Choice War Films
by benbaum-280-362993 | created - 02 Mar 2012 | updated - 17 Jul 2017 | PublicChronological
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1. The Big Parade (1925)
Not Rated | 151 min | Drama, Romance, War
A young American soldier witnesses the horrors of the Great War.
Directors: King Vidor, George W. Hill | Stars: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Claire McDowell
Votes: 7,283 | Gross: $11.00M
2. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Passed | 152 min | Drama, War
A German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy
Votes: 67,704 | Gross: $3.27M
3. Hell's Angels (1930)
Passed | 127 min | Drama, War
Brothers Monte and Ray leave Oxford to join the Royal Flying Corps. Ray loves Helen; Helen enjoys an affair with Monte; before they leave on their mission over Germany they find her in still another man's arms.
Directors: Howard Hughes, Edmund Goulding, James Whale | Stars: Ben Lyon, James Hall, Jean Harlow, John Darrow
Votes: 5,972 | Gross: $5.45M
Great airforce film. Amazing camerawork and special effects for its day. Some of the dog fight scenes are they better than films made decades later! A true lost gem!
4. The Lost Patrol (1934)
Passed | 73 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during World War I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.
Director: John Ford | Stars: Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Reginald Denny
Votes: 3,605
For its day, a good dramatic war story about a lost group of Americans and Brits holed up in a desert oasis, hunted by Arab Snipers. Worth watching one time to listen to the wonderful score alone. One can appreciate what it is to enjoy a film that is really more of a high quality, musically enhanced, play than a movie.
5. The Road to Glory (1936)
Approved | 103 min | Drama, War
The story of trench life during World War I through the lives of a French regiment. As men are killed and replaced jaunty Lt. Denet becomes more and more somber. His rival for the affection of nurse Monique is Capt. La Roche.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Fredric March, Warner Baxter, Lionel Barrymore, June Lang
Votes: 613
6. Alexander Nevsky (1938)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.
Directors: Sergei Eisenstein, Dmitriy Vasilev | Stars: Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov, Dmitriy Orlov
Votes: 12,263
7. Gunga Din (1939)
Approved | 117 min | Adventure, Comedy, War
In 19th century India, three British soldiers and a native waterbearer must stop a secret mass revival of the murderous Thuggee cult before it can rampage across the land.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Votes: 12,801
8. Sergeant York (1941)
Passed | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
A Tennessee farmer and marksman is drafted in World War I, and struggles with his pacifist inclinations before becoming one of the most celebrated war heroes.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias
Votes: 19,793 | Gross: $16.40M
Frankly even more "Churchy" than I expected, but a very good film, that tells a wounderful story of courage in the heat of battle and is referenced in so many other war films that any fan of war movies must watch it at least once This film deals with the struggle between knowing killing is wrong, but needing to survive a war and win it for your freedom.
9. Wake Island (1942)
Passed | 88 min | Action, Drama, War
December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.
Director: John Farrow | Stars: Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Macdonald Carey, William Bendix
Votes: 2,199
Made less than a year after it happened, this film covers the Japanese assult on Wake Island (Wake Atoll), an Island between Midway and Guam, that was attacked the same day as Pearl Harbor. Marines and Civilians band together to defend the atoll but are greatly outgunned and outmanned. Very good special effects for its age.
10. One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
Not Rated | 82 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During a raid on Germany a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland and are aided by Dutch civilians.
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger | Stars: Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles
Votes: 2,530
11. Air Force (1943)
Approved | 124 min | Action, Drama, History
The crew of an Air Force bomber arrives in Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, and is sent on to Manila to help with the defense of the Philippines.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: John Garfield, John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy
Votes: 3,816
12. Bataan (1943)
Approved | 114 min | Drama, History, War
In 1942, in the Bataan peninsula of the Philippines, a ragtag American unit commanded by Sergeant Bill Dane attempts to blow-up a bridge in order to slow the Japanese advance.
Director: Tay Garnett | Stars: Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell
Votes: 2,707
Thirteen GIs, thrown together from various units, band together to carry out a mission to prevent Japaneese forces from rebuilding a bridge deep in the jungle on the island of Bataan. Heroic wartime tale of the men who were left to continue the war after the Japanese landing in the Phillipines left them outnumbered and alone to save themselves.
13. Corregidor (1943)
Approved | 73 min | Drama
A doctor and his staff in a hospital on the Philippine island of Corregidor shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor try to treat the sick, injured and wounded as American and Filipino troops desperately try to beat back a ferocious Japanese attack.
Director: William Nigh | Stars: Otto Kruger, Elissa Landi, Donald Woods, Frank Jenks
Votes: 319
A tale of star crossed doctors and nurses during the Japanese air raids of the Philippines.
14. Destination Tokyo (1943)
Passed | 135 min | Adventure, War
In order to provide information for the first air raid over Tokyo, a U.S. submarine sneaks into Tokyo Bay and places a spy team ashore.
Director: Delmer Daves | Stars: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, John Ridgely
Votes: 5,751
Grant is supurb as the cool Navy Sub Captain leading a silent team of men through underwater minefields and gates to enter into Japanese waters. Once ashore the men must gather intel for the coming Aeial Raid. I'd see this film as a double featuer with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo so you can get both the Naval and Airforce sides of the battle! As a bonus, I think Das Boot fans will like the submariners' life protrayed here as well.
