- 91Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Barbara BachAfter successfully sabotaging radar-guided Nazi guns, Mallory (Robert Shaw) and Miller (Edward Fox) find themselves attached to an elite American unit known as Force 10. The unlikely duo must accompany Force 10 leader Col. Barnsby (Harrison Ford) and his men as they search for an escaped Nazi spy whom only Mallory and Miller can identify. As the team travels behind enemy lines, Barnsby begins to fall for rugged Russian resistance fighter Maritza (Barbara Bach).
- #131 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #7 of 15 onUnderrated Sequels To Classic Movies That Are Surprisingly Good
- #104 of 166 onThe Best Military Movies Ever Made
- 92Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie BedeliaAssigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves (Paul Newman) is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. Groves selects J. Robert Oppenheimer (Dwight Schultz) as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs -- the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."
- 93Robert Mitchum, Jane Seymour, Hart BochnerWar and Remembrance is an American miniseries based on the 1978 novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk.
- 94Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Cary ElwesBritish Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralize Hitler's fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.
- #106 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #57 of 59 onThe Best Movies Based on Non-Fiction Books
- #157 of 371 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- 95Lee Marvin, Toshiro MifuneDuring World War II, Japanese naval officer Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda (Toshirô Mifune) is stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. He soon discovers a loudmouthed American pilot (Lee Marvin) who has crashed his plane. Unable to communicate verbally, the two enemies initially taunt each other and refuse to cooperate. But when they begin to face starvation, dehydration and exhaustion, they are forced to put aside their differences and rely on one another for survival.More Hell in the Pacific
- #166 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #12 of 19 onPretty Good World War II Movies
- #6 of 25 onThe Best Movies Directed by John Boorman
- 96Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria PerschyNorwegian resistance fighter Erik Bergman (George Chakiris) offers the British Royal Air Force an irresistible target when he reveals the location of a secret Nazi factory. American pilot Roy Grant (Cliff Robertson) commands the fighter squadron ordered to take out the plant, but he discovers that the location is even more formidable than he had been told. When the promised ground support troops fail to show up, Grant fears he and his men are on a doomed mission.More 633 Squadron
- #190 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #35 of 42 onThe 40+ Best Aviation Movies
- #34 of 49 onThe Best British War Movies
- 97Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, Robert RyanAnzio, also known as Lo sbarco di Anzio or The Battle for Anzio, is a 1968 war film, an Italian and American co-production, about Operation Shingle, the 1944 Allied seaborne assault on the Italian port of Anzio in World War II. It was adapted from the book Anzio by Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, who had been the BBC war correspondent at the battle. The film stars Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, and a variety of international film stars, who mostly portray fictitious characters based on actual participants in the battle. The two exceptions were Wolfgang Preiss and Tonio Selwart, who respectively played Field Marshal Albert Kesselring and General Eberhard von Mackensen. The film was made in Italy with an Italian film crew and produced by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis; however, none of the main cast were Italian, nor were there any major Italian characters. The film was jointly directed by Edward Dmytryk and Duilio Coletti. In the English-language version, Italians are portrayed speaking their native language, but in scenes involving the German military commanders, these speak English to each other.
- 98Errol Flynn, William Prince, James L. BrownLeading a team of 36 commandos, Captain Charles Nelson (Errol Flynn) parachutes into Japanese-occupied Burma in hopes of destroying a critical radar base. The mission is a success, but when the group reaches the air strip where they expect to find planes ready to fly them to safety, they instead find a waiting Japanese army. With no choice but to attempt an escape on foot, Nelson splits his team in two and reluctantly heads into an impenetrable jungle.
- 99Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine RossA time warp takes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its captain (Kirk Douglas) back to Pearl Harbor, Dec. 6, 1941.More The Final Countdown
- #32 of 64 onThe Best Movies Of 1980
- #20 of 100 onThe 100 Best Movies With Final in the Title
- #7 of 8 onThe Best Movies About Pearl Harbor, Ranked By History Buffs
- 100Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla JacobssonIn this fact-based film, as Axis and Allied scientists race to create the first atomic bomb, British Intelligence receives shocking news of significant breakthroughs at a Nazi facility in occupied Norway. The British work with Norwegian Resistance head Knut Straud (Richard Harris) and distinguished physicist Dr. Rolf Pederson (Kirk Douglas) to plan an urgent response. As a Norwegian team headed by Straud struggles to stop Nazi science in its tracks, a civilian hostage situation erupts.
