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264 films

War

War films range from patriotic spectacle to anti-war protest. The First World War produced All Quiet on the Western Front and Renoir's Grand Illusion; the Second inspired Rossellini's Rome, Open City and decades of combat pictures; Vietnam brought Coppola's Apocalypse Now and Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket; later work from Germany, Russia, Japan and Eastern Europe looked at war from the other side. The best films show the human cost without glamour.

Where
The United States, Britain, Germany, Russia, Japan, Italy
When
From 1910s; major waves after each world war and Vietnam
Key figures
Jean Renoir, Roberto Rossellini, Stanley Kubrick, Elem Klimov, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg
Landmark films
Grand Illusion (1937), Paths of Glory (1957), Apocalypse Now (1979), Come and See (1985)
Legacy
Shaped how generations imagine and remember conflict

What to look for

  • Combat staged with realism or horror
  • Home-front stories alongside the battlefield
  • Moral ambiguity and the cost to civilians
  • Camaraderie in small units
  • The war's aftermath on survivors

Directors with the most films in this genre

Andrzej Wajda6 filmsMiklós Jancsó6 filmsStanley Kubrick5 filmsEdward Dmytryk4 filmsVolker Schlöndorff4 filmsAkira Kurosawa3 filmsD.W. Griffith3 filmsDanis Tanović3 filmsDavid Lean3 filmsFred Zinnemann3 filmsGillo Pontecorvo3 filmsJames Whale3 filmsJean-Pierre Melville3 filmsRené Clément3 filmsRichard Attenborough3 filmsRoberto Rossellini3 filmsStanley Kramer3 filmsVittorio De Sica3 filmsAbel Gance2 filmsAgnieszka Holland2 filmsAleksei German2 filmsAlexander Dovzhenko2 filmsAlfred Hitchcock2 filmsBertrand Tavernier2 films
See all 177 directors
Billy Wilder2 filmsCarlos Saura2 filmsCharlie Chaplin2 filmsClaire Denis2 filmsClaude Lanzmann2 filmsEmilio Fernández2 filmsErmanno Olmi2 filmsErnst Lubitsch2 filmsFranklin J. Schaffner2 filmsFridrikh Ermler2 filmsG.W. Pabst2 filmsJohn Huston2 filmsJosef von Sternberg2 filmsKaneto Shindo2 filmsKen Loach2 filmsKim Ki-duk2 filmsKing Vidor2 filmsKon Ichikawa2 filmsLordan Zafranović2 filmsLouis Malle2 filmsLuchino Visconti2 filmsLuigi Comencini2 filmsMasaki Kobayashi2 filmsMohammed Lakhdar-Hamina2 filmsOliver Stone2 filmsPowell & Pressburger2 filmsPreston Sturges2 filmsRadu Mihăileanu2 filmsRaoul Walsh2 filmsSam Peckinpah2 filmsSamuel Fuller2 filmsSamuel Maoz2 filmsSrdjan Dragojević2 filmsSteven Spielberg2 filmsValerio Zurlini2 filmsVeljko Bulajić2 filmsWilliam Wyler2 filmsAbderrahmane Sissako1 filmAdemir Kenović1 filmAlain Resnais1 filmAleksandar Petrović1 filmAlexander Sokurov1 filmAmos Gitai1 filmAndrei Tarkovsky1 filmAndrzej Żuławski1 filmAnn Hui1 filmBahram Beyzaie1 filmBenjamin Christensen1 filmBinka Zhelyazkova1 filmBo Widerberg1 filmBodil Ipsen1 filmBrian De Palma1 filmBruno Dumont1 filmCarol Reed1 filmChetan Anand1 filmChris Marker1 filmCristian Nemescu1 filmDalibor Matanić1 filmDeepa Mehta1 filmDenis Villeneuve1 filmDerek Jarman1 filmDino Risi1 filmDouglas Sirk1 filmEdgar Reitz1 filmEdward Berger1 filmElem Klimov1 filmFeo Aladag1 filmFernando Solanas1 filmFlora Gomes1 filmFrancesco Rosi1 filmFrancis Ford Coppola1 filmFrantišek Čáp1 filmFrançois Truffaut1 filmFritz Lang1 filmGavin Hood1 filmGeorge Stevens1 filmGiuseppe Tornatore1 filmGuillermo del Toro1 filmHaile Gerima1 filmHal Ashby1 filmHou Hsiao-hsien1 filmHoward Hawks1 filmIsao Takahata1 filmIstván Szabó1 filmJan Troell1 filmJanez Burger1 filmJasmila Žbanić1 filmJean Renoir1 filmJean-Luc Godard1 filmJerzy Skolimowski1 filmJohn Ford1 filmJoseph Cedar1 filmJoseph L. Mankiewicz1 filmJoseph Losey1 filmKaouther Ben Hania1 filmKathryn Bigelow1 filmKeisuke Kinoshita1 filmKenji Mizoguchi1 filmKrzysztof Zanussi1 filmLarisa Shepitko1 filmLeopold Lindtberg1 filmLina Wertmüller1 filmLucian Pintilie1 filmLuis García Berlanga1 filmLütfi Ömer Akad1 filmMargarethe von Trotta1 filmMario Monicelli1 filmMauritz Stiller1 filmMed Hondo1 filmMichael Cimino1 filmMichael Curtiz1 filmMichael Moore1 filmMichael Radford1 filmMichael Winterbottom1 filmMichel Hazanavicius1 filmMike Nichols1 filmMikhail Kalatozov1 filmMilčo Mančevski1 filmMohamed Diab1 filmMohsen Makhmalbaf1 filmMárta Mészáros1 filmNagisa Oshima1 filmNicholas Ray1 filmNikita Mikhalkov1 filmOrson Welles1 filmOusmane Sembène1 filmPaul Greengrass1 filmPeter Lilienthal1 filmPeter Weir1 filmPhilippe Garrel1 filmQuentin Tarantino1 filmRidley Scott1 filmRobert Aldrich1 filmRobert Altman1 filmRobert Bresson1 filmSam Mendes1 filmSidney Lumet1 filmSpike Lee1 filmSrđan Karanović1 filmSteve McQueen1 filmSteven Soderbergh1 filmTerrence Malick1 filmThe Taviani Brothers1 filmTheo Angelopoulos1 filmVictor Fleming1 filmVictor Sjöström1 filmVsevolod Pudovkin1 filmWerner Herzog1 filmWolfgang Petersen1 filmWoody Allen1 filmZhang Yimou1 filmŽelimir Žilnik1 filmŽivojin Pavlović1 film