15. Destroyer (1943)
Approved | 99 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A new World War 2 destroyer fails its sea trials so it is assigned to mail runs, but the crew ends up having to engage Japanese planes and a submarine anyway.
Directors: William A. Seiter, Ray Enright | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Glenn Ford, Marguerite Chapman, Edgar Buchanan
Votes: 1,310
A shipbuilder named Boley reenlists in the Navy when given the opportunity to serve aboard the ship he has helped build, the John Paul Jones II. However the Navy has changed since his last tour aboard the John Paul Jones I and he must learn to adapt to the new Navy. Given the role of FIrst Mate, Boley tried to instill in his men a sence of old fashion Naval pride and tradition. A cute film , if a war film can be called "cute."
16. Edge of Darkness (1943)
Passed | 119 min | Drama, War
After two years under German rule, a small Norwegian fishing village rises up and revolts against the occupying Nazis.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston, Nancy Coleman
Votes: 3,012
17. Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
Approved | 93 min | Drama, War
The story of a large U.S. Marines invasion task force bound for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte
Votes: 2,279
Made less than 2 years after the Battle of Guadalcanal took place, this film makes no real attempt to humanize the Japanese enemy. This is perhaps best displayed as marching music accompanies a slaughter of retreating Japanese. Anyway, once you get past that, it remains a good film to watch, well made, not overdone and a pioneer for its day!
18. Sahara (I) (1943)
Approved | 97 min | Action, Drama, War
After the fall of Tobruk in 1942, during the Allied retreat in the Libyan desert, an American tank picks-up a motley group of survivors but they face advancing Germans and a lack of water.
Director: Zoltan Korda | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carrol Naish, Lloyd Bridges
Votes: 9,755
A US tank roams the desert in search of water, following a battle gone wrong. Along the way, they pick up other straggler soliders from nearly everyside of the war. Great story and device used to tell "one man's" view of Tobruk amd El Alamein.
19. Days of Glory (1944)
Approved | 86 min | Drama, Romance, War
A heroic guerrilla group fights back against impossible odds during the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Gregory Peck, Tamara Toumanova, Alan Reed, Maria Palmer
Votes: 1,441
Peck in an early film, leads a group of Russian Partisans against Nazi invaders in Russia. Admist the fighting he falls in love with a beautiful Russian dancer holed up with his underground unit of misfits.
20. The Purple Heart (1944)
Passed | 99 min | Drama, History, War
This is the story of the crew of a downed bomber, captured after a run over Tokyo, early in the war. Relates the hardships the men endure while in captivity, and their final humiliation: ... See full summary »
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Kevin O'Shea
Votes: 1,076
21. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Passed | 138 min | Drama, History, War
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Tim Murdock
Votes: 6,462
Based on the true story of the crack team of pilots who trained for a bombing raid on Tokyo in response to the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. Great Airforce and Navy movie. Great performance by Van Johnson.
22. Objective, Burma! (1945)
Approved | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A platoon of special ops are tasked to parachute into the remote Burmese jungle and destroy a strategic Japanese radar station, but getting out isn't as easy.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Errol Flynn, James Brown, William Prince, George Tobias
Votes: 5,548
After completing a top secret mission, a group of elite paratroopers misses its pick up and is forced to cross 200 miles of Japanese filled jungle to get back home. Fantastic acting and gripping story in this highly underrated film!
23. Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
Approved | 108 min | Biography, Drama, War
At the close of WWII, Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle travels with the U.S. Army's Company C Division during their liberation of Italy.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Freddie Steele, Wally Cassell
Votes: 3,729
24. The True Glory (1945)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, War
A documentary account of the allied invasion of Europe during World War II compiled from the footage shot by nearly 1400 cameramen.
Directors: Garson Kanin, Carol Reed | Stars: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Leslie Banks, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle
Votes: 631
25. A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Approved | 117 min | Drama, War
During WWII, a platoon of American soldiers trudge through the Italian countryside in search of a bridge they have been ordered to blow up, encountering danger and destruction along the way.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland
Votes: 4,080
The infantry unit walks and walks until it reaches its target, a lowly farmhouse in southern Italy.
26. Command Decision (1948)
Passed | 112 min | Action, Drama, War
Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.
Director: Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy
Votes: 2,169
Mounting losses force Airforce command to question the judgement of a Briagader General. Airforce movie that deals with the burden of command where every decision made means men will be killed. Is there a lesser of two evils? Is the mission worth it?
27. Battleground (1949)
Approved | 118 min | Action, Drama, History
True tale about a squad of the 101st Airborne Division coping with being trapped by the Germans in the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy
Votes: 7,865 | Gross: $10.29M
This movie is so ahead of its time it looks exactly like how war movies are still shot today. Any fan of Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan etc should pay respects and watch this film!
28. Breakthrough (1950)
Approved | 91 min | Drama, War
An American infantry unit, from its pre-invasion training to combat in Europe.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: David Brian, John Agar, Frank Lovejoy, William Campbell
Votes: 438
US Infantry make their way across France, fighting and mingling with the local French women! Well done realistic urban combat experiences.
29. Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, War
A tough-as-nails general (Gregory Peck as General Savage) takes over a B-17 bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell
Votes: 15,807
PTSD or "shell shocked" as expressed in this film, is explored, as to how it effects men and their ability to cope in situations of high stress. An early airforce movie with a fantastic ending battle!
30. Halls of Montezuma (1951)
Approved | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A company of Marines races against the clock to find a Japanese rocket base.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Reginald Gardiner, Robert Wagner
Votes: 2,955
Tasked with eliminating the Japanese rocket defense, a unit of 7 Marines must spearhead the American beach landing. These men must succeed in order to save the lives of the men soon to land. Classic war tale of heroism but with great insite into both American and Japanese military psyche as one seeks to escape death and the other welcomes it.
31. Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Drama, War
The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.
Director: Samuel Fuller | Stars: Richard Basehart, Gene Evans, Michael O'Shea, Richard Hylton
Votes: 2,113
A carfully selected group of men are chosen to cover the retreat of their division during the Korean War. As sargents are killed one by one, a corporal finds himself the next in line to lead, and begins to doubt his abilities to command his peers under such intense fire.
32. The Frogmen (1951)
Approved | 96 min | Adventure, Drama, War
The new commander of a Navy Underwater Demolition Team--nicknamed "Frogmen"--must earn the respect of the men in his unit, who are still grieving over the death of their former commander and resentful of the new one.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews, Gary Merrill, Jeffrey Hunter
Votes: 1,541
Interesting war film about the true first tip of the sword - the frogmen (forerunner unit to the Navy Seals) who do underwater recon of beach heads before the Marine and Paratroopers landings to report mines and obstacles. The story follows a new commander of a seasoned unit as he tries to win the respect of his men. Very good effort for its day at filming action underwater.
33. Go for Broke! (1951)
Passed | 92 min | Drama, History, War
The story of Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War II.
Director: Robert Pirosh | Stars: Van Johnson, Lane Nakano, George Miki, Akira Fukunaga
Votes: 1,747
The tale of the 422nd, an Army Brigade made up of Japanese-Americans, as they fight accross Italy and France, but the fight is just as much about gaining acceptance as Americans as it is about fighting for America. Some soldiers had family killed at Pearl Harbor, others had family in determent camps, fascinating story.
34. The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Passed | 69 min | Drama, War
Truncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal Dano
Votes: 4,839
35. The Steel Helmet (1951)
Approved | 85 min | Action, Drama, War
A ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.
Director: Samuel Fuller | Stars: Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards
Votes: 4,737
Under the watchful eye of a large golden Budda, US Infantry hold a Temple against North Koren forces. In the downtime the troops discuss race relations in America with a North Korean Major they have captured. The Major is confused how Black and Japanese Americans fight for a country that doesn't consider them as equals.
36. The Tanks Are Coming (1951)
90 min | Action, Drama, War
An American tank crew fights its way into Germany in World War II.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: Steve Cochran, Philip Carey, Mari Aldon, Paul Picerni
Votes: 340
A tale of a tank crew and their highly capable, no nosense commander as their division seeks to break through the Siegfried Line and invade Germany. Good blend of stock photoage and filmed tank scenes gives a real sence of tank warefare.
37. Retreat, Hell! (1952)
Approved | 95 min | Drama, War
The saga of a battalion of U.S. Marines during the Korean War, starting with their training, landing at Inchon in 1950, advance into North Korea and their subsequent retreat back to the 38th parallel.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 543
38. What Price Glory (1952)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The wartime romantic misadventures of Captain Flagg, commander of a company of US Marines in 1918 France.
Director: John Ford | Stars: James Cagney, Corinne Calvet, Dan Dailey, William Demarest
Votes: 1,446
39. The Desert Rats (1953)
Approved | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Richard Burton plays a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops on the perimeter of Tobruk with the German Army doing their best to dislodge them.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas
Votes: 5,301
Film about the rag-tag band of Aussie and Scottish soldiers who held out against Rommel months longer than expected to in the Libyan city of Tobruk. Interesting film about the trials of combat leadership.
40. From Here to Eternity (1953)
Passed | 118 min | Drama, Romance, War
At a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed
Votes: 50,837 | Gross: $30.50M
Peacetime can be more cruel than war. Soldiers try to find love to escape the grind of the army in Hawaii on the eve of Pearl Harbor. Fans of An Officer and a Gentleman and Peal Harbor, will really enjoy this film. Classic!
41. Raiders in the Sky (1953)
Unrated | 96 min | Drama, Romance, War
War drama about the dangerous and stressful work of Lancaster bomber British crews during World War II.
Director: Philip Leacock | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Ian Hunter, Dinah Sheridan, Bryan Forbes
Votes: 821
AKA Appointment in London
42. The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
Set during the Korean War, a Navy fighter pilot must come to terms with with his own ambivalence towards the war and the fear of having to bomb a set of highly defended bridges. The ending of this grim war drama is all tension.
Director: Mark Robson | Stars: William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney
Votes: 6,335
Good airforce (Navy pilot?) movie that shows us that bravery is really doing the things you are most scared to do.
