conrad’s novel of men going deeper into their own dark places, while also showing the madness of the war. Coppola and his crew went through hell to get the film made, and the weariness shows. It is gritty and dirty and mean, but at the same time there is an other-worldly vibe going on…almost like walking through a dream or a nightmare. Today, many of Brando and Sheen’s famous lines along with Robert Duvall’s even-more-famous “napalm in the morning” line are quoted in film-circles and in pop-culture. The battle scenes are tremendous (the helicopter attack to this day still takes the breath away), and the character work rich and layered. Sheen's character is given an assignment that no soldier should ever have to do; vital yet unspeakable. If war is hell, no film captures that better than APOCALYPSE NOW. 

 REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST WAR FILMS

1. APOCALYPSE NOW
2. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
3. PLATOON
4. THE DEER HUNTER
5. PATTON
6. 1917
7. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
8. DUNKIRK
9. PATHS OF GLORY
10. GLORY