- #204 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #32 of 49 onThe Best British War Movies
- #20 of 54 onThe Best Spy Movies Of The 1960s
- 101David McCallum, Suzanne Neve, David BuckRoyal Air Force squadron leader David "Scotty" Scott (David Buck) is shot down over France and thought to be dead. His best friend, Quint Munroe (David McCallum), takes his place not only as leader but also in the arms of Scott's wife, Beth (Suzanne Neve). Quint is to lead an attack on a Gestapo stronghold in northern France, where French Resistance fighters and Allied soldiers are being held prisoner. Soon Quint realizes that Scotty is alive and being held in his bombing target.
- 102Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence HowardLieutenant Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) is a second year law student who is enlisted as an officer's aide in World War II due to his father's political pull. When he is captured and thrown into a German prisoner of war camp, top ranking Colonel William McNamara (Bruce Willis) assigns him to defend Lieutenant Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard), a black POW accused of murdering a fellow white prisoner.More Hart's War
- #197 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #85 of 152 onThe Best Movies of 2002
- #7 of 16 on16 Underrated Bruce Willis Performances That Remind Us Why We Love Him
- 103Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas JaneAfter their ship is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, the crew members of the USS Indianapolis face a harrowing nightmare as their ship goes down in the shark infested Philippine Sea.
- #10 of 59 onThe Most Entertaining Awful Shark Horror Movies
- #10 of 20 onThe 20 Best Movies About Battleships
- #16 of 49 onThe 45+ Best Shark Movies Of All Time
- 104Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate BeckinsalePearl Harbor (2001) is an epic war film that masterfully blends romance and action. Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), are childhood friends turned Army Air Corps pilots, who find themselves in a love triangle with the beautiful nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale). As their personal drama unfolds, the harrowing events of December 7, 1941 - the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor - catapult our protagonists into the throes of World War II. Directed by Michael Bay, this film won an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.More Pearl Harbor
- Dig Deeper...All The Historical Inaccuracies In Michael Bay's 'Pearl Harbor'
- #173 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #47 of 113 onThe Best Movies Of 2001
- 105Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Arthur FranzCaptain Casey Abbott (Ronald Reagan) commands an American submarine in the Pacific during World War II. When a perilous mission to retrieve a new Japanese mine for study goes awry, he's forced to abandon a likable combat diver, Wes Barton (Harry Lauter). Abbott's orders to leave a man behind appear to be justified, but his second in command, Don Landon (Arthur Franz), believes he had ulterior motives: Barton had been competing for the attention of his love interest, Helen (Nancy Davis).
- 106Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Julie AdamsJebediah S. Hawks is in charge of USS Belinda, an attack transport readying itself to take the war to the Japanese in the Pacific. Hawks whips his crew into shape, intentionally becoming a martinet to ensure the frustrations of his rookie crew center on him, forging them into a concentrated unit.
- 107Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tony BillNone but the Brave, also known as Yūsha nomi in Japan, is a 1965 war film starring Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tommy Sands and Brad Dexter. This is the only film directed by Frank Sinatra, and the first Japanese-American co-production, produced by Sinatra for Warner Bros. and Kikumaru Okuda for Toho Studios.More None but the Brave
- #220 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #31 of 46 onEarly Technicolor Films
- #67 of 143 onThe First Color Movies
- 108Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan HaleMerchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.
- 109Randolph Scott, Noah Beery, Alan CurtisDuring the Pacific phase of World War II, Marine Col. Thorwald (Randolph Scott) puts together a special strike force to capture the Makin Island, a strategic territory held by Japan. He goes out of his way to select soldiers who are rugged or unbalanced misfits, such as former boxer "Pig-Iron" Matthews (Bob Mitchum) and yokel Rube Tedrow (Rod Cameron). As their raid draws closer, Thorwald dispatches with all ranks and titles, and trains his group using unconventional methods.
- 110Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona FreemanIn the early days of America's involvement in World War II, a Marine battalion readies to challenge the Japanese. The men will see limited action at Guadalcanal, but their leader, Major Sam Huxley (Van Heflin), won't rest until his forces get closer to the action. Meanwhile, Andy (Aldo Ray), a key member of "Huxley's Harlots," sets aside his fear of leaving his new wife (Nancy Olson) a war widow for the second time, and joins his buddies in the crucial Battle of Saipan.
- 111James Cagney, Dennis Weaver, Ward CostelloAs he retires from the U.S. Navy, Admiral William J. Halsey (James Cagney) recalls the most daunting challenge in his career: the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. Ordered to replace a close friend as fleet admiral, Halsey faces a wily and fierce adversary in Japan's Admiral Yamamoto, and spends the grueling months of the campaign confounding expectations of both the enemy and his own staff. Pained by the losses he knows they will endure, Halsey pushes his forces to the brink.