43. They Who Dare (1954)
107 min | Drama, History, War
During World War II, British commandos are sent to destroy a Luftwaffe airfield on a Greek island.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott, Kay Callard, William Russell
Votes: 799
Ten British Commandos aided by Greek Resistance Fighters seek out accross Greece to bomb German airforce bases and escape back out to sea. But nothing ever goes to plan...
44. The Dam Busters (1955)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, History, War
Drama based on the attempt by the RAF to destroy six dams in Germany during World War II.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, Ursula Jeans, Basil Sydney
Votes: 11,371
Interesting film about the line connecting science, technology and war. War Manufactures scramble to create a new bomb capable of destroying Nazi Dams which supply Nazi factories with water and hydro-power. The airforce barely believes it is possible, but determined scientists and pilots find increasingly creative ways to work around problems eventually leading to one of the most unique bombing raids of WWII. Great acting and compelling story line move this film along.
45. To Hell and Back (1955)
Approved | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The true WWII story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in U.S. history. Based on the autobiography of Audie Murphy who stars as himself in the film.
Director: Jesse Hibbs | Stars: Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Jack Kelly
Votes: 5,966
Murphy tells his own tale of heroism. From his time as a 12 year old orphan tasked with taking care of his 4 brothers and sisters and the family farm to his days as a young 17 year old private to his eventual climb to Platoon Commander - earned through consistant acts of selfless bravery.
46. Attack (1956)
Approved | 107 min | Action, Drama, War
In 1944, an American Infantry company sets up an artillery observation post, but tensions between Captain Cooney and Lieutenant Costa run high.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, Eddie Albert, Robert Strauss
Votes: 5,836
When I saw City Slickers for the first time I had no context for how bad ass Jack Palance is (was). A Lutentient who has had to witness the deaths of too many of his men as a result of his unstable Captain's failed strategies vows to correct the situation.
47. The Burmese Harp (1956)
Not Rated | 116 min | Drama, Music, War
A conscience-driven Japanese soldier traumatized by the events of WWII adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui, Tatsuya Mihashi, Jun Hamamura
Votes: 6,464
48. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
PG | 161 min | Adventure, Drama, War
British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
Director: David Lean | Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
Votes: 233,372 | Gross: $44.91M
British POWs forced into Japanese labor camps are tasked with building a rail road bridge over the Kwai River. Initally seeking to sabotage the bridge, their commanding officer deciedes instead to build a bridge to last 500 years and remain a source of pride for his men. Little does he know another British officer has been ordered to blow up his bridge...
49. The Enemy Below (1957)
Approved | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander.
Director: Dick Powell | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, David Hedison, Theodore Bikel
Votes: 12,257
Two ships' fates, one German, one American, become entangled after they cross paths deep out into the ocean begining a most dangerous game of cat and mouse.
50. Kanal (1957)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, War
In 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement.
Director: Andrzej Wajda | Stars: Teresa Izewska, Tadeusz Janczar, Wienczyslaw Glinski, Tadeusz Gwiazdowski
Votes: 8,041
A Polish film made for Poles that depicts the last day of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in a somewhat dismal, hopeless, light. This is likely because the film was made under the tight restrictions of the Soviet Union, who was weary of movies involving Polish uprisings, even if they were about fighting against the Nazis. Regardless, the film is as gripping as Das Boot and a sure influence for later movies such as The Pianist and Uprising.
51. Men in War (1957)
Approved | 102 min | Action, Drama, War
During the Korean War, a battle-worn lieutenant and his platoon are behind enemy lines, and have orders to march to Hill 465 for possible relief.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Phillip Pine
Votes: 2,999
A small group of survivors works through enemy territory to reach their HQ, along the way they meet a Sargent, a catatonic Colonel and their Jeep, who reluctantly join the fight. The 3 desplay heroics and are interesting characters who leave much for the viewer to consider along after the film.
52. The One That Got Away (1957)
Not Rated | 111 min | Adventure, Drama, War
A cocky German fighter pilot is shot down over England in 1940 and makes numerous attempts to escape to fight again.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Hardy Krüger, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe, Terence Alexander
Votes: 2,484
True story of a downed German Pilot who is taken as a POW to England from where he is trying to escape. I hate to give anything more away by writing it here, so take my word for it, this is a great fun film of a remarkable story that makes James Bond look like an amature!
53. Paths of Glory (1957)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
After a failed attack on a German position, a general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, court-martialed for cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
Votes: 212,343
The blame for failure always goes down the chain of command, in the army or any workplace. Paths of Glory is a great war and courtroom drama, a sure influence on later projects such as A Few Good Men and JAG.
54. The Buccaneer (1958)
Approved | 119 min | Adventure, Drama, History
During the War of 1812, Louisiana buccaneer Jean Lafitte assists the Americans in defending New Orleans against the attacking British war fleet.
