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Image by Federico Napoli
Cinema has often served as a means for viewers to cope with overwhelming issues, so it is no surprise that there have been so many classic films made about war. There was a strong association between Hollywood and the official newsreels that were produced during World War II, so the two industries have always been linked. War tends to be a subject in many massively successful blockbuster franchises, such as Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Terminator, just to name a few.
Editing is critical to a great war film, as the audience must feel invested in the specific angle that the filmmakers are taking. In addition to developing a sense of authenticity, great war films should have profound ideas about what heroism actually means. Here are the ten best war movies that are perfectly edited, ranked.
10 ‘Dunkirk’ (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Dunkirk is one of the most ambitious films that Christopher Nolan has directed, even if it did not include a complex science fiction plot like Interstellar or Inception. Dunkirk chooses to tell the story about one of the most important rescue missions in World War II, but plays with the nature of time to create an interesting way to map out the different areas of combat.
Dunkirk examines the conflict in the air, on the beaches, and on the commoner boats coming to rescue, offering a three-dimensional portrayal of all the efforts that were made to secure such an important victory. While a lesser filmmaker could have made this all feel very confusing, Nolan was able to find throughlines between the characters that allowed them to sync up in all the right places, leading to some unexpectedly moving (albeit wordless) sequences.
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Release Date July 21, 2017
Runtime 106 minutes
Budget $82.5–150 million
Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
9 ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1978)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Image via United Artists Apocalypse Now is an essential war film because it delves into the deeply dehumanizing nature of the Vietnam War, which many American filmmakers opposed as it was conducted. Although tackling a topic as significant and controversial as the Vietnam insurgency would have been overwhelming for most filmmakers, Francis Ford Coppola told a very specific story about an American soldier (Martin Sheen) assigned to venture deep into the jungle to assassination the insane Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has formed his own separatist movement.
Apocalypse Now does a great job at transitioning from a straightforward “mission movie” to a more experimental arthouse film, as the final segment of the film featuring Brando reaches an ethereal level of psychological horror and dread. This was done by correlating key elements of the plot to Joseph Campbell’s highly influential novel Heart of Darkness, which gave Coppola a loose blueprint.
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Release Date August 15, 1979
Director Francis Ford Coppola
Runtime 147 minutes
Main Genre War
Writers Joseph Conrad , John Milius , Francis Ford Coppola , Michael Herr
Budget $31.5 million
Studio(s) United Artists
Distributor(s) United Artists
8 ‘Platoon’ (1986)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Image via Orion Pictures Platoon is perhaps the grandest achievement of Oliver Stone’s career, as it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and was hailed as one of the most defining films ever made about the Vietnam War. While the Academy Awards tend to offer rousing, exciting epics with their top prize, Platoon is a rather dour, depressing examination of the loss of humanity that occurs when invading a foreign country in the midst of its own civil war crisis.
Platoon does an amazing job at balancing its very impressive cast, as the acting ensemble includes stars like Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and a young Johnny Depp. While not an easy film to watch by any stretch of the imagination, Platoon serves as an instructive film for future generations on why a calamity like the war in Vietnam can never happen again.
Platoon
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Release Date December 19, 1986
Director Oliver Stone
Runtime 120 minutes
Writers Oliver Stone
Studio Hemdale Film Corporation
Tagline The first casualty of war is innocence.
7 ‘Rescue Dawn’ (2006)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Rescue Dawn is crafted with the creativity one would expect from Werner Herzog, a filmmaker who has always cut corners in order to make dynamic films with a high degree of realism. Rescue Dawn centers on an American pilot (Christian Bale) who is shot down in Cambodia during the Vietnam War, and forced to survive with a group of prisoners-of-war in order to eventually return home.
Herzog drew insight from his own documentary in order to make Rescue Dawn more authentic, as it lacks the pastiche and prestige that many more traditional Hollywood films would have had. Although it begins as a straightforward action movie, Herzog is able to shape the story into one of survival and resilience, in which many of the soldiers are forced to question whether the war that they have been waging is justified in the first place.
During the Vietnam War, a U.S. Navy pilot's mission goes awry, leading to his capture and imprisonment in a Laotian POW camp. Amidst the harsh conditions and psychological torment, he befriends fellow prisoners and formulates a daring escape plan. The story captures his relentless struggle for survival, the bonds formed in captivity, and the sheer willpower required to overcome unimaginable obstacles in a quest for freedom.
Release Date September 9, 2006
Director Werner Herzog
Runtime 126 minutes
Writers
Tagline
6 ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)
Directed by David Lean
Image via Columbia Pictures Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the great World War II films because it shows how both physical and psychological warfare played a role in the Pacific theater of combat. Sir Alec Guinness won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as a proud British military leader who is captured by the Japanese Army and forced to construct a massive bridge; unfortunately, he grows so invested in his new project that he begins to question where his loyalties lie.