- 112Sidney Poitier, Jeff ChandlerRed Ball Express is a 1952 World War II war film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Jeff Chandler. The film is based on the real Red Ball Express convoys that took place after the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944. The tag line for the movie is "From beachhead to battlefront! They carry the ammo for Patton's Tanks!"
- 113Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Freddie SteeleDuring World War II, American journalist Ernie Pyle (Burgess Meredith) goes abroad to write about the arduous experiences of stalwart members of the U.S. Army. In Africa and Europe, Pyle encounters brave soldiers who have put their lives in danger in order to defeat Hitler and Mussolini, including Lt. Bill Walker (Robert Mitchum), who is working hard to instill his men with a positive outlook, and Sgt. Steve Warnicki (Freddie Steele), whose young child is growing up back in America.
- #225 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #87 of 87 onThe 85+ Best Movies With Story in the Title
- #17 of 33 onThe Best 1940s War Movies, Ranked
- 114Robert Taylor, Dana Wynter, Richard ToddD-Day the Sixth of June is a 1956 romantic war film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Harry Brown, based on the novel, The Sixth of June by Lionel Shapiro. The film stars Robert Taylor, Richard Todd, Dana Wynter, and Edmond O'Brien.
- #231 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #14 of 16 onThe 16 Best D-Day Movies That Deserve To Land On Your Watchlist
- #54 of 56 onThe 55+ Best Movies of 1956
- 115Van Johnson, Gianna Maria Canale, Warner AndersonDuring World War II, Lt. Michael Grayson (Van Johnson) is a newly commissioned American Army officer who looks forward to being assigned to the 36th Texas Division. Instead, he is put in charge of Japanese-American soldiers, who form the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Grayson is bigoted and uneasy about the assignment, but when the unit goes into combat in Italy, he admires their courage and determination. The 442nd eventually becomes the most decorated unit in the U.S. Army.
- 116Christopher Lee, Patrick Macnee, Peter FinchThe Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch. In the United States the film was retitled Pursuit of the Graf Spee. The film is about the Battle of the River Plate, a real naval battle of 1939 between a Royal Navy force of three cruisers and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
- 117Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom CourtenayDuring World War II, German Intelligence officer Maj. Grau (Omar Sharif) investigates a prostitute's murder in Warsaw, Poland. Evidence leads Grau to three powerful Nazi generals (Charles Gray, Donald Pleasence, Peter O'Toole) who reassign Grau to Paris when they discover his investigation. While two of the generals quietly plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the vicious Gen. Tanz remains faithful to his leader and keeps several dark secrets of his own.
- 118Alan Arkin, Rutger Hauer, Joanna PaculaDuring the height of World War II, members of a resistance movement within the Sobibor concentration camp attempt a daring uprising and escape. As the underground group, including Alexander Pechersky (Rutger Hauer) and Leon Feldhendler (Alan Arkin), devise a plan, they must contend with Nazi officers, Ukranian guards and the realization that anyone apprehended will likely be killed. Initially plotting for a few people to escape, they eventually decide that all 600 prisoners must break out.More Escape from Sobibor
- #181 of 240 onThe 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
- #3 of 72 onPowerful Movies About The Holocaust
- #8 of 46 onThe Best Movies About Making An Escape
- 119Richard Burton, John Colicos, Clinton GreynAlex Foster (Richard Burton), a captain in the British navy, heads to the Libyan seaport of Tobruk during World War II. The city, which offers access to important trade routes, has been taken over by the Germans, and Foster goes undercover as a Nazi to reunite with British soldiers being held behind enemy lines and lead them to seize control of the port. When Foster discovers the soldiers are in fact sick POWs, he must find a way to lead the unhealthy men in a successful mission anyway.
- 120Noel Coward, John Mills, Bernard MilesCo-directors David Lean and Noel Coward (in his sole filmmaking effort) created this patriotic World War II drama under the auspices of Great Britain's Ministry of Information. After the sinking of the HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete in 1941, the ship's survivors -- including Captain Kinross (Noel Coward), Chief Petty Officer Hardy (Bernard Miles) and Seaman Blake (John Mills) -- recall their tour of duty in flashback while awaiting rescue in lifeboats being strafed by German airplanes.More In Which We Serve
- #232 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #66 of 70 onThe Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the 1940s
- #12 of 20 onThe 20 Best Movies About Battleships
Filed under:
Fact-checked by:Jason Bancroft
22 MORE LISTS
Wars on Screen
Looking closer at some of the best, most realistic, most brutal depictions of war in the history of entertainment.
TRENDING TODAY