Director: Anthony Quinn | Stars: Yul Brynner, Claire Bloom, Charles Boyer, Inger Stevens
Votes: 2,761
200 years later and The War of 1812 is still the least understood American War. In this film we see, US General Andrew Jackson tasked with holding the newly acquired, port city of New Orleans. To this end, Jackson seeks a partnership with Jean Lafite, a French pirate who controls the island of Barataria, a small but strategic piece of land that guards the back door to the Mississippi Delta, and with it the Mississippi River - the major North American trade route of its day. But Jackson's men are uneasy with their new ally and attack Barataria killing many of their new ally's forces. Lefiet seeks out Jackson for revenge but instead, ends up trading vital gun powder for the lives of his remaining men. These men, mostly pirates, would shortly thereafter join Lefiet and Jackson in fighting the British. This battle would become immortalized in the anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
55. Dunkirk (1958)
Approved | 135 min | Action, Drama, History
A dramatization of the British Expeditionary Force's 1940 retreat to the beaches of France and the extraordinary seaborne evacuation that saved it from utter destruction by Nazi Germany.
Director: Leslie Norman | Stars: John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee, Robert Urquhart
Votes: 3,525
A film form a variety of perspectives about the failed attempt of British forces to make a lasting foothold on the shores of France as German forces slowly encircle and push the Brits back across the English Channel. This is the WWII battle that shocked Britian into full scale war mode, much as Pearl Harbor did to the USA.
56. Darby's Rangers (1958)
Approved | 121 min | Action, Drama, War
The lives, loves, and battles of fictional characters in the Army's First Ranger Battalion during WWII.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: James Garner, Etchika Choureau, Jack Warden, Edd Byrnes
Votes: 1,592
57. Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
Approved | 130 min | Adventure, Drama, War
During World War II in North Africa, a medical field unit must cross the desert in their ambulance in order to reach the British lines in Alexandria.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: John Mills, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, Harry Andrews
Votes: 6,615
58. Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Approved | 93 min | Action, Drama, War
A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter
Votes: 13,117
59. Torpedo Run (1958)
Approved | 98 min | Drama, War
A submarine commander is forced to blow up a Japanese ship with prisoners.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster, Dean Jones
Votes: 2,541
A US Sub finds itself in the perfect position to intersect their number one target, the Shinaru, a fictitious ship, based on an actual carrier called Shinano which was the biggest carrier the Japanese navy ever commissioned, led the attack in Pearl Harbor, faught during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and was actually sunk by the U.S. submarine Cavalla (SS-244) on 19 June 1944, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. However, in this film we find the Shinaru making a return voyage to Tokyo Harbor guarded by a pair of destroyers, one of which is ferrying all 1400 US Prisioners of War, including Lt. Cmdr.Barney Doyle's wife and daughter. Doyle must choose whether or not to risk the lives of the prisioners to attack the Shinarua. Although probably overshadowed by Run Silent Run Deep, this film is still a great submarine film carried by a great storyline and great performances. I'd love to see this one remade!
60. Battle of the Coral Sea (1959)
Approved | 86 min | Action, Drama, Romance
In 1942 submarine commander Jeff Conway secretly photographs Japanese aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea but his submarine is damaged and he's forced to surrender.
Director: Paul Wendkos | Stars: Cliff Robertson, Gia Scala, Teru Shimada, Patricia Cutts
Votes: 830
61. Hannibal (1959)
Approved | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
During the Second Punic War in 218 BC, Carthaginian general Hannibal attacks the Roman Republic by crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps with his vast army.
Directors: Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Edgar G. Ulmer | Stars: Victor Mature, Gabriele Ferzetti, Rita Gam, Milly Vitale
Votes: 1,124
62. John Paul Jones (1959)
126 min | Action, Biography, History
The career of Revolutionary War naval hero from his youth in Scotland through his service to Catherine the Great of Russia.
Director: John Farrow | Stars: Robert Stack, Marisa Pavan, Charles Coburn, Erin O'Brien
Votes: 1,436
63. Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Approved | 97 min | Drama, War
During the Korean War peace talks, U.S. troops fight to retake a hill from the Communist Chinese forces.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, George Peppard
Votes: 5,278 | Gross: $4.02M
The war is over save a battle for a hill with no strategic value but tremendous political value. This is a tough film that doesn't disappoint!
64. Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever? (1959)
93 min | Drama, War
In the winter of 1943, against the background of battle scenes, a young German Lieutenant who increasingly distrusts the inhuman Nazi ideology struggles with the concept of war.
Director: Frank Wisbar | Stars: Joachim Hansen, Wilhelm Borchert, Wolfgang Preiss, Carl Lange
Votes: 843
65. Yesterday's Enemy (1959)
Approved | 95 min | Drama, War
In World War II, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, the lost remnant of a British Army Brigade HQ, led by the ruthless Captain Alan Langford, escapes through the jungle toward the British lines.
Director: Val Guest | Stars: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Gordon Jackson
Votes: 1,309
A film that starts with a bang and doesn't let up in intensity. British Troops, a preist and a war correspondent try to make their way out of the Burma Jungle but get holed up in a village held by Japanese Intelligence. The Japanese are protrayed as equals to the British in their dealings with POWs and this take makes for a very interesting critique of this little known part of the war and the character of the men who faught it.
66. Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Approved | 97 min | Action, Drama, History
The World War II story of the Royal Navy's effort to defeat Nazi Germany's most powerful warship.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Kenneth More, Dana Wynter, Carl Möhner, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 8,317 | Gross: $6.54M
Gripping tale of war on the high seas as the British Navy seeks to destroy the pirzed German warship, the Bismark. The tale told from the prespective of Naval Intelligence is gripping and very interesting. Keeps you excited until the end!