Bridge on the River Kwai does a great job at letting the tension simmer as the soldiers are forced to work in labor camps, biding their time as they anticipate the moment in which they can revolt. This makes the final action sequence involving the destruction of the bridge one of the most riveting in the history of war cinema.
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
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.
Release Date October 11, 1957
Director David Lean
Runtime 161 minutes
Writers Pierre Boulle , Carl Foreman , Michael Wilson
5 ‘The Thin Red Line’ (1998)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Image via 20th Century Fox The Thin Red Line is about as artistic and experimental as one would expect from Terrence Malick, a masterful filmmaker who has never been concerned if audiences leave his films entirely confused. The Thin Red Line aimed to capture the essence of what the phrase “war is hell” really means rather than trying to specifically recount one historical event, and features many of the lyrical, existential moments that Malick likes to feature in his projects.
Although much of the film’s brilliance is in its visuals, The Thin Red Line does a great job at balancing its amazing cast of actors, which includes Adrien Brody, John Travolta, John C. Reilly, Jim Caviezel, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, John Cusack, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Jared Leto, John Savage, Thomas Jane, Nick Stahl, and Tim Blake Nelson, just to name a few.
The Thin Red Line
Release Date January 15, 1999
Director Terrence Malick
Runtime 170 minutes
Main Genre Drama
Writers James Jones , Terrence Malick
4 ‘From Here To Eternity’ (1953)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Image via Columbia Pictures From Here To Eternity was a very bold World War II movie, as it attempted to capture the mindset of an entire generation of young soldiers leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, which inspired President Franklin D. Roosevelt to officially enter the United States into World War II to join forces with France and Great Britain to form the Allied Powers.
From Here To Eternity is able to build suspense because the audience knows what is coming, but can still get caught up in the interpersonal relationships between the characters. Although the more intimate focus on anxiety and romance may classify From Here To Eternity as a drama first and foremost, the brilliant destructive sequence that concludes the film certainly ensures its place among the greatest works ever made about World War II and the “Greatest Generation.”
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.
Release Date August 28, 1953
Director Fred Zinnemann
Runtime 118 Minutes
Main Genre Drama
Writers Daniel Taradash , James Jones
Watch on The Criterion Channel
3 ‘Braveheart’ (1995)
Directed by Mel Gibson
Image via Paramount Pictures Braveheart is a revenge epic inspired by true history, and features some of the greatest medieval battle sequences ever seen on screen. While Mel Gibson gives what is arguably his greatest performance to date as the Scottish revolutionary hero William Wallace, it’s even more impressive to see what he does as a director, as Braveheart was able to intertwine Christian imagery in order to turn the real events into an intensive Biblical allusion.
Despite being around three hours in length, Braveheart is so packed with action that there is never a moment to get bored. While it may be difficult to praise Gibson in wake of his many controversies, he is undeniably one of the best directors of war films, and has continued to push the genre forward with his Mayan epic Apocalpyto and the Oscar-nominated World War II film Hacksaw Ridge.
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Release Date May 24, 1995
Runtime 178 Minutes
Main Genre Biography
Writers Randall Wallace
Tagline
Budget $72 million
Studio(s) Paramount Pictures
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
2 ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Directed by David Lean
Image via Columbia Pictures Lawrence of Arabia is one of the greatest epic masterpieces of all-time, as it is hard to imagine a modern filmmaker conceiving of a new film that could even hint at the ambition that David Lean mastered with his best work ever. While much of the praise heaped upon the shoulders of both Lean and Lawrence of Arabia is centered around its incredible scope and scale, it’s also a masterwork of editing that manages to make over three hours of running time fly by.
Lawrence of Arabia spends just enough time in each segment of Lawrence’s life, allowing for a “rise and fall” story that offers a complete and mostly well-rounded consideration of his character. Although there have been many director’s cut versions released with additional footage, any version of Lawrence or Arabia features terrific editing that somehow managed to distill the grandiose vision that Lean had into a complete package.
Lawrence of Arabia
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Release Date December 11, 1962
Director David Lean
Runtime 227 minutes
Writers T.E. Lawrence , Robert Bolt , Michael Wilson
Studio Columbia Pictures
Tagline A Mighty Motion Picture Of Action And Adventure!
1 ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Image via DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures Saving Private Ryan is an unflinching examination of the cost of war, which Steven Spielberg used as a way to honor his father, who had actually served in the conflict. Anyone that doubted that a director like Spielberg, known for working on mainstream entertainment like Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, could pull off a riveting war thriller needed to watch no further than the amazing opening sequence recounting the critical battle on D-Day.
Saving Private Ryan does a great job at keeping the story focused on the relationships, as the dynamic between Captain Steve Hiller (Tom Hanks) and Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) allows the film to introduce interesting questions about what service really means, and whether victory can ever be truly justified in such a horrible situation where so many innocent lives are lost.
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Release Date July 24, 1998
Runtime 169 mins
Writers Robert Rodat
Studio DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Tagline in the last great invasion of the last great war, the greatest danger for eight men... was saving one
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