Often combined with

Drama Romance History Comedy Thriller Biography

Top 100 rated films

  1. Shoah 1985 · Claude Lanzmann · IMDb 8.7
  2. Pretty Village, Pretty Flame 1996 · Srdjan Dragojević · IMDb 8.6
  3. Saving Private Ryan 1998 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 8.6
  4. Casablanca 1942 · Michael Curtiz · IMDb 8.5
  5. Grave of the Fireflies 1988 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 8.5
  6. Apocalypse Now 1979 · Francis Ford Coppola · IMDb 8.4
  7. Inglourious Basterds 2009 · Quentin Tarantino · IMDb 8.4
  8. Paths of Glory 1957 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 8.4
  9. The Great Dictator 1940 · Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.4
  10. Come and See 1985 · Elem Klimov · IMDb 8.3
  11. Das Boot 1981 · Wolfgang Petersen · IMDb 8.3
  12. Incendies 2010 · Denis Villeneuve · IMDb 8.3
  13. Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 · Stanley Kramer · IMDb 8.3
  14. The Cranes Are Flying 1957 · Mikhail Kalatozov · IMDb 8.3
  15. To Live 1994 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 8.3
  16. 1917 2019 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 8.2
  17. Full Metal Jacket 1987 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 8.2
  18. Gone with the Wind 1939 · Victor Fleming · IMDb 8.2
  19. Pan's Labyrinth 2006 · Guillermo del Toro · IMDb 8.2
  20. Ran 1985 · Akira Kurosawa · IMDb 8.2
  21. Sky Hook 2000 · Srdjan Dragojević · IMDb 8.2
  22. The Ascent 1977 · Larisa Shepitko · IMDb 8.2
  23. The Voice of Hind Rajab 2025 · Kaouther Ben Hania · IMDb 8.2
  24. A Man Escaped 1956 · Robert Bresson · IMDb 8.1
  25. Army of Shadows 1969 · Jean-Pierre Melville · IMDb 8.1
  26. Barry Lyndon 1975 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 8.1
  27. Petria's Wreath 1980 · Srđan Karanović · IMDb 8.1
  28. The Battle of Algiers 1966 · Gillo Pontecorvo · IMDb 8.1
  29. The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 · William Wyler · IMDb 8.1
  30. The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 · David Lean · IMDb 8.1
  31. The Deer Hunter 1978 · Michael Cimino · IMDb 8.1
  32. The Great War 1959 · Mario Monicelli · IMDb 8.1
  33. The Perfect Circle 1997 · Ademir Kenović · IMDb 8.1
  34. To Be or Not to Be 1942 · Ernst Lubitsch · IMDb 8.1
  35. Ugetsu 1953 · Kenji Mizoguchi · IMDb 8.1
  36. A Difficult Life 1961 · Dino Risi · IMDb 8.0
  37. Au revoir les enfants 1987 · Louis Malle · IMDb 8.0
  38. Forbidden Games 1952 · René Clément · IMDb 8.0
  39. Ivan's Childhood 1962 · Andrei Tarkovsky · IMDb 8.0
  40. La Grande Illusion 1937 · Jean Renoir · IMDb 8.0
  41. Platoon 1986 · Oliver Stone · IMDb 8.0
  42. Quo Vadis, Aida? 2020 · Jasmila Žbanić · IMDb 8.0
  43. Rome, Open City 1945 · Roberto Rossellini · IMDb 8.0
  44. The Burmese Harp 1956 · Kon Ichikawa · IMDb 8.0
  45. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1943 · Powell & Pressburger · IMDb 8.0
  46. Bashu, the Little Stranger 1989 · Bahram Beyzaie · IMDb 7.9
  47. Doctor Zhivago 1965 · David Lean · IMDb 7.9
  48. Fires on the Plain 1959 · Kon Ichikawa · IMDb 7.9