67. 13 Fighting Men (1960)
Approved | 69 min | Drama, War, Western
A Union Captain and his troops guard a load of gold from a group of Confederates at the end of the war
Director: Harry Gerstad | Stars: Grant Williams, Brad Dexter, Carole Mathews, Robert Dix
Votes: 112
68. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Not Rated | 158 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A team of Allied saboteurs is assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle
Votes: 55,420 | Gross: $28.90M
Secret mission to take out anti-warship guns before an allied invasion. A team must complete its mission despite the setbacks and overwhelming odds against them, or the larger entire operation and the war could be lost.
69. Then There Were Three (1961)
82 min | War, Drama
US Army personnel patrolling through Italy during World War 2, are being killed off by an unknown German agent posing as a fellow soldier.
Director: Alex Nicol | Stars: Frank Latimore, Alex Nicol, Barry Cahill, Sidney Clute
Votes: 135
70. Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
Approved | 90 min | Drama, War
Small squad must hold off German attack.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino
Votes: 7,459 | Gross: $2.42M
Out-manned and out-gunned, American forces must out-smart the ememy through a series of tricks to convince the enemy that their numbers are greater than they actual are, but when the Nazis realize the actual strength they are facing is actually less than 10 men, the Germans send an all out assult...a film filled with bravery and creativity. Of note, this is Bob Newhart's introduction to the big screen!
71. The Longest Day (1962)
G | 178 min | Action, Drama, History
The events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.
Directors: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald, Bernhard Wicki, Darryl F. Zanuck | Stars: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda
Votes: 59,085 | Gross: $39.10M
Strong candidate for Best War Film ever, this film remains a masterpiece. HIghlights include a long uncut shot of allied troops taking a casino manned by German Big Guns and scenes from Omaha Beach...
72. Merrill's Marauders (I) (1962)
Approved | 98 min | Adventure, Drama, War
During WW2, a 3000-strong American unit, known as Merrill's Marauders, battles the Japanese forces in Burma.
Director: Samuel Fuller | Stars: Jeff Chandler, Ty Hardin, Peter Brown, Andrew Duggan
Votes: 2,780
A group of volunteer American GIs lands on Burma to aid the British against the Japanese during WWII. What was thought to be a small, easy operation tuns into perhaps the toughest fighting of the whole war. 3000 men crisscross over 500 miles of Burmese jungle, but how many will ever leave the island? Best viewed along with the films: Yesterday's Emeny (1959) and Objective, Burma! (1945).
73. The 300 Spartans (1962)
Approved | 114 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A small Army of Greeks spearheaded by three hundred Spartans do battle with the whole invading Persian Army.
Director: Rudolph Maté | Stars: Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, Diane Baker, Barry Coe
Votes: 7,673
Like the more recent film 300, this film depicts the Battle of Thermopylae. When released in 1962, critics saw this movie as commentary on the Cold War referring to the independent Greek states as "the only stronghold of freedom remaining in the then known world", holding out against the Persian "slave empire."
74. War Hunt (1962)
Approved | 83 min | Drama, War
Dispatched to the front lines during the Korean War, an idealistic American soldier discovers the horrors of combat and comes at odds with a psychopathic member of his platoon.
Director: Denis Sanders | Stars: John Saxon, Charles Aidman, Sydney Pollack, Tommy Matsuda
Votes: 1,119
The "other" great war film of 1962. Robert Redford stars in his first film and is amazing. While not a large scale film, War Hunt never seems small even though it is low budget. This one features a classic father figure seeking theme and must have influenced Star Wars, (there is even a character named Endore...). I can't really describe what is so appealing about this film but it just seems like it was shot right, cast right, written right...kind of a great coming together of talent.The film is not overdone, it is not underdone, it is however, Underrated!
75. 55 Days at Peking (1963)
Unrated | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, U.S. marine, Maj. Matt Lewis, along with British consul, Sir Arthur Robertson, develop a plan to keep the rebels at bay until an international military relief force can arrive.
Directors: Nicholas Ray, Guy Green, Andrew Marton | Stars: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Flora Robson
Votes: 7,423
Set during the Boxer Rebellion in Peking, China in 1900, an enclave of foreign ministries, is under attack. Led by England (in loose partnership with the USA), the countries make the difficult choice to band together and hold out against all odds against the thousands amassed outside their gates. The notion of militarily banding together, pre-WWI, WWII, NATO, etc., is an entirely new and difficult idea for these isolationist leaders to cope with in 1900. Expecting each of their own relief forces to arrive within 10 days, the international hodgepodge of soldiers, dignataries, diplomats, royalty, missionaries, orphans and civilians struggle to hold on as long as necessary, forming a new international community along the way, as their numbers and supplies dwindle. A film I enjoyed mostly for its coverage of a historical event I regrettably, knew very little about.
76. The Great Escape (1963)
Approved | 172 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson
Votes: 259,004 | Gross: $12.10M
77. The Victors (1963)
175 min | Drama, War
Intelligent, sprawling saga that follows a squad of American soldiers through Europe during World War II.
Director: Carl Foreman | Stars: Vince Edwards, Albert Finney, George Hamilton, Melina Mercouri
Votes: 1,789
Lost gem of a movie that is hard to find, that has an important take on war and reminds us that when we, the public, push for war, we should consider what we are really getting into, hell. Not so much a "war" battle type movie a war "soldier type" movie. This film is set during the war and deals with the affects on mankind, soldier and civilian, after repeated exposure to wars' violence, stress, excessive drinking and lonliness. It stares at the numbness. This has been called an anti-war movie, but I'm not so sure I agree, to me its more of an honest look at how wars affects people, soldiers and civilians, how they change their personal moral codes to surivive the hell they are in, how mob violence, peer pressure and the silent majority allow good people to let bad things happen to each other. In the end war is shown to be a simple waste of effort as so often happens, enemies become friends and friends become enemies. In this film we see the change from Americans and Russians banding together to fight Germans in WWII to Americans and Germans banding together to fight Russians in the Cold War a few years later. Was the sacrifice worth it with the hindsight of the cold war?
78. Back Door to Hell (1964)
Approved | 75 min | Drama, War
During World War II, a three man commando team places its trust in the hands of a band of Filipino resistants, as they try to knock out a Japanese communication center.
Director: Monte Hellman | Stars: Jimmie Rodgers, Jack Nicholson, John Hackett, Annabelle Huggins
Votes: 925
3 men land on a beach to gather early intelligence before a larger landing. Most notable is the performance of a very young Jack Nicholson.
79. 633 Squadron (1964)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, History, War
A RAF squadron is assigned to knock out a German rocket fuel factory in Norway. The factory supplies fuel for the Nazi effort to launch rockets on England during D-Day.
Director: Walter Grauman | Stars: Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria Perschy, Harry Andrews
Votes: 4,572
Great Airforce movie that must have been an influence for many later films from Top Gun to even Star Wars (yes, Star Wars and the destruction of the death star...). Compelling, well executed arial action.
80. Zulu (1964)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama, History, War
Outnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth
Votes: 42,766
81. Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Not Rated | 167 min | Drama, History, War
A dramatization of Nazi Germany's final Western Front counterattack of World War II.
Director: Ken Annakin | Stars: Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews
Votes: 17,809 | Gross: $11.12M
Epic film, told from both German and American perspectives about one of history's greatest tank battles. American tanks, inferior to the Germans, must outsmart the enemy to avoid having their forces divided. This is the greater battle that set the stage for Bastogne.
82. The Bedford Incident (1965)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, Thriller
An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.
Director: James B. Harris | Stars: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam
Votes: 5,979
Supurb acting by the films 4 key roles: the Captain, the Doctor, the Journalist and the former Nazi, turned NATO ally Commander drive this suspenseful Cold War Navy film. This is Moby Dick set in war, fantastic!
83. In Harm's Way (1965)
Approved | 165 min | Drama, Romance, War
A Naval officer, reprimanded after Pearl Harbor, is later promoted to Rear Admiral and gets a second chance to prove himself against the Japanese.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon
Votes: 10,325 | Gross: $4.20M
JAG fans will get a kick out of characters named Harm and Mac, and war film fans will love the graphic portrayal of the Naval War in the Pacific, told from various captains' perspectives. Love storys interweave and complete an all star cast of characters, as in the film, From Here to Eternity.
84. The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
Approved | 131 min | Action, Drama, History
Norwegian resistance tries to stop German efforts to produce an atomic bomb component during World War II.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave
Votes: 8,069
85. The Hill (1965)
Approved | 123 min | Drama, War
In a North African military prison during World War II, five new prisoners struggle to survive in the face of brutal punishment and sadistic guards.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Alfred Lynch
Votes: 15,171
Relentless struggle of prisoners as they try to maintain human diginity in a British military prison. Great cast and look into the role a man's fear of punishment plays in discliplining of the army.
86. Von Ryan's Express (1965)
Approved | 117 min | Action, Adventure, War
An American POW leads a group of mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.
Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, Raffaella Carrà, Brad Dexter
Votes: 15,147 | Gross: $17.11M
After misjudging the morality of the enemy, an American Airman leads a mostly British camp of POWs on a daring escape attempt. Can the prisioners outrun the chasing Germans?
87. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, War
In the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo | Stars: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash
Votes: 65,693 | Gross: $0.06M
88. Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
Approved | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, History
In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah.
Director: Melville Shavelson | Stars: Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Senta Berger
Votes: 3,824
89. Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (1966)
G | 132 min | Adventure, Comedy, War
Several ordinary Frenchmen go on an epic voyage through the occupied country to the free zone as they help British pilots avoid German captivity.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Claudio Brook, Andréa Parisy
Votes: 20,229
90. The Sand Pebbles (1966)
PG-13 | 182 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In 1926, a U.S. Naval engineer gets assigned to a gunboat on a rescue mission in war-torn China.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
Votes: 16,436
A loner career Naval engineer man finds himself in Shanghi, China aboard a small US vessel in 1926 where he is shock to find that his and every job aboard the ship has been outsourced to locals as a means to keep the peace. When the Revolution begins the ship is ordered to protect American missonaries. Great story of duty, love, history and adventure. Interesting film to revisit in context of today's relationship with China.