  49. Kagemusha 1980 · Akira Kurosawa · IMDb 7.9
  50. Kanal 1957 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.9
  51. No Man's Land 2001 · Danis Tanović · IMDb 7.9
  52. Patton 1970 · Franklin J. Schaffner · IMDb 7.9
  53. Stalag 17 1953 · Billy Wilder · IMDb 7.9
  54. All Quiet on the Western Front 2022 · Edward Berger · IMDb 7.8
  55. Before the Rain 1994 · Milčo Mančevski · IMDb 7.8
  56. Burnt by the Sun 1994 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.8
  57. The Big Parade 1925 · King Vidor · IMDb 7.8
  58. The Hill 1965 · Sidney Lumet · IMDb 7.8
  59. The Search (1948) 1948 · Fred Zinnemann · IMDb 7.8
  60. Ashes and Diamonds 1958 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.7
  61. California Dreamin' 2007 · Cristian Nemescu · IMDb 7.7
  62. Camp de Thiaroye 1988 · Ousmane Sembène · IMDb 7.7
  63. Empire of the Sun 1987 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 7.7
  64. Everybody Go Home 1960 · Luigi Comencini · IMDb 7.7
  65. General Della Rovere 1959 · Roberto Rossellini · IMDb 7.7
  66. J'accuse 1919 · Abel Gance · IMDb 7.7
  67. Seven Beauties 1975 · Lina Wertmüller · IMDb 7.7
  68. The Dirty Dozen 1967 · Robert Aldrich · IMDb 7.7
  69. The Man Who Would Be King 1975 · John Huston · IMDb 7.7
  70. Three 1965 · Aleksandar Petrović · IMDb 7.7
  71. Twenty Days Without War 1976 · Aleksei German · IMDb 7.7
  72. Two Women 1960 · Vittorio De Sica · IMDb 7.7
  73. A Time to Love and a Time to Die 1958 · Douglas Sirk · IMDb 7.6
  74. Bloody Sunday 2002 · Paul Greengrass · IMDb 7.6
  75. Children of Hiroshima 1952 · Kaneto Shindo · IMDb 7.6
  76. Earth (1998) 1998 · Deepa Mehta · IMDb 7.6
  77. Enamorada 1946 · Emilio Fernández · IMDb 7.6
  78. From Here to Eternity 1953 · Fred Zinnemann · IMDb 7.6
  79. Hail the Conquering Hero 1944 · Preston Sturges · IMDb 7.6
  80. Kapò 1960 · Gillo Pontecorvo · IMDb 7.6
  81. Lacombe, Lucien 1974 · Louis Malle · IMDb 7.6
  82. Le Silence de la mer 1949 · Jean-Pierre Melville · IMDb 7.6
  83. Lifeboat 1944 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.6
  84. Love and Death 1975 · Woody Allen · IMDb 7.6
  85. Mrs. Miniver 1942 · William Wyler · IMDb 7.6
  86. Paisan 1946 · Roberto Rossellini · IMDb 7.6
  87. The Ambush 1969 · Živojin Pavlović · IMDb 7.6
  88. The Caine Mutiny 1954 · Edward Dmytryk · IMDb 7.6
  89. The Hour of the Furnaces 1968 · Fernando Solanas · IMDb 7.6
  90. The Thin Red Line 1998 · Terrence Malick · IMDb 7.6
  91. Tokyo Trial 1983 · Masaki Kobayashi · IMDb 7.6
  92. Train of Life 1998 · Radu Mihăileanu · IMDb 7.6
  93. Ulysses' Gaze 1995 · Theo Angelopoulos · IMDb 7.6
  94. Europa Europa 1990 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 7.5
  95. Fahrenheit 9/11 2004 · Michael Moore · IMDb 7.5
  96. King and Country 1964 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.5
  97. Land and Freedom 1995 · Ken Loach · IMDb 7.5
  98. Life and Nothing But 1989 · Bertrand Tavernier · IMDb 7.5
  99. Léon Morin, Priest 1961 · Jean-Pierre Melville · IMDb 7.5
  100. Occupation in 26 Pictures 1978 · Lordan Zafranović · IMDb 7.5