91. Beach Red (1967)
GP | 105 min | Drama, War
As a US marine unit fight against the defenders of a Japanese held island, both sides are haunted by their own thoughts and memories.
Director: Cornel Wilde | Stars: Cornel Wilde, Rip Torn, Burr DeBenning, Patrick Wolfe
Votes: 1,702
92. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Approved | 150 min | Action, Adventure, War
During World War II, a rebellious U.S. Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes
Votes: 79,120 | Gross: $45.30M
93. Tobruk (1967)
Approved | 107 min | Drama, War
A Canadian POW major is rescued by a special British military unit made up of Germans to help lead an attack on a major German fuel depot in Tobruk, Libya.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Rock Hudson, George Peppard, Nigel Green, Guy Stockwell
Votes: 3,585
This film presents a very different angle on the Battle of Tobruk than the earlier film, The Desert Rats. I would watch this film first since historically it occured first. This film focuses on the daring raid of a British Commando Team aided by German-Jewish volunteer soldiers and an Canadian Major against on a Nazi fuel dump outside Tobruk Along the trek accross the desert they encounter many enemy forces of both Greman and Italian designation and other obsticles, including uncovering a spy in their midst, which all serve as a background to the men's discussions of the British Occupation of Palestine and the desire of the Jewish soldiers for a homeland there creating conflict between the leaders of each group. Good action and better acting, move this solid film along.
94. Anzio (1968)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, History, War
Anzio: one of WWII's bloodiest battles as the Allies smash through the German lines which have enclosed the Anzio beachhead--four months and 30,000 casualties before the Allies finally march to Rome.
Directors: Edward Dmytryk, Duilio Coletti | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, Robert Ryan, Earl Holliman
Votes: 3,783
A few good scenes, including a creative method of crossing a mine field, make this otherwise average war film worth watching. The Allied Invasion of Italy is well represented in this film and is compelling enough.
95. Commandos (1968)
PG | 98 min | Action, Drama, War
During World War II, an Italian-American commando outfit disguised as an Italian Army unit is parachuted behind Axis lines in North Africa.
Director: Armando Crispino | Stars: Lee Van Cleef, Jack Kelly, Giampiero Albertini, Marino Masé
Votes: 1,062
96. The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Approved | 130 min | Action, Drama, War
A US Army lieutenant colonel is tasked with forming an elite commando-style unit from crack Canadian troops and the dregs of the US Army.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen | Stars: William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Vince Edwards, Andrew Prine
Votes: 6,257
Lt. Col. Fredrick is called upon by Army Top Brass to find a new way of breaking through the German lines in Norway. Fredrick recommends the creation of a new elite "special force" trained heavily in snow covered mountain combat. The brass agree and make Fredrick, an officer with no combat experience, its head. He accepts the task and brings Canadian troops fresh off the loss at Dunkirk together with outcast American troops, many of whom joined the new unit as an alternative to prison to form the first ever special force. The squad however, evokes no confidence from Command HQ and the Norway mission is called off but the unit before being totally disbanded, is allowed one chance to prove themselves in Italy. Great historical war film about the development of specialized infantry units in the US and Canadian armies.
97. Battle of Britain (1969)
G | 132 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible Axis invasion of the U.K.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews, Curd Jürgens
Votes: 24,524 | Gross: $4.36M
Large scale arial fight sceens and gripping tales of heroism fill this top notch airforce film! Great view of the arial battle over London from the views of the pilots, command, civilians, children and especially unique, female airforce intel officers, who play heavily in this film. Fantastic film and easily top 10 airforce film!
98. The Battle of El Alamein (1969)
PG | 96 min | Action, Drama, History
World war two drama about the 1942 North Africa battle at El Alamein between the Allies and the Axis forces.
Director: Giorgio Ferroni | Stars: Frederick Stafford, George Hilton, Michael Rennie, Marco Guglielmi
Votes: 698
99. The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
R | 115 min | Action, Drama, War
As the Allied armies close in, the Germans decide to blow up the last Rhine bridge, trapping their own men on the wrong side. But will it happen?
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: George Segal, Robert Vaughn, Ben Gazzara, Bradford Dillman
Votes: 10,552
Largely underrated war film about the race between the Americans and Germans to blow up the last bridge crossing the Rhine. The bridge itself is the main setting for most of the film and provides a great backdrop for a compeling battle near the end of WWII. If you're a fan of Saving Private Ryan (and I assume if you're reading this list you are) you will find many scenes from that film are lifted straight from this classic!
100. Castle Keep (1969)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
During the Battle of the Bulge, an anachronistic count shelters a ragtag squad of Americans in his remote 10th Century castle hoping a battle there against the advancing Germans will not lead to its destruction and all the heritage within.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Peter Falk
Votes: 3,484
Eight wounded shell shocked soldiers take refuge in a castle in Belgium. There they begin a crazy 60s psyadelic take on WWII involving wonton women, booze, a volkswagon beetle, a romantic, a baker, a countess, a band of AWOL Born Again Christians....to odd to even begin to explain. Certainly not for everyone but so different it becomes appealing and has a great effect of showing war as a social defect